Journal Articles

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Author: search.filters.author.Laven RASubject: search.filters.subject.Gait

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    Lameness recovery rates following treatment of dairy cattle with claw horn lameness in the Waikato region of New Zealand.
    (Taylor and Francis Group, 2023-09-01) Mason W; Laven LJ; Cooper M; Laven RA
    AIMS: To describe the time in days for lame dairy cows to recover after diagnosis and treatment of claw horn lameness, and to investigate whether cure rates differed between farms. METHODS: Five dairy farms in the Waikato region were conveniently enrolled into a descriptive epidemiological study. Three of these farms had dairy cattle enrolled over two consecutive seasons, while two farms enrolled for one year. Lame cattle diagnosed by the farmers were enrolled into the study if they had a lameness score (LS ≥ 2 on a 0-3 scale) and claw horn lesions. All enrolled animals were treated by a single veterinarian following a consistent methodology, and subsequently assessed for LS at a median frequency of 4 days from enrolment until they were sound (LS = 0). The times (days) taken for animals to become sound and non-lame (LS < 2) were reported for all animals, and Kaplan-Meier survival curves used to present the results. A Cox-proportional hazard model was used to assess if the hazard of soundness was associated with farm, age, breed, lesion, number of limbs involved, and LS at enrolment. RESULTS: A total of 241 lame cattle with claw horn lesions were enrolled across the five farms. White line disease was the predominant pain-causing lesion in 225 (93%) animals, and blocks were applied to 205 (85%) of enrolled animals. The overall median days from enrolment to becoming sound was 18 (95% CI = 14-21) days, and 7 (95% CI = 7-8) days to become non-lame. A difference in the hazards of lameness cure between farms was identified (p = 0.007), with median days to lameness cure between farms ranging from 11 to 21 days. No associations were identified between age, breed, limb, or LS at enrolment on the lameness cure rates. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of claw horn lameness following industry-standard guidelines in dairy cattle on five New Zealand dairy farms resulted in rapid cure, although cure rates differed between farms. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Following industry best-practice lameness treatment guidelines, including frequent use of blocks, can result in rapid lameness cure rates in New Zealand dairy cows. This study also suggests that management of lame cattle on pasture can positively benefit their welfare and recovery times. The reported cure rates provide veterinarians with benchmarks on the length of time after which a lame animal should be re-examined, and in the investigation of poor treatment response rates at the herd level.
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    Persistence of orthopaedic hoof blocks for the treatment of lame cattle kept permanently at pasture.
    (Taylor and Francis Group, 2023-09-01) Müller KR; Laven RA; Laven LJ
    AIMS: To compare the retention by New Zealand dairy cows kept at pasture in a lame cow group, of three hoof block products commonly used in the remediation of lameness. METHODS: Sixty-seven farmer-presented Friesian and Friesian x Jersey dairy cows from a single herd in the Manawatū region (New Zealand) suffering from unilateral hind limb lameness attributable to a claw horn lesion (CHL) were randomly allocated to one of three treatments: foam block (FB), plastic shoe (PS) and a standard wooden block (WB). Blocks were applied to the contralateral healthy claw and checked daily by the farm staff (present/not present) and date of loss was recorded. Blocks were reassessed on Day 14 and Day 28 and then removed unless further elevation was indicated. Daily walking distances were calculated using a farm map and measurement software. Statistical analyses included a linear marginal model for distance walked until block loss and a Cox regression model for the relative hazard of a block being lost. RESULTS: Random allocation meant that differences between products in proportion used on left or right hind foot or lateral or medial claw were small. Mean distance walked/cow/day on farm tracks whilst the block was present was 0.32 (min 0.12, max 0.45) km/day; no biologically important difference between products in the mean distance walked was identified. Compared to PS, cows in the WB group were five times more likely to lose the block (HR = 4.8 (95% CI = 1.8-12.4)), while cows in the FB group were 9.5 times more likely to lose the block (HR = 9.5 (95% CI = 3.6-24.4)). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, PS were retained for much longer than either FB or WB. As cows were managed in a lame cow group for the study duration, walking distances were low and did not impact on the risk of block loss. More data are needed to define ideal block retention time. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In cows with CHL the choice of block could be based on the type of lesion present and the expected re-epithelisation times.