Video 28 tackling lameness in dairy cows
Lameness is one of the big challenges for the modern dairy cow and farmer. With individual cases reported to cost in the region of €250.00 per case.
It is important to remember that this painful condition will severely impact herd and animal performance. It is also a big welfare concern on our farms.
So it makes sense to have a plan to stamp out lameness.
The target for any farm should be under 2% which does take some work.
Understanding the anatomy
With >90% of lameness in dairy cows being mechanical or functional lameness in the foot itself. We need to understand the anatomy of the claw.
Less than 10% of lameness is usually associated with infectious agents like Mortellaro or fouls. I covered them in an earlier blog here https://youtu.be/zUt5XsVsVLk
The claw itself is an amazing structure. Composing of two key components. The outer wall which grows from the coronary band and the sole tissue which is the padding layer covering the bone and taking the impact.
Both of these grow slowly (approx 5-6mm a month). This is important because sole injuries like bruising may have occurred a month before we see them visibly in the foot.
The wall and the sole are where most of our main mechanical lameness issues occur. There are other important components in the hoof, like the fat pads that act as shock absorbers for the pedal bone.
The top three mechanical hoof issues are
- White line disease
- Sole bruising (hemorrhage)
- Sole ulcers
Our first step when dealing with herd lameness is regularly lifting the feet of lame cows.
To discover which cows are lame we need to do mobility scoring. We must get better at identifying the mildly lame cases and intervene quicker.
High numbers of chronically lame cows are when we are failing with lameness.
Basic hoof anatomy
Treatments
With mechanical lameness, we must remember whats happening.
The tissue is damaged and we must repair (pare dead tissue) and release (drops or abscesses). This type of inflammation and damage needs time to heal. We then must focus on ways to help this.
An anti-inflammatory and a block are the best ways to do this.
Control
Watch the video above as I look at the underlying issues around lameness in the herd. Its all about in simple terms reducing pressure on the cow and reducing pressure on the foot.
Reduce pressure on the cow and the herd
Cos are slow-moving 2.5-3.5 km/hr, they pick their steps. The back foot placement following the front foot. If we speed up cows we push their heads up and stop that careful foot placement. This can have a big impact on the foot. If she is not watching her step that’s when the soft tissue of the sole can hit a stone. This will cause bruising and lead to more severe diseases like solar ulcers.
In the milking parlor, particularly the collecting yard we don’t want cows jostling. This unnecessary twisting and turning on hard concrete will put excess pressure on the wall leading to issues potentially with white line disease.
Indoors equally when we minimize twisting and pressure on the feet we can reduce the pressure on the sensitive wall and laminae. The feed face is another place where adequate space and height of neck rails are important.
Indoors we also must ensure space for cows to move around and avoid bullying.
Reducing pressure on the foot
The solar tissue is a narrow layer of cushioning that protects the pedal bone. With cows grazing, walking distances and road surfaces are very important to ensure minimal impact.
Also anytime cows are standing for longer than they need to, we increase the pressure on the foot.
Long milking times can mean standing for excessive amounts of time on concrete. It is extraordinary to watch where new parlors are installed and milking time is reduced how milk volume can increase. It can also lead to less lameness when good cow flow occurs at milking time.
Indoors we need to look at reducing standing time also. Maximize cow comfort and lying times to reduce this pressure. There is a real science to getting the perfect bed for a cow, cubicle size and bed comfort.
Where durable nonslip rubber is installed where you have high traffic this also works well. Anytime you have turning or twisting of feet this helps reduce white line issues.
So for lameness control have a plan
Set a target of less than 2-4%
Check the herd regularly with mobility scoring
Pull out lame cows and treat them early
Use all available tools like blocks and pain relief
Farmers should complete hoof paring training to allow prompt treatments
Regular herd treatments can also be carried out. Avoid over paring on routine treatments
Reduce the pressure on cows with quads (1st gear only) and dogs (over-enthusiastic).
Get cow flow right at milking time
Observe how calm cows are and space in collecting yards. Avoid overzealous use of the backing gate.
Consider rubber in high traffic areas.
Review milking times and standing times
Indoors maximize space and cow comfort (bedding).
Use regular footbathing to help reduce the spread of infectious lameness.
Reducing lameness is good for the cow, the farmer, your herd performance and profit.
Thought for the day
It isn’t always easy but its good to talk when you feel under pressure. A problem shared is a problem halved.
If people feel I can help them in any way my email is info@tommythevet.ie
Big thanks to Nettex for their support in helping me make #50in50 happen for more information click here http://www.progiene-dairy.com/hoofcare/digicuradvanced
Happy safe farming