Abstract
Lameness is a major welfare problem in farm animals and poor hoof (claw) health frequently causes painful lesions. Such lesions frequently arise from damage to the underlying dermal and epidermal soft tissues causing impaired production of the horn on the external surface of the claw (Budras et al., 1998) Precisely timed interactions between embryonic dermis and epidermis, are essential for normal development and function in other integumental tissues such as the hair follicle (Galbraith, 1998), but have not been confirmed for claw tissue. The time course of development of cellular and extra-cellular structures has not been described, nor has the question of whether fetal prenatal claw development may be affected by undernutrition of the ewe such as frequently occurs in extensive production systems. The aims of the study were to investigate external physical dimensions and internal cellular development of fetal claws and how these may be influenced by stage of gestation and maternal nutrition.
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