Abstract
Digital disorders of dairy cattle are frequently linked to pain and lameness and cause a great impact on animal welfare. Animal welfare is a world concern, especially for this species in particular, and it has been discussed from economic, scientific, social and humanitarian perspectives. Veterinarian investigations are vital to understand the animal welfare levels, as well as to verify neglectful conditions, imprudence or unskillfulness or even abuse, whether or not intentional. Pain is present in all dairy cattle farming systems and digital disorders represent a major health problem, which compromises well-being. Forensics applied to cattle enables diagnosis or suspicion of digital conditions that are not related to the contingencies of livestock handling errors, inappropriate facilities, unnoticed conditions or even restricted by the owners and employees, disclosed by veterinarian doctors only through routine clinical examinations. Digital disorders in dairy cattle are multifactorial conditions concerning animals, handling, health and environment, caused by farmers’ actions and decisions related to preventing and treating such pathologies and in changing their attitudes towards a new production paradigm. Negligence, unskillfulness and imprudence may affect cattle due to mistreatment, cruelty or abuse. The material produced through clinical examination and diagnosis of cattle welfare for those animals with digital conditions are essential for the production of evidence in Veterinary investigation. Finding risk factors involved in digital conditions is of crucial importance, considering the aspects of a new paradigm in dairy cattle farming. Legal decisions in cases of animal abuse can be supported by technical opinions of experts on animal welfare. Cases of mistreatment, cruelty or abuse for neglect, unskillfulness and imprudence can be verified by the animal welfare investigation in reports used in legal issues. This review aims to discuss aspects of digital disorders in dairy cattle through a bibliographic review with emphasis on the material obtained in welfare diagnosis in order to prepare expert reports in suspected cases of animal abuse by negligence, unskillfulness and/or imprudence.
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