Prevalence of lameness and associated risk factors on dairy farms in the Maritime Provinces of Canada

Abstract

Lameness in dairy cattle is a major issue for the industry due to the effects on the welfare of the animal, the economic impact, and consumer perception. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of lameness and explore potential risk factors in the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Cows were scored for lameness and potential risk factors and were assessed in 46 freestall herds and 33 tiestall herds in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. In freestall herds, lameness was assessed using the most common method, locomotion scoring. A cow with a gait score of ≥3 out of 5 was considered to be lame. In tiestall herds, lameness was assessed using an alternative method known as stall lameness scoring. This assessment consisted of observation of the cow for 4 behavioral changes: standing on the edge of the stall, shifting weight, resting a limb, and uneven weight bearing when moved side to side. A cow displaying 2 or more of these behaviors was considered to be lame. At the time of the assessment, other animal-, environmental-, and management-based measurements were collected. These measurements were used in multivariable logistic regression analysis to determine risk factors that were associated with lameness for both freestalls and tiestalls independently. The prevalence of lameness was 21% for freestall-housed cattle and 15% for tiestall-housed cattle. Of the 1,488 tiestall-housed cows that were assessed, 68% showed no behavioral changes, whereas 15, 15, 2, and <1% showed 1, 2, 3, or 4 changes, respectively. In freestalls, higher odds of lameness were seen when cows spent ≥3 h/d in the holding area for milking compared with those that spent <3 h/d. In tiestall herds, higher odds of lameness were seen when bedding material was wet compared with when it was dry. For both lactating cow facility types, housing the dry cows and heifers on a deep bedded pack compared with tiestalls or freestalls was associated with a decreased odds of lameness. There were also many cow-level variables associated with lameness, including parity, daily milk production, stage of production, body condition, and width at the tuber coxae (hook bones). If producers become aware of the risk factors associated with lameness, they can make informed decisions on where to implement changes to help reduce the level of lameness in their herd.

Association between lameness risk assessment and lameness and foot lesion prevalence on dairy farms in Alberta, Canada

“…The 65 freestall herds included in study 1 had a lameness prevalence of 20% (95% CI: 18.4-24.3), consistent with reported estimates of 21% in the Maritime provinces of Canada (Jewell et al, 2019) and 19% last reported in Alberta (Solano et al, 2015). The latter comparison could be reflective of the continuing lack of prevention and control strategy uptake by producers in the province.…”

“…For instance, North American studies have reported estimates that range from 10 to 55% (von Keyserlingk et al, 2012;Cook et al, 2016;Westin et al, 2016;Adams et al, 2017). Recent studies in Canada, including herds from Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes, have reported prevalence estimates with a smaller range of 19 to 24% (Solano et al, 2015;Jewell et al, 2019). Although lameness detection remains a subjective measure partly because of a variety of locomotion scoring systems, the Canadian Dairy Code of Practice considers a lameness prevalence of 10% to be an acceptable upper limit (National Farm Animal Care Council, 2009).…”

Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Lameness in Cows at Commercial Dairy Herds in Punjab, Pakistan

“…Poor leg hygiene increases the development of infectious lesions or claw horns by exposing the feet to manure and moisture, which affects the health of the claws. Cows housed on wet litter were 2.5 times more likely to be lame than those housed on dry litter (Jewell et al, 2019). According to experiments conducted by Gregory (2004) and Gregory et al (2006), exposure of cow's hooves to urine and fecal contamination causes the hoof to swell and soften.…”

Symposium review: The impact of management and facilities on cow culling rates

“…Time out of the freestall pen milking can also negatively affect the time available for rest (Gomez and Cook, 2010). It is recommended that the facility be designed so that time spent milking each day should not exceed 3 h total (Cook, 2019) to optimize the time available for rest and reduce the risk for lameness (Jewell et al, 2019). Indeed, Charlton et al (2014) showed that no farm achieved more than 12 h of lying time/d when stocking rates exceeded 100% or when time milking exceeded 3.7 h/d.…”