Current attitudes of bovine practitioners, claw-trimmers and farmers in Switzerland to pain and painful interventions in the feet in dairy cattle

Abstract

The attitudes of bovine practitioners, claw-trimmers and farmers towards painful therapeutic claw-trimming of dairy cattle were surveyed and differences between the respondents were assessed. A total of 77 farmers and 32 claw-trimmers were interviewed, and 137 bovine practitioners completed an equivalent online survey. No veterinary consultation for common painful interventions in the feet of cattle was reported by 52% of farmers (i.e. procedures in these herds were performed without local anaesthesia). Only ≈30% of practitioners always carried out such interventions under local anaesthesia and, in general, practitioners considered pain reduction to the lowest possible level less important than did farmers. Furthermore, 47% of practitioners and 33% of claw-trimmers, compared to only 11% of farmers, agreed with the statement that the cost of pain management was a major concern for farmers.There was a particular lack of awareness by farmers regarding the obligation to carry out painful therapeutic claw-trimming under analgesia and the application of local anaesthesia during the trimming of sole ulcers was considered reasonable by significantly fewer farmers (41.6%) and claw-trimmers (46.9%), than practitioners (78.6%). Overall, the attitudes of those involved in painful therapeutic claw-trimming contrasted with Swiss national legislation and with farmer opinion on the importance of reducing pain to the lowest level possible.