217 Lameness, foot lesions and injuries: impacts on the cow, farmer and consumer.

Abstract

Lameness in dairy cattle is a clinical sign of pain related to the locomotor system, primarily caused by foot lesions. It is production-limiting and the dairy industry’s most visible animal welfare concern. Canadian producers rated foot and leg problems as the 3rd most common reason for involuntary culling and in a broad survey of industry stakeholders, lameness was ranked as the most important health issue. Lameness and other animal-based measures (body condition, body injuries) provide information on cows’ response to their environment and management. Due to concerns about the welfare, health and financial costs related to lameness, several Canadian initiatives in the areas of research, industry and extension have been aimed at reducing its occurrence. For research, the focus has been on identifying lameness prevalence and associated risk factors, as this is essential for disease prevention and control. Our research indicated that across Canada, 22% of cows were lame while within-herd prevalence ranged from 0–69%. However, lameness prevalence estimated by producers averaged 9%, which highlights the challenges with detection. Lameness was higher on farms with poor comfort of surfaces for standing and lying. Digital dermatitis (an infectious, painful skin disorder) was the primary foot lesion, affecting 22% of cows and 94% of herds. Suboptimal footbath management and hygiene contributed to the high digital dermatitis prevalence. Dairy Farmers of Canada recently launched a mandatory on-farm animal care assessment (proAction Animal Care), where every farm is subject to evaluation of injuries, body condition and lameness by a third-party. It is anticipated that a significant number of producers will not meet prescribed standards, in particular the maximum acceptable proportion of lame cows. For extension, projects such as the Alberta Lameness Reduction Initiative have developed tools and information that allow producers and their advisors to develop lameness mitigation plans specific to their individual farms.