The movement of cows around the farm is an essential part of business. Lameness can adversely impact a mob, animal welfare and the farm’s efficiency and productivity. Until recently, however, there was little known about lameness from the New Zealand perspective.
Lameness is characterised as a painful condition that affects the locomotor system of cows and bulls. It is mainly caused by hoof lesions, white line disease, sole problems (bruises, abscesses, ulcers), hoof wall cracks, foot rot and digital dermatitis. It can also be due to joint problems, injuries, and neurologic disease.
“Cows are notoriously good at hiding lameness. It is an evolutionary skill to maintain the appearance of health. Great for avoiding predators. Not great for farmers trying to identify lameness in a herd. They will still walk to the shed. It is often not until you see them falling behind at the back of the mob that it is identified on-farm. The biggest risk for farmers however, is that once a cow has experienced lameness she is far more likely to experience it again in the future. The longer the lameness goes on for, the higher the risk,” says Fonterra’s Senior Vet Michael Shallcrass.
New research just published has clarified some of the unknowns that New Zealand farmers were previously relying on international practices and data for.
EpiVets Epidemiologist and Director Winston Mason’s PhD thesis “Dairy cattle lameness in New Zealand: Defining the problem and investigating preventative and treatment strategies” explores the extent of lameness in New Zealand, ways to improve claw-horn lameness, and approaches to prevent new cases of lameness.
For the research, Winston assessed lameness scores of lactating cows across 120 farms in eight regions over two seasons. The prevalence varied significantly between farms (0-17%) indicating farm-level risk factors. By far the most significant risk factor was increased time spent standing on concrete. If you need to stand cattle off pasture you should consider all options to minimise time on bare concrete and reduce subsequent lameness.
The research found 77% of farmers relied on informal identification of lame cows and few had formal policies in place. All, however, were motivated to find solutions and took pride in having a healthy herd.
DairyNZ’s Healthy Hoof Lameness Score helps farmers spot early signs and monitor the condition over time. Zero indicates no problems whereas a three on the rating score indicates severe lameness.
Indicators include walking speed, walking rhythm, stride length, foot placement, weight bearing, back alignment, and head position (high/low/bobbing). Farmers can view a range of instructional videos on identifying lameness within a herd on the DairyNZ website.
While farmers are motivated and proactive, Michael says it can be difficult to implement regular lameness identification programmes and protocols with time constraints and staff issues.
“The earlier you pick up a lameness case, the easier it is to treat, the better the cow responds to treatment, they aren’t as at risk of getting lame next time. In the long-term, you save yourself time. But you also need to make sure you’ve got good facilities for treating the lame cows because that makes the job less onerous,” says Michael.
“A lot of farms will have great facilities for treating one side of a cow but not the other side – such as the way the race is set up. There are hoof-trimming facilities and straps and winches that you can incorporate into your set up but these do have a cost attached.”
The best approach to treating lameness is a combination of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, hoof blocks, appropriate trimming and early identification.
For detailed information on lameness visit dairynz.co.nz/animal/lameness