Dairy Cow Lameness

Dairy Cow Lameness

1. Definition: Lameness is a clinical sign of pain related to the locomotor system resulting in abnormal movement and/or posture. Risk factors for lameness include those related to the environment, management, and individual cow. Lameness poses a severe welfare issue and contributes to growing public concerns regarding the well-being and longevity of cattle.1

   • https://www.merckvetmanual.com/musculoskeletal-system/lameness-in-cattle/overview-of-lameness-in-cattle#:~:text=Lameness%20is%20a%20painful%20condition,traumatic%20injuries%2C%20and%20neurologic%20disease.
   • Impacts to industry Reduced milk production, Reduced DMI, Reduced fertility Increased culling risk Increased labor cost Increased treatment cost, $60-80 per cow annually
   • Common Treatments for lameness: Antibiotics, hoof trimming, ice boots, foot bath, foot block.
   • Best way to reduce lameness: PREVENTION
     • How to Prevent Lameness? Improve housing condition, Manage cow's nutrition properly, No 90 degree turn in cow paths, foot bath, proper hoof trimming.

2. Caused by hoofs soaking in the urine, mud and manures in free stall barn. Sole will be soften by urine and manure, thus, more susceptible to injuries. Once have wounds on sole, bacteria in environment can enter the sole and cause infection.

   • Not solved currently. Solution: Improve the housing condition, especially ventilation, to reduce moisture; On the other hand, we can use a chain like machine to collect manures continuously all the time, it do not require labor to operate.

3. Caused by metabolism diseases, ketosis can cause laminitis, usually can result in lameness usually caused by acidosis and ketosis.

   • Not solved currently. Solution: Improve nutrition management, especially late pregnancy and early lactation for ketosis; avoid sudden diet change, make sure mix feeds properly and contains at least 50% of forages for acidosis.

4. Caused by conventional milking practice, walking on the concrete ground route from barn to milking units in dairy farms.

   • Not solved currently. Solution: Set Robotic milking rooms units in the free stall barn.

5. Caused by body frame change. Holstein cow is small breed when it is in Netherland, after centuries of selective breeding, now they are much bigger than their ancestors. Larger body frame relate to higher body weight, which will cast more pressure on limbs' joints and hoofs, makes Holstein cows nowadays more susceptible to lameness.

   • Not solved currently. To solve: Selective breeding or gene editing focus on hoof health and joint health.

6. Caused by lack of hoof trimming, such as sole ulcer.

   • Not solved currently. Solution: Hire a hoof trimming professional, and trim hoofs regularly.

7. Caused by genetics deficiency. Such as corkscrew hoof.

   • Not solved currently. Solution: Breed this genetic deficiency out of herd, trim hoof regularly.

8. Caused by infectious diseases. Such as digital dermatitis, white line disease, foot rot, interdigital dermatitis.

   • Not solved currently. Solution: Improve housing condition, can use antibiotics, footbath to treat; use footblock to help recovering.

9. Causes by physical damage. Such as bruised sole, heel erosion. Bruised sole usually caused by cow stepped on pebbles covered by mud. Heel erosion is caused by abrasion and manure.

   • Not solved currently. Solution: Reduce mud cover in pens, reduce sharp turns in cow path, reduce distance from pen to milking units, change the material covered cow path, such as green PVC flooring used in factories.