Dairy farmers' knowledge, awareness and practices regarding bovine lameness in Malaysian dairy farms.

Simple SummaryAnimal welfare is an important aspect that affects the health and productivity of dairy animals. This study reports the knowledge and opinion of dairy cattle farmers regarding dairy cattle welfare (DCW) in Keningau, Sabah. A total of 30 dairy farmers participated in the survey and the information collected includes their socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, and opinions regarding DCW. Seventy per cent of the farmers (n = 21) had satisfactory-to-good knowledge of the DCW criteria, but their opinions differed regarding indicators of poor animal welfare. The understanding of DCW differed among farmers depending on the production level, educational status, herd size, and cattle breeds kept on the farm.This study aimed to assess the knowledge and opinions about DCW among dairy cattle farmers in Keningau, Sabah. A questionnaire was developed, validated, and administered by hand to 30 farmers. The data collected include farmers’ and farm demographics, and opinions regarding the criteria and indicators of DCW. Only 17 respondents (57%) had heard of “dairy cattle welfare” before this study. Nine farmers (30.0%) had poor knowledge about DCW criteria, whereas 13 (43.7%) and 8 (26.7%) farmers had satisfactory and good knowledge, respectively. Farmers with higher education, larger herd size, high production level, and exotic cattle breeds showed a better understanding. Farmers understood most of the indicators; however, opinions regarding cattle behavior during milking, their physical appearance and their lying down behaviour need to be improved. Nevertheless, 28 respondents ranked their animals’ welfare as either good or satisfactory, which further reflects a poor implementation of DCW measures. The main factors suggested by farmers to influence DCW in their herds were facilities, worker issues, management practices, and animal well-being. In conclusion, guidance from veterinarians and animal welfare specialists may be needed to improve the farmers’ understanding and practices of DCW.

Foot lesions causing lameness in dairy cows are a major source of production and economic losses and affect the welfare of dairy cows. The literature suggests that dairy farmers often diagnose and treat lame cows without expert opinion or assistance. Although there is a paucity of research regarding dairy farmers’ ability to diagnose and treat foot lesions, the high culling rates associated with lameness may indicate poor diagnosis or treatment. Therefore, research into tools to assist dairy farmers in identifying the causes of lameness in dairy cows is a priority. The broad aims of this thesis were to: i) conduct a systematic review of tests described in the literature for the detection of lameness and the diagnosis of foot lesions, ii) determine dairy farmer ability to correctly diagnose and treat foot lesions, iii) investigate the potential for simple mobile phone technology to be used as a remote consultation tool between dairy farmers and veterinarians, and iv) investigate the beliefs underlying dairy farmer intentions to improve their management practices of foot lesions causing lameness.The systematic review identified a number of tests for the detection of lameness, foot lesions, sole ulcers and digital dermatitis. No tests were identified for the diagnosis of specific foot lesions. Key objectives of this study were to assess the methodological quality of the included studies, compare the performance of the identified tests using reported sensitivity and specificity values, and subsequently make recommendations regarding suitability for implementation on farm. However, none of the tests reviewed and assessed could be recommended due to incomplete reporting of pertinent information and significant risk of bias in all studies. A key recommendation from this study is that authors of future studies in this field should use the STARD guidelines. This would enable thorough evaluation of future tests.Data were acquired from a previously conducted observational study to determine dairy farmer ability to correctly diagnose and treat foot lesions and to introduce the concept of a tele-foot-health system, where digital images of foot lesions were sent to a remote veterinarian for assessment. Diagnostic agreement was assessed between two sets of raters, an on-site (farm) veterinarian and a dairy farmer and the farm veterinarian and a remote veterinarian, for four criteria: body region, tissue, diagnosis and treatment. Overall, the farm veterinarian and dairy farmer demonstrated weak to almost perfect agreement, whereas the farm veterinarian and remote veterinarian demonstrated moderate to almost perfect agreement. For the farm veterinarian and dairy farmer, weak levels of agreement for diagnosis and treatment suggest that the dairy farmer may need more assistance in diagnosing and treating the foot lesions occurring in their herd. The moderate to almost perfect agreement achieved between the farm veterinarian and remote veterinarian indicates the potential for success of the proposed tele-foot-health system. More research is needed to further investigate and validate its use.The final research chapter used a questionnaire based on a social–psychology framework, the Theory of Planned Behaviour. In brief, such studies identify individuals’ key behavioural, normative and control beliefs in relation to the behaviour of interest and assess the associations between the beliefs and intention to perform the behaviour. This study identified that dairy farmers believed improving their current management practices of foot lesions would improve animal welfare, increase milk production and was worth the cost involved (behavioural beliefs). Dairy farmers indicated that the opinions of consumers, staff, and animal welfare groups were important in their decision to make improvements (normative beliefs). Better equipment and facilities, improved knowledge and training, and a favourable cost benefit ratio were perceived as factors that would enable dairy farmers to improve their management practices (control beliefs). While all of these beliefs may be considered as potential drivers to facilitate positive behavioural change, the behavioural beliefs were identified as the priority beliefs that industry should target in the development of strategies to increase dairy farmer intentions to make improvements to their current management practices of foot lesions.This thesis has demonstrated that dairy farmers need support for diagnosing the foot lesions that affect the dairy cows in their herds. While no tools of this nature currently exist, the tele-foot-health system introduced in this thesis offers a possible solution to assist dairy farmers in both the diagnosis and treatment of foot lesions. However, further research is required to fully support its implementation on the farm. To support the uptake of tools like this, this thesis demonstrates the importance of targeting dairy farmer behavioural beliefs in the development of strategies to promote improved dairy cow foot health. In conclusion, this thesis has provided direction for further research into tools to aid dairy farmers in improving their management of foot lesions causing lameness in their dairy herds.

Claw horn disorders, infectious diseases of hooves and leg injuries cause lameness in dairy cows. However, such diseases as sole haemorrhages, sole ulcers or white line diseases, cause clinical lameness. Lameness reduces milk production, the fertility of cows and also causes earlier culling of cows, as well resultings in a deterioration of their welfare. In this review we focus on the impact of lameness on bovine behaviour. The time spent lying down is an important behaviour of dairy cows. As an increased locomotion score is associated with an increased percentage of cows lying down, also the position of cows within the milking parlour is associated with lameness. Lame cows are more likely to present toward the end of milking. Clinical lameness is a chronic stressor, reducing progesterone concentrations prior to oestrus, and resulting in reduced sexual behaviour; however, lame cows have the same potential period of oestrus when compared with non-lame cows. Hoof diseases, particularly those which are a source of pain, also reduce animal welfare. A high standard of cow welfare may be achieved by improving the lives of animals and the people who work with them. A lack of comfort while lying presents a significant risk for lameness. Improvements in comfort on more than 75% of farms (32 out of a total number of 53 farms) reduced the incidence of mastitis, while on 42 farms it reduced the prevalence of lameness. The keeping of cows on the straw bed of stalls does not only improve animal welfare, mainly through the greater comfort of the floor, but has also been showed to increase eating and ruminating behaviour. Cows also prefer straw to sand bedding and lay down longer on straw than on sand; however, cleanliness and hoof health have been shown to be better on sand. Apart from comfort, the main factors which promote improvements in bovine welfare and health, include good management of dairy farms, keeping cows in free stalls with accompanying regular exercise, and a long time spent at pasture. The prevalence of clinical lameness was demonstrated to be higher on farms using mattresses when compared with farms using deep-bedded stalls. No differences were found in behaviour among cows with different degrees of lameness housed in mattress stalls. Hence, measures of laying behaviour are not good indicators of lameness.  

Animal welfare assurance is of great importance as dairy farming is recently under increasing pressure to meet societal and commercial expectations. Therefore, this study aims to determine the current welfare situation of dairy cattle housed in tie-stalls and free stalls in South Tyrol (Eastern Italian Alps) in order to evaluate the need for establishment of an animal welfare assurance programme. For reasons of research economy, a protocol was used for data collection that would also be applicable for practical use in an animal welfare assurance scheme. Analyses of resource-based and animal-based indicators recorded in 204 farms in North and South Tyrol (1891 dairy cows) reveal some important animal welfare problems mainly related to the provision of resources and the prevalence of skin alterations especially in tie-stall barns, which are still widely spread in mountain areas. Hence, the implementation of an animal welfare assurance scheme is urgently needed to reflect public concerns through regular and standardised monitoring of welfare indicators and continuous encouragement of improvements in dairy cattle welfare towards predefined targets. Concerning tie-stalls, interventions in stall design as well as the selective use of local breeds best adapted to the mountainous conditions appear to be appropriate measures to optimise dairy cattle health and welfare. These findings substantiate the high value of the data that would be collected as part of the assurance programme to gain insights, which could be used in preventive and corrective health plans to improve welfare-friendliness in dairy farming of South Tyrol. Highlights An adverse effect on animal welfare in tie-stalls was pointed out, even though this housing system is still widely spread in the Alpine region. An animal welfare assurance programme for dairy cattle is urgently needed in South Tyrol, where some welfare problems currently exist. Regular and standardised monitoring of indicators encourages improvements in dairy cattle health and welfare.

Lameness is one of the greatest constraints on the productivity, health, and welfare of dairy cattle. A cross-sectional study was carried out from March 2021 to September 2021 in Hawassa town with the aim of assessing the prevalence and identifying the associated risk factors of lameness in dairy farms. The study was conducted on 440 animals belonging to 19 randomly selected intensive dairy farms. Data regarding lameness and its possible risk factors were collected both at animal and farm level using a questionnaire. The results showed that the overall prevalence of lameness was 10.2% (n = 45/440). The association of lameness prevalence with various risk factors including milking status, exercise, age, parity, milk yield, and lactation stage was statistically tested using logistic regression model. There was a significant variation in the prevalence of lameness (P < 0.05) between cattle with different milking status, age, parity, milk yield, and stage of lactation by the univariable analysis result. According to the multivariable analysis, only milk yield and lactation stage were statistically associated with the occurrence of lameness. Milking animals (8%) had higher prevalence of lameness than nonmilking (2.2%). The occurrence of lameness increased with milk yield. The highest prevalence of lameness was recorded in the early stage of lactation. Lameness was more frequent in hind limbs (6.6%) than in forelimbs (3.6%). The main causes of lameness observed in this study were both claw overgrowth 10 (2.3%), unequal claw size 10 (2.3%), solar ulcer 8 (1.8%), interdigital necrobacillosis 2 (0.5%), interdigital hyperplasia 2 (0.5%), and digital dermatitis 1 (0.2%). There was no means of early lameness diagnosis in 94.7% of farms. Lameness was found to be an important disease in dairy cows at Hawassa town. Prevention and early diagnosis leading to prompt treatment of lameness in cows should be part of dairy farm management practice.

Invited review: Examining farmers' personalities and attitudes as possible risk factors for dairy cattle health, welfare, productivity, and farm management: A systematic scoping review

In Turkey, the use of robotic milking technology is still very new. The scientific data showing the effects on animal health are important as well as the studies related to the economic performance of milking robots. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hoof diseases encountered on dairy cattle farms working with robotic milking system and to determine the causes and to provide the necessary precautions to prevent and control hoof health problems. In the study, 93 Holstein dairy cattle aged between 35-54 months were evaluated in a dairy farm with two robotic milking system (system capacity of 120 cows/day). The locomotion scores were recorded and the cows’ feet were examined in hoof trimming chute and claws of all cows were trimmed according to biomechanical characteristics of foot. The treatment method was determined according to the condition of the lesion in cases of hoof disease and the results of recovery were followed. In the herd, cases of claw deformation (6.4%; n=6), sole ulcer (4.3%; n=4), white line disease (3.2%; n=3), digital dermatitis (8.6%; n=8), heel lesion (6.4%; n=6), foot rot (1.0%; n=1), limax (2.1%; n=2), hoof crack (2.1%; n=2) and coroner inflammation (1.0%; n=1) were recorded. Evaluated etiologically, it has been found that mistakes in the application of bath solutions used in the single footbath at the exit of the robotic milking unit in the formation of infectious foot diseases, feeding mistakes made without regard to cow traffic in the case of non infectious foot diseases and exposure of the foot to traumas due to not paying attention to comfort in the feeding areas are effective. As a result, to prevent management malfunctions causing metabolic problems, stress and traumas in animal, the use of senseless technology should be avoided in order to ensure sustainable hoof health on robotic milking farms.

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) causes Johne’s disease, with large economic consequences for dairy cattle producers worldwide. Map spread between farms is mainly due to animal movements. Locally, herd size and management are expected to influence infection dynamics. To provide a better understanding of Map spread between dairy cattle farms at a regional scale, we describe the first spatio-temporal model accounting simultaneously for population and infection dynamics and indirect local transmission within dairy farms, and between-farm transmission through animal trade. This model is applied to Brittany, a French region characterized by a high density of dairy cattle, based on data on animal trade, herd size and farm management (birth, death, renewal, and culling) from 2005 to 2013 for 12 857 dairy farms. In all simulated scenarios, Map infection highly persisted at the metapopulation scale. The characteristics of initially infected farms strongly impacted the regional Map spread. Network-related features of incident farms influenced their ability to contaminate disease-free farms. At the herd level, we highlighted a balanced effect of the number of animals purchased: when large, it led to a high probability of farm infection but to a low persistence. This effect was reduced when prevalence in initially infected farms increased. Implications of our findings in the current enzootic situation are that the risk of infection quickly becomes high for farms buying more than three animals per year. Even in regions with a low proportion of infected farms, Map spread will not fade out spontaneously without the use of effective control strategies.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13567-015-0247-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Escherichia coli O157 prevalence in different cattle farm types and identification of potential risk factors.

Determining the heritable component of dairy cattle foot lesions

BackgroundA thorough understanding of lameness prevalence is essential for evaluating the impact of this condition on the dairy industry and assessing the effectiveness of preventive strategies designed to minimize its occurrence. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to ascertain the prevalence of lameness and identify potential risk factors associated with lameness in Holstein Friesian crossbred cows across both commercial and smallholder dairy production systems in Bengaluru Rural District of Karnataka, India.MethodsThe research encompassed six commercial dairy farms and 139 smallholder dairy farms, involving a total of 617 Holstein Friesian crossbred cattle. On-site surveys were conducted at the farms, employing a meticulously designed questionnaire. Lameness in dairy cattle was assessed subjectively using a locomotion scoring system. Both bivariate and binary logistic regression models were employed for risk assessment, while principal components analysis (PCA) was conducted to address the high dimensionality of the data and capture the underlying structure of the explanatory variables.ResultsThe overall lameness prevalence of 21.9% in commercial dairy farms and 4.6% in smallholder dairy farms. Various factors such as age, body weight, parity, body condition score (BCS), floor type, hock and knee injuries, animal hygiene, provision of hoof trimming, and the presence of hoof lesions were found to be significantly associated with lameness. Binary logistic regression analysis indicated that the odds of lameness in crossbred cows increased with higher parity, decreased BCS, presence of hard flooring, poor animal hygiene, and the existence of hoof lesions. These factors were identified as potential risk factors for lameness in dairy cows. Principal component analysis unveiled five components explaining 71.32% of the total variance in commercial farms and 61.21% in smallholder dairy farms. The extracted components demonstrated higher loadings of housing and management factors (such as hoof trimming and provision of footbath) and animal-level factors (including parity, age, and BCS) in relation to lameness in dairy cows.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that principal component analysis effectively reduces the dimensionality of risk factors. Addressing these identified risk factors for lameness is crucial for the strategic management of lameness in dairy cows. Future research in India should investigate the effectiveness of management interventions targeted at the identified risk factors in preventing lameness in dairy cattle across diverse environments.

To evaluate the reproductive herd health status, the data were collected from Talbag Dairy Farm, Savar; Bangladesh Agricultural University Dairy Farm, Mymensingh and Central Cattle Breeding and Dairy Farm, Savar for a period of two years. A total of 122 lactating cows were selected to collect data on productive and reproductive performance from the farms record book maintained by three farms. The mean value ± SD of breeding age, calving age, age at first conception, calving to first estrus, calving to first service, days open, calving interval, first service conception rate, number of service per conception, calf per year of Talbag Dairy Farm, BAU Dairy Farm, Central Cattle Breeding and Dairy Farm were 25.10 ± 2.68, 219.23 ± 12.23 and 27.40 ± 7.56 months; 34.30 ± 8.54, 55.88 ± 11.60 and 38.93 ± 8.58 months; 26.20 ± 4.05, 52.71 ± 12.55 and 29.83 ± 8.72 months; 165.00 ±73.82, 219.23 ± 121.83 and 190.50 ± 104.19 days; 165.00 ±73.82, 240.77 ± 128.59 and 190.50 ± 104.19 days; 201.00 ± 72.48, 250.38 ± 72.82 and 335.08 ± 118.61 days; 383.30 ± 57.87, 526.44 ± 196.80 and 523.17 ± 216.37 days; 73.50 ± 29.25, 64.75 ± 30.53 and 61.85 ± 31.87 %; 1.95 ± 0.44, 1.99 ± 0.72 and 2.30 ± 1.02; 383.30 ±57.87, 526.44 ± 196.80 and 523.17 ± 216.37 days, respectively. The overall calf mortality (%) in Talbag Dairy Farm, BAU Dairy Farm, Central Cattle Breeding and Dairy Farm were 4%, 0.70% and 4.06%, respectively. The calf mortality (%) at birth and birth to 30 days in Talbag Dairy Farm, BAU Dairy Farm, Central Cattle Breeding and Dairy Farm were 3%, 1% and 1.85%; 3.5%, 5% and 6.39%; respectively. It is concluded that commercial farms reasonably better due to optimum level of breeding age, first service conception rate, less calving interval and less service per conception.Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. June 2015, 1(1): 31-38

AIM: To assess the welfare impact of lameness on dairy cattle in New Zealand by measuring the duration of allodynia (decreased nociceptive threshold) and increased locomotion score, and to evaluate the influence of treatment on that duration. METHODS: After lame cows were treated using corrective paring by a veterinarian, they were allocated to one of six treatment groups. If the veterinarian determined that additional elevation of the lesion was not required the cow was randomly allocated to receive one of four treatments, viz 2 mg/kg tolfenamic acid, a plastic shoe to elevate the lesion, both treatments, or no further treatment. Cows that required additional elevation were treated using a plastic shoe and then randomly allocated to two separate treatment groups, either 2 mg/kg tolfenamic acid or no further treatment. Assessments of locomotion score (based on posture and gait) and mechanical nociceptive threshold (using a pneumatically actuated blunt pin) were made prior to treatment, and 3, 8, 28 and 100 days later. RESULTS: Data were collected from 149 lame cows from nine dairy farms. There were significant improvements in mean locomotion score and nociceptive threshold in all treatment groups. At all time-points after treatment, locomotion score and nociceptive threshold were significantly improved when compared with the previous time-point. Thus, in these cows, the deleterious effects of lameness persisted for longer than 28 days, despite treatment, as the mean locomotion scores and nociceptive threshold on Day 100 were better than those on Day 28. No significant long-term benefit of using tolfenamic acid at the time of treatment was observed on either locomotion score or nociceptive threshold, nor was there any benefit in using a plastic shoe in cases where it had been determined that such treatment was not necessary. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that the welfare impact of lameness on dairy cattle in New Zealand is of long duration even when treated effectively. In contrast to previous studies, no significant long-term benefit of using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) at the time of treatment was observed, probably because unlike those previous studies the nociceptive threshold improved in the cattle which did not receive an NSAID, perhaps because treated cattle were kept on pasture rather than housed. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The long duration of increased allodynia after treatment demonstrates that prevention of lameness rather than therapeutic treatment is the key to reducing its impact on the welfare of dairy cows.

The health status of the hoof in dairy cattle is crucial for their overall well-being and productivity. Hoof diseases and lesions can lead to lameness, decreased milk production, and economic losses for dairy farmers. Traditional methods of assessing hoof health involve manual inspection and trimming, which can be time-consuming and subjective. This research article explores the potential use of a phone-connected infrared camera as a non-invasive and objective tool for assessing the health status of the hoof in dairy cattle, by investigating the association between foot skin temperature (FST) and locomotion scoring (LS) in a group of Romanian Black Spotted dairy cows. LS was carried out using the mobile app developed by the Wisconsin University (Locomotion Scorer). The thermograms were collected during afternoon milking and processed using the FLIR software. Overall, 73.9% of the cows were scored as non-lame, while 13.04% presented signs of foot lesions. The highest temperature observed in the interdigital area, in the lame group, by thermography, was T°=36.5°C. In conclusion, monitoring hoof health status in dairy cattle is essential for ensuring their well-being and productivity. The use of an infrared thermal camera for the assessment of foot surface temperature has shown promise as a noninvasive tool for evaluating hoof health.

Over the last half century, animal welfare in livestock farming, particularly dairy cattle farming, has received increasing attention. Animal welfare legislation, as well as private and state-regulated standards and frameworks concerning animal welfare in dairy farming, has flourished globally, particularly in Europe. This study uses a modified systematic review approach to provide an overview of the various compliance frameworks (CFs) relating to dairy cattle welfare across Europe. These are classified according to the type of approach in: qualitative, or those that require only the achievement of a certain level of welfare; progressive, or those that encourage the constant improvement of welfare; disruptive, or those that propose a breakthrough in the management system, geared towards promoting welfare; and health monitoring programmes, considered separately. A qualitative assessment is conducted on nine selected CFs concerning the welfare of dairy cattle in five Alpine countries (France, Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland). Their different characteristics (organisation type and approach, interface with other relevant databases, covered subjects, and other qualitative features) are compared and presented in tabular form. This analysis reveals further differences between the CFs that transcend the type of approach adopted. Each country employs a personalised strategy. One distinction between the CFs is the presence of regulatory possibilities to integrate or compensate for shortcomings in certain areas, such as the absence of elements that promote welfare as regulated by the standard, with other virtuous practices. Furthermore, the comparison shows that health monitoring programmes are provided for in all states, thus underlining their continuing relevance.