Further investigation of lameness in cows at pasture: An analysis of the lesions found in, and some possible risk factors associated with, lame New Zealand dairy cattle requiring veterinary treatment

Abstract

Previous descriptive analysis of data collected from veterinary visits to lame cows in the Taranaki region of New Zealand between December 1995 and July 2007 showed an association between both breed and age and lesion type and site. However, that simple analysis had significant limitations as it did not take account of more than 2 factors at the same time and did not evaluate the effect of time (either year or season). This analysis was designed to overcome those limitations. First, correspondence analysis, a multivariate method of analysis, was used to simultaneously evaluate the relationship between the 3 most commonly recorded causes of lameness (i.e., white line disease, sole injury, and axial disease, all of which are diseases of the claw horn), and 4 groups of predictor variables: foot (front or hind), breed (Jersey or Friesian), age (heifer or cow), and claw (lateral or medial). Second, time series analysis was used to ascertain the effect of season on lesion type and identify the change over years in proportional morbidity. The correspondence analysis clearly separated the 3 diseases, showing that differences between these 3 diseases in their risk factors and their etiology. Each disease clustered with a group of predictor variables. White line disease was linked to lateral claw, hind foot, cow, and Friesian breed; sole injury was linked to heifer and medial claw; and axial disease to Jersey and front foot. As sole injury and axial disease are diseases that occur principally in cows at pasture, this is the first full analysis of risk factors for those diseases. The time series analysis further strengthened the conclusion that these 3 diseases have different risk factors, as, even in the strongly seasonal New Zealand system, significant differences in seasonality occurred between them. This analysis adds further to the data which show that claw horn diseases have different etiologies and need to be treated separately for both research purposes and for lameness management on-farm. This analysis is only a starting point; more research is required, particularly longitudinal studies, to better understand the differences in etiology between the main causes of lameness due to claw horn disease, especially in cows kept at pasture, so that we can better target prevention.

Foot lesions in lame cows on 10 dairy farms in Ireland

“…Lameness has a major effect on productivity [ 1 ] and compromises welfare in dairy cattle [ 2 ]. Prevention, early detection and treatment of lameness is therefore important to reduce these negative effects of lameness on dairy cows [ 3 , 4 ].…”

“…This study found foot lesions in lame dairy cattle associated with housing environment and grazing. Most international studies [ 1 , 3 , 15 , 16 ] were based on whole herd foot trimming records, whereas the present study only included lame cows. Due to time and financial constraints it was not possible to include LS 1 or LS 2 cattle in the study.…”

“…Grazing has been identified as a risk factor for WLD in both full time and part time grazing herds [ 10 ]. In New Zealand grazing dairy cows, WLD is by far the most common foot lesion and multiple foot lesions on the same foot or infectious lesions are absent or rare [ 1 ]. Both SH and HHE are not associated with increasing LS, while WLD is commonly diagnosed as a cause of lameness [ 16 , 19 , 20 ].…”

Suboptimal mobility in spring calving, pasture-based dairy systems: causes and economic consequences

“…In pasture-based systems, the non-infectious type claw disorders are by far the most prevalent (Chapter 2). This finding is in agreement with some other research (Lawrence et al, 2011). Approximately 85% of all cows in our dataset had some form of non-infectious claw disorder (a severity score > 0 for an overgrown claw, sole hemorrhage, white line disease, or sole ulcer), while just 2.8% of cows had some form of digital dermatitis (an infectious type claw disorder; Chapter 2).…”

Caracterización Tecnico-Productiva De Fincas Lecheras Del Noreste De La Provincia De Buenos Aires, Argentina

“…El 49% de los callejones se registró con pendiente adecuada, lo que favorece el escurrimiento de agua de lluvia y permite un secado más rápido de los mismos, evitando posibles problemas podales y permitiendo que las ubres lleguen más limpias al ordeño, reduciendo el tiempo empleado en la rutina de ordeño. EL 51% fue descrito como plano o hundido, lo cual puede predisponer a problemas podales y de ubre (Lawrence et al, 2011).…”