Valdivia, Chile, was the host city for the 10th International Conference on Lameness in Ruminants, and what a winner this conference was! Researchers, hoof trimmers, veterinarians and students alike met in South America for the conference held late last year.
Lameness is recognized as one of the most important animal welfare issues plaguing our industry. This along with digital dermatitis, claw lesions, footbaths, early lameness detection and many other research themes were presented and discussed. Below are some research excerpts and key findings from the conference:
• The most dangerous phrase in the human language is “we’ve always done it that way.”
If management practices are not improved upon, then lameness will never improve.
• Removing sharp objects (like stones) from walkways and feeding areas is important to reduce lameness prevalence on dairies.
• Opinions vary in claw lesion treatment.
However, one rule of thumb that should be observed is “don’t do anything to the cow’s foot that you wouldn’t do to yours.” While many opinions do vary on treatment of lesions, research is ongoing to find better solutions.
• Thinness is a risk for lameness.
Researchers at the University of Nottingham are conducting studies to understand this question: “Do lame cows become thin, or do thin cows become lame?” Researchers discovered that cattle with low body condition scores (BCS) at calving had a higher probability of becoming lame. They also discovered that if cattle had a low BCS 16 or eight weeks before first being identified as lame, they had a greater risk of lameness.
The digital cushion is thought to protect the foot structure when the heel contacts the ground when walking. Early research suggests that thinness is a risk for lameness due to the digital cushion not being as thick compared with cows with higher BCS.
• Footbathing for hoof lesions is like teat dipping for mastitis.
Many producers dip teats regularly as a prevention for mastitis. Footbaths should be thought of in the same way. However, many producers do not run footbaths to prevent hoof lesions. Instead, they are only used when there is a problem, as if they were a treatment. Consistently running a footbath is a key preventive practice for managing hoof lesions like hairy heel warts.
• Using a pre-wash footbath before a regular treatment footbath reduced the amount of organic matter in the treatment footbath.
A study conducted in the United Kingdom aimed to determine if using a pre-wash footbath before a regular footbath lessened the contamination load of the regular footbath. Half of the study cows were separated to walk through a regular footbath with no pre-wash, and the other half were to walk through a pre-wash and then a footbath. Organic matter contamination was measured in both regular footbaths. The researchers determined that using a pre-wash reduced the organic matter contamination in the regular footbath compared with the footbath with no pre-wash.
• Footbath strategies for the prevention of digital dermatitis when using copper sulfate are cost-effective.
This study, conducted in Canada, aimed to evaluate the cost-benefit of three copper sulfate footbath protocols in the prevention of digital dermatitis. The protocols were 5 percent copper sulfate four times weekly, 2 percent copper sulfate four times weekly and 5 percent copper sulfate four times biweekly.
The net benefits for using one of the three copper sulfate protocols as shown above were $19,256, $24,232 and $22,958 per one lactation, respectively. When evaluating the three protocols, the 2 percent copper sulfate four times weekly resulted in the greatest net benefit.
• Biosecurity measures must be in place to have a lower incidence of digital dermatitis on farms.
The aim of a study, conducted in Denmark, was to examine the association between farm biosecurity and digital dermatitis prevalence. Commercial Danish dairy herds’ digital dermatitis prevalence was scored and biosecurity on the farms was measured.
The researchers discovered that good biosecurity practices were associated with lower digital dermatitis prevalence. One such biosecurity practice is the wearing of disposable boots by farm visitors. Farms that had visitors wear plastic disposable boots had a lower risk of digital dermatitis on their farms than farms that did not.
• Farmers can benefit from training in locomotion scoring, as farmers typically identify only one in five lame cows.
An aim of a combined study through Brazil and Canada was determining whether farmers were able to identify lame cows. An expert in locomotion scoring and a farmer scored the cattle at the same time. The researchers discovered that famers greatly underestimated the prevalence of lameness on their farms. While many farmers grossly underestimated the lameness prevalence occurring on their farms, continued efforts to train farmers in scoring their cattle properly is needed. Farmers can benefit from measuring their lameness degree on their farm because if we do not measure it, we cannot manage it.
• Lame cows had reduced visits to the feedbunk, time spent feeding and dry matter intake compared with sound cows during the transition period.
This study was conducted at the University of British Columbia. Three weeks before calving, mixed parity cows were housed together in a freestall pen. Using electronic feeding bins, dry matter intake, feedbunk visits and time spent feeding were measured. The researchers determined that lame cows ate less and visited the feedbunk less often during the week of calving. Therefore, lame cows may benefit from specialized management during their transition period.
• Cows spend less time lying down in deep-bedded stalls that have not been maintained.
The University of British Columbia research group conducted a study where, over a 10-day period, lying time was measured for cattle in deep-bedded sand stalls. Over that time, if the stalls were not maintained, the cattle lay down for 30 minutes less for every 1-inch decline in the sand.
In conclusion, this conference generated necessary conversations and discussion surrounding lameness that can be applied on farms. The 2017 International Conference on Lameness in Ruminants will be held in Munich, Germany. PD
