Abstract
Simple SummaryFoot-related lameness is one of the most significant welfare issues in farm animals. Contrary to dairy cows and meat sheep breeds, epizootiological data on foot-lesions and associated lameness in dairy sheep are scarce. In this study, data were collected from 30 representative intensive dairy sheep farms. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to produce a typology of intensive farming systems which resulted in the assignment of farms in two distinct clusters. Six hundred adult ewes were randomly selected from six flocks (three flocks per cluster) and a cross-sectional study was implemented to investigate the epizootiology and potential risk factors of foot-related lameness, foot-lesions and diseases. Ovine interdigital dermatitis and infectious footrot were the most common infectious foot diseases, while white line disease and hoof wall cracks were the most prevalent non-infectious lesions. Infectious footrot was the main cause of lameness and increased with age, whereas body condition score was associated with increased prevalence of ovine interdigital dermatitis. Comparisons between the clusters regarding foot-related lameness, foot-diseases and lesions at the animal, the limb, and the hoof level are presented, and relevant literature, mechanisms, hypotheses, and challenges of the field are discussed.Foot-related lameness, foot-diseases and lesions are emerging issues in dairy sheep; however, relevant epizootiological studies are scarce, and risk factors have not been elucidated. The objectives of this cross-sectional study were (i) to address this dearth of knowledge by investigating the epizootiology of lameness-related foot-lesions and diseases, and (ii) to assess the impact of potential risk factors on foot health, in intensive dairy sheep farms. Thirty farms were assigned in two representative clusters using a multivariate statistical analysis. Three farms per cluster and 100 multiparous milking ewes per farm (total n = 600) were selected and enrolled in the study. Foot-related lameness, ovine interdigital dermatitis (OID), infectious footrot (IFR), white line disease, hoof wall cracks, as well as health and welfare traits were recorded. Overall prevalence of foot-related lameness was 9.0% and was primarily associated with IFR; however, additional infectious and non-infectious foot diseases and lesions also contributed. Among infectious foot diseases, OID was the most prevalent (21.3%) followed by IFR (8.0%); WLD and hoof wall cracks were the most prevalent non-infectious foot-lesions (37.7% and 15.3%, respectively). IFR and OID prevalence increased with age (p < 0.05) and BCS (p < 0.01), respectively, suggesting that host-related factors and husbandry practices are important determinants of its occurrence.
Highlights
In recent years, the growing demand for sheep milk and products thereof has resulted in a remarkable increase of the global dairy sheep population, and total sheep milk production [1]
It has led to significant benefits for the dairy sheep sector including: (i) increased productivity; (ii) efficient utilization of available resources; (iii) precision farming through adoption of advanced monitoring systems and husbandry practices; and (iv) the establishment of evidence-based biosecurity and hygiene measures for the control of infectious and parasitic diseases [2]
This is a hypothesis supported by studies in dairy cows showing that high yielding animals are more likely to develop foot lesions and lameness [23,28,29]; this is not sufficiently evidenced in dairy sheep [11], and under the current study-design, it is not possible neither to conclude the pathophysiological mechanisms nor estimate the effect of milk yield on foot-related lameness
Summary
The growing demand for sheep milk and products thereof has resulted in a remarkable increase of the global dairy sheep population (ca. 20.0%), and total sheep milk production (ca. 28.0%) [1]. To address this trend, farming systems have been evolving and adapting to more intensive management schemes, exploiting improved genotypes and modern husbandry practices and technologies. It has led to significant benefits for the dairy sheep sector including: (i) increased productivity; (ii) efficient utilization of available resources (such as high-yielding breeding stocks, modernized infrastructures, specialized labor, alternative feedstuff, and optimized land use); (iii) precision farming through adoption of advanced monitoring systems and husbandry practices; and (iv) the establishment of evidence-based biosecurity and hygiene measures for the control of infectious and parasitic diseases [2].
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