Herd- and Cow-Level Prevalence of Foot Lesions in Ontario Dairy Cattle
- 1 October 2008
- journal article
- Published by American Dairy Science Association in Journal of Dairy Science
- Vol. 91 (10), 3888-3895
- https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2008-1135
Abstract
The objectives of this cross-sectional study were to determine herd-level and cow-level prevalence estimates for 11 foot lesions in Ontario dairy cattle. Foot lesions were recorded by 5 hoof trimmers on 13,530 cows in 204 Ontario dairy herds from March 2004 to May 2005. Significant differences existed between free-stall and tie-stall housing. In free-stall housing systems, 46.4% of cows had a foot lesion, compared with 25.7% of cows in tie-stall barns. Digital dermatitis was the most common lesion in tie stalls, occurring in 9.3% of cows and 69.7% of the herds, whereas in free-stall herds, 22.7% of cows and 96.7% of the herds were affected. The most common hoof horn lesions were hemorrhages and ulcers, at 7.7 and 4.7% in tie-stall housing and 11.0 and 9.2% in free-stall housing, respectively. Foot blocks were used to treat 2.2% of cows in free stalls and 0.3% in tie stalls. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 9.5 to 17.3 for hoof horn lesions and 28.0 to 38.7 for infectious lesions. In summary, foot lesions diagnosed at the time of hoof trimming are common in Ontario, and appropriate treatment for hoof horn lesions is low.Keywords
Funding Information
- Dairy Farmers of Ontario
- American Association of Bovine Practitioners
- Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food
- Natural Science and Engineering Research Council
This publication has 19 references indexed in Scilit:
- Intra-class correlation attributable to claw trimmers scoring common hind-claw disorders in Dutch dairy herdsPreventive Veterinary Medicine, 2006
- Prevalence of claw lesions in Norwegian dairy cattle housed in tie stalls and free stallsPreventive Veterinary Medicine, 2005
- Treatment strategies for digital dermatitis for the UKThe Veterinary Journal, 2004
- Prevalence of Claw Disorders in Dutch Dairy Cows Exposed to Several Floor SystemsJournal of Dairy Science, 2003
- The Impact of Clinical Lameness on the Milk Yield of Dairy CowsJournal of Dairy Science, 2002
- The Effect of Lameness on Milk Production in Dairy CowsJournal of Dairy Science, 2001
- The influence of lesion type on the duration ofhyperalgesia associated with hindlimb lameness in dairy cattleThe Veterinary Journal, 1998
- Claw lesions in dairy cattle: Methods for assessment ofsole and white line lesionsThe Veterinary Journal, 1998
- Epidemiology of lameness in dairy cattle: description and analysis of foot lesionsVeterinary Record, 1996
- The effects of lameness on reproductive performance, milk production and culling in Dutch dairy farmsPreventive Veterinary Medicine, 1994