Lameness recovery rates following treatment of dairy cattle with claw horn lameness in the Waikato region of New Zealand.

Mason W; Laven LJ; Cooper M; Laven RA

Lameness recovery rates following treatment of dairy cattle with claw horn lameness in the Waikato region of New Zealand.

dc.citation.issue	5
dc.citation.volume	71
dc.contributor.author	Mason W
dc.contributor.author	Laven LJ
dc.contributor.author	Cooper M
dc.contributor.author	Laven RA
dc.coverage.spatial	England
dc.date.accessioned	2024-08-18T21:53:43Z
dc.date.available	2024-08-18T21:53:43Z
dc.date.issued	2023-09-01
dc.description.abstract	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.
dc.description.confidential	false
dc.edition.edition	2023
dc.format.pagination	226-235
dc.identifier.author-url	https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37230967
dc.identifier.citation	Mason W, Laven LJ, Cooper M, Laven RA. (2023). Lameness recovery rates following treatment of dairy cattle with claw horn lameness in the Waikato region of New Zealand.. N Z Vet J. 71. 5. (pp. 226-235).
dc.identifier.doi	10.1080/00480169.2023.2219227
dc.identifier.eissn	1176-0710
dc.identifier.elements-type	journal-article
dc.identifier.issn	0048-0169
dc.identifier.uri	https://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/71326
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	Taylor and Francis Group
dc.publisher.uri	https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00480169.2023.2219227
dc.relation.isPartOf	N Z Vet J
dc.rights	(c) 2023 The Author/s
dc.rights	CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
dc.rights.uri	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.subject	Claw horn
dc.subject	cure rates
dc.subject	lameness
dc.subject	survival analysis
dc.subject	treatment
dc.subject	Female
dc.subject	Cattle
dc.subject	Animals
dc.subject	New Zealand
dc.subject	Lameness, Animal
dc.subject	Cattle Diseases
dc.subject	Hoof and Claw
dc.subject	Gait
dc.subject	Dairying
dc.title	Lameness recovery rates following treatment of dairy cattle with claw horn lameness in the Waikato region of New Zealand.
dc.type	Journal article
pubs.elements-id	461847
pubs.organisational-group	Other