from the inside out…

…and the outside in. Ernest Hovingh eph1@psu.edu

Dept. of Veterinary & Biomedical Sciences Pennsylvania State University

Preventing Lameness in Dairy Cattle

Dealing with lameness…• The P-I-M approach

–Prevent lame cows

–Identify lame cows

–Manage/treat lame cows

www.mau.com

• From the inside out…– ‘Internal factors’ affecting

hoof health (genetics, laminitis, loss of cushioning, excessive pressure)

• From the outside in…– ‘External factors’ affecting

hoof health

Why does lameness occur?

• Physiological…– Production of hoof tissue

• Mechanical…– Forces, pressures and

stresses affecting hoof health

Why does lameness occur?

LAMENESS

Environment &management

• Trauma & handling• Trimming

• Heat stress / cow comfort• Cleanliness

Nutrition

• Lack of effective fiber• Poor feeding management

• Incorrect forage:concentrate ratio• Poor rumen buffering

• Weight loss

Infectious diseases• Metritis• Mastitis Changes in blood circulation in claw

Death of “gram negative” bacteria

Endotoxin release

Laminitis

• Weakened claw capsule• Poor quality horn formation

• Breakdown of support system in the claw

Genetics• Conformation• Horn quality

Other?

Metabolic disorders• Milk fever• Ketosis

Infectious claw disease• Digital dermatitis• Septic arthritis

• Foot rot

• Cow-to-cow variation

• Season-to-season variation

• Farm-to-farm variation

• Regional variation

A complicated puzzle

P3 & the claw capsule

Claw capsule

P3

P3

Different areas of the corium

Photo courtesy of C. Mülling, Berlin

White line

Sole

Coronary band & heel

Hoof wall

• Tissue between P3 & claw capsule that

‘makes’ the

claw capsule

Why does it matter?• Unhealthy/damaged corium = poor quality/

defective claw tissue (sole, heel, wall, etc.) = more susceptible to infection, mechanical damage, etc.

Interrupted production of sole tissue

P3

Sole

Corium

Sole ulcer

P3

Corium

Sole

Damage to the corium• Pressure (+/- bruising)

reduces blood flow to corium

• Interaction of trimming, housing, nutrition, heat stress, hygiene, handling, etc.

P3

Healthy feet – from the outside in…• “External” factors affecting the quality/

health of the hoof:– Cow comfort– Animal handling & movement– Trimming– Nutrition– Heat stress– Hygiene & foot bathing

• Excessive standing prolonged pressure on corium poor quality hoof tissue produced by corium

1. Cow comfort

• Access to stalls– Stocking density– Time away from pen

• Condition/comfort of stalls– Stall size/dimensions– Improper freestall/tiestall structure– Uncomfortable resting surface– Poor stall management

1. Cow comfort

• Stocking density– Overcrowding reduces resting time

Access to stalls

100% 109% 120% 133% 150%56789

1011121314 Lying in stall

Standing in alleys

Stocking density (cows/stalls)

Ho

urs

/day

Fregonesi et al. J Dairy Sci. 90(7):3349-

• Stocking density– Overcrowding reduces resting time

(Fregonesi et al, 2007)

– Reduces available feeding space– NFACC Code of practice (Canada)

1.2 cows/stall max– UK/EU? require

1.1 stalls/cow!

Access to stalls

http://tinyurl.com/eXtensionarticle1Taking Advantage of Natural Behavior…

Credit: Dan McFarland

Access to stalls

tinyurl.com/eXtensionarticle2…Pen Moves and Facility Designs…

• Stocking density – dry & transition cows– Even more critical than lactating cows– Strongly suggest staying under 100% -

definitely not over!

HOBO®

dataloggers

38794 38804 38814 38824 38834 38844 38854 38864 388740

2

4

6

8

10

12

Cow 1646 - Total Lying Time

20 after dry offDry period10 day pre-calv-ingPost Calving

Date

Lyi

ng

Tim

e

(9.5 hr)

40025 40035 40045 40055 40065 40075 40085 400950

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Cow 1448 - Total Lying Time

20 after dry off

Dry Period

10 pre-calving

post-calving

Date

Lyi

ng

Tim

e

(Cow 1646)

(15.2 hr)

(9.5 hr)

10 days pre-calving

Calving Ease

1(Unassisted)

3(Medium pull)

Avg. # lying bouts per day 7.3 6.9

Avg. length of bout 2.1 1.7

Total lying time 12.3 hr. 10.9 hr.

Pilot data, Penn State Veterinary Extension

Time away from pen/stalls• “Time out-of-pen” max. ~3 hr./day

– Include time in headlocks/palpation rail for management purposes

Cook & Nordlund. Veterinary Journal. 179(3):360-

Time spent out of pen for milking: 14 cows, milked 3X; four separate recordings, over 4 months.

Photo: M. Ventorp, SLU

Condition/comfort of stalls• Stall size, structure & condition that

allows cows to:– Get in, lie down, get up, get out…(easily!)

Goal: 80-90% (or more!) of the cows in the stallsshould be lying down

If less than ~75%, lameness prevalence in pen is likely >20%

(Cook et al, 2004)

Condition/comfort of stalls• You don’t need a measuring tape…

Condition/comfort of stalls• You don’t need a measuring tape…

Improper stall structure/design

Hovinghcowgettingupvideo1.avi

Uncomfortable resting surface

“Cows spent 2.3 less hrs/day lying in freestalls when the level of sand was 5.4 inches below the curb vs. ‘full’ stalls. On average, cows spent 25 fewer minutes lying down in freestalls for every inch below the level of the curb.”

Drissler, M., et al. JDS. 2005

Graphic: D. McFarland, PSU

Sand bedding on asphalt stall base

P3Outer hoof wall

Lamina (corium)

• Poor/improper handling & movement increased mechanical stress & trauma increased wear & damage to weight-bearing area of foot

2. Animal handling/movement

The floor-foot interaction

• Weight of cow

• Compressibility/hardness of floor

• Texture of floor- macro & micro

• Other material between floor & claw- abrasiveness- friction

• Shape/conformation/hardness of foot

• Motion of cow – speed, turning, etc.

The floor-foot interaction

Hardness: resistance to indentation/deformation, resistance to friction/abrasion

The floor-foot interaction

Hardness: resistance to indentation/deformation, resistance to friction/abrasion

Force Exerted on Weight-Bearing Area

1,400 lb. cow

WeightDistribution

7.75 in2/foot

Standing Walking

Front (50%) 45.2 lb/in2 90.4 lb/in2

Rear (50%) 45.2 lb/in2 90.4 lb/in2

(~.35 in2)

31.5 lbs

Mechanical stress/damage

Approximate outline of claws [added]

van der Tol et al., JDS 87:1732-

Prior to trimming After trimming

Parlor

Tra

vel l

anes

Freestalls

X

Holding pen

The floor-foot interaction

The floor-foot interaction

Friction/abrasion

Hoof wall

White line

Sole

Friction/abrasion

Rotational shear stress

Case farm• 75-cow dairy, ~25-30 lame cows in the

past year (some with repeat episodes)• Somewhat more common in 2nd and greater

lactation animals; no DIM trend; more cases in late summer/early fall; occasional case in dry cows

• High proportion of cases were white line abscesses in zone 3

Case farm• Zone 3 abscesses

Case farm• Occasional toe abscess or sole ulcer• Very little evidence of sole hemorrhage,

sole ulcers, digital dermatitis, foot rot, etc.• Relatively shallow heels on most cows

• Freestalls (75+) with access to exercise paddocks – good stall usage; minimal heat stress abatement

Case farm

smallramp

step

step

freestalls

Flat milking ‘parlor’

• Flat parlor (old tiestall barn) – milk ½ herd at a time

Case farm

Case farm

Case farm

Rotation of leg while moving

90o turn, not hurried

Hovinghwalkvideo1.avi

Rotation of leg while moving

180o hard turn, hurried

Hovinghwalkvideo2.avi

Animal handling• Calm & slow! (No prods, dogs, or hollerin’)

Exiting stall

Hovinghwalkvideo3.avi

Exiting stall

Animal handling/movement• Technique used to move animals can

have a significant impact on hoof wear, and cause damage to claw tissues– Getting cows out of stalls improperly– Moving cows down

alleyways, around corners

– Causing animals t to crowd/shove/ push other animals

Modified from: nottotallyrad.blogspot.com

In case of emergency

BREAK GLASS

Case farm

smallramp

step

step

freestalls

Flat milking ‘parlor’

• Animal movement

3. Trimming/lame cow care• Unbalanced claws uneven weight

distribution (excessive) pressure on corium production of unhealthy/ compromised sole/white line

From Toussaint Raven“Cattle Footcare and Claw

Trimming”

Optimize weight distribution

From Toussaint Raven“Cattle Footcare and Claw Trimming”

Cow trimming/lame cow care• When / Which cows are trimmed?• Regular trimming of every cow - at least

once per lactation cycle – preferably twice• Some cows may require very little trimming!

– Clinically lame cows should be ‘treated’ within 24 hours

Cow trimming/lame cow care• Who trims the cows?

– Trained, on-farm person• Deal with lame cows within 24 hrs!

– Vet• At least for advanced medical/surgical cases

– Professional hoof trimmer• Primarily for routine/maintenance trimming

Cow trimming/lame cow care• How are they trimmed?

– Flat soles should result in less pressure on any one point of the corium (see previous webinar)

– Cows should NOT routinely become lame after trimming

3”-3

¼”

3”-3

¼”

¼+” ¼+”

Don’t go to far around the side!!

Toe too short…

NOT good!!

Don’t overtrim the axial

(inside) wall!

Sole is dished and very thin

(ouch!!)

• Rumen acidosis death of bacteria in rumen bacteria release “vaso-active” substances absorbed into bloodstream affect blood flow in foot affect ability of corium to produce healthy hoof tissue.

4. Nutrition

from Bovine Anatomy – An Illustrated Text. Budras, Habel, et al.

Nutrition• “Different” rations: (1) on paper, (2) as fed,

(3) as eaten, (4) as digested…• Hopefully they’re all the same, but…

• Paper ration:– Excessive carbohydrate/starch (Thoefner et al., 2004)

– Starch, starch:fiber ratio, etc.

Nutrition & rumen acidosis• Ration as mixed/delivered/fed; as eaten

– Lack of effective fiber (particle length)• Chopped too finely• Overmixed

– Sorting of ration components by cows

Sorting feed at the bunk

Hovinghfeedsortvideo.avi

Nutrition & rumen acidosis• Penn State Particle

Separator– As delivered to the bunk– At intervals after feeding

(eg. 2, 4, 6 hours, etc.)– If significant (>4 or 5%)

amount of variability is observed, sorting is occurring!

tinyurl.com/particleseparator

Penn State ParticleSeparator Resources

Don’t forget about youngstock!• Need a balanced, high quality ration

– Byproducts, waste feed, and feed refusals??

• Heat stress increased standing time pressure on corium… AND/OR

• Heat stress rumen acidosis altered blood flow in feet…

• … defective/ poor quality claw tissue (sole, white line, hoof wall, etc.) more susceptible to infection, mechanical damage, etc.

5. Heat stress abatement

5. Heat stress abatement

5. Heat stress abatementMaximum:

30 feet for a 3’ (dia.) fan40 feet for a 4’ (dia.) fan

Airspeed:3-5 mph over cows

~30°

Minimum: 8 feet

6. Keep the feet clean & dry!

Photo credit: J. Shearer

6. Keep the feet clean & dry!

6. Keep the feet clean & dry!

Preventing lameness…• Cow comfort• Animal handling/movement• Trimming• Nutrition• Heat stress• Hygiene

Thank you!

Ernest Hovingheph1@psu.edu