Lameness and foot lesions in Swiss dairy cows: I. Prevalence

Becker, J.; Steiner, A.; Kohler, Samuel; Koller-Bähler, A.; Wüthrich, M.; Reist, M. (2014). Lameness and foot lesions in Swiss dairy cows: I. Prevalence Schweizer Archiv für Tierheilkunde, 156(2), pp. 71-78. Verlag Hans Huber 10.1024/0036-7281/a000553

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Prevalences of foot lesions and lameness were recorded in 1'449 Swiss dairy cows during routine claw-trimming on 78 farms from June 2010 until February 2011. Lameness was present in 14.8 % of cows and on 80.8 % of investigated farms. Highest prevalences were seen for widened white line (80.7 %/100 %), signalling foot lesion (65.6 %/98.7 %), heel-horn erosion (34.2 %/88.5 %), digital dermatitis complex (29.1 %/73.1 %), severe hemorrhages (27.9 %/87.2 %), and Rusterholz' sole ulcers (11.5 %/74.4 %) at cow and herd level, respectively. Lower prevalences were found for subclinical laminitis (5.4 %/47.4 %), chronic laminitis (3.3 %/25.6 %), white line disease (4.7 %/42.3 %), double soles (2.6 %/33.3 %), interdigital hyperplasia (3.1 %/33.3 %), sole ulcers (0.4 %/6.4 %), toe infections caused by faulty claw-trimming (3.9 %/39.7 %) and by injury (0.1 %/2.6 %), deep lacerations (0.4 %/6.4 %), and interdigital phlegmona (0.1 %/1.3 %). Lameness and foot lesions were shown to represent important health problems of dairy cows under the conditions of the typical grass-based production system in Switzerland. Digital dermatitis has developed to the most relevant foot disease with a high impact on welfare of Swiss dairy cows within the past 10 years.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL > Resource-efficient agricultural production systems School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL > Agriculture
Name:	Becker, J.; Steiner, A.; Kohler, Samuel; Koller-Bähler, A.; Wüthrich, M. and Reist, M.
Subjects:	Q Science > QL Zoology S Agriculture > SF Animal culture
ISSN:	0036-7281
Publisher:	Verlag Hans Huber
Language:	English
Submitter:	Simon Lutz
Date Deposited:	19 Feb 2020 15:35
Last Modified:	19 Feb 2020 15:35
Publisher DOI:	10.1024/0036-7281/a000553
ARBOR DOI:	10.24451/arbor.8530
URI:	https://arbor.bfh.ch/id/eprint/8530