Abstract
The aim of the study was the influence of claw disorders on production traits in dairy cattle. Observed were claw traits as claw angle, claw length, heel index, claw height, claw diagonal and claw width. Right hind claw after functional trimming was evaluated. Occurrence of claw disorders like interdigital dermatitis and heel erosion (IDHE), digital dermatitis (DD) and sole ulcer (SV) as well as the progress of disease were observed. Basic summary and variation statistics was performed by the SAS software. Two herds were included in the study. Holstein dairy cows (n=101) produced 11 875 kg of milk, 468 kg (3.94%) of fat and 396 kg (3.34%) of proteins. Holstein cows were affected with IDHE in 22 cases, with DD in 6 cases and with sole ulcer in 10 cases. Slovak Simmental dairy cows (n=101) produced 5834 kg of milk, 258 kg (4.44%) of fat and 209 kg (3.59%) of proteins. Slovak Simmental cows were affected with IDHE in 8 cases, with DD in 5 cases and with sole ulcer in 19 cases. Observed was that claw disorders caused deviations of milk production.
Highlights
Foot disorders are the main cause of dairy cow lameness and are considered to have a major impact on the welfare of dairy cattle (Bruijnis et al 2012)
Occurrence of claw disorders like interdigital dermatitis and heel erosion, digital dermatitis and sole ulcer as well as the progress of disease were observed according to the methodology described by Vermunt and Greenough (1995) and Döpfer (1994)
Döpfer (1994) classified digital dermatitis to 5 classes (M1 to M5): M1 – early stage with a circumscribed granulomatous area; M2 – classical ulceration; M3 – healing lesion covered by a scab after therapy; M4 – skin alterations due to former M1 or M2 lesion; M5 – no lesion or skin abnormalities
Summary
Foot disorders are the main cause of dairy cow lameness and are considered to have a major impact on the welfare of dairy cattle (Bruijnis et al 2012). The direct costs are related to treatment of the disorder. Indirect costs include loss of milk production, impaired fertility, and premature involuntary culling (Laursen et al 2009). Lame animals with clinical sights often lie and decreased time spent at feeding and drinking. They don’t have enough nutrients necessary for maintenance and for production and reproduction (Kasarda et al 2015)
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