Extension Articles about Dairy Cattle Lameness and Hoof Health

The following articles are a small sample of those that can be found on DairyWeb, a comprehensive and up-to-date on-line library of information about dairy cattle production. Click on a title to view the complete article. To browse or search the complete contents of DairyWeb, click here.

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Title: Lameness delays conception
Summary: Describes a study which demonstrated a significant reduction in conception likelihood for lame cows.
Title: Stall Surfaces and Lameness Affect Cow Behaviour
Summary: Describes a trial which tested preference for stall type (sand or mattress) by cows with varying degrees of lameness.
Title: A BC Perspective on Lameness
Summary: Describes management changes made by BC dairy farmers to reduce lameness.
Title: The High Cost of Lameness: What you can do about it
Summary: Describes the assessment, costs and risk factors of lameness.
Title: Minimizing Lameness through Conformation Analysis
Summary: Describes measures used to determine Holstein Canada's Feet and Legs Score and their effect on lameness risk.
Title: Prevention and control of foot problems in dairy cows
Summary: Describes types of foot problems, anatomy of hoof, laminitis, digital dermatitis, hoof-care treatments and prevention management of foot problems.
Title: Trigger Factors for Lameness and the Dual Role of Cow Comfort in Herd Lameness Dynamics
Summary: Describes how facilities affect the incidence of lameness in lactating cows.
Title: Lameness in Cattle: Causes and Consequences
Summary: Describes the causes of laminitis and explains how laminitis can lead to other hoof disorders.
Title: Using Locomotion Scoring to Put Together a Program to Reduce Lameness on the Dairy
Summary: Proposes locomotion scoring to identify lame cows followed by identification of cause and specific corrective actions.
Title: Preventing and Treating Lameness
Summary: Describes the structure of the foot and explains how lameness can be prevented.
Title: Can We Prevent Hoof Problems?
Summary: Discusses structure of foot, how dysfunction of the corium leads to the production of defective hoof horn, and how lameness may occur.
Title: Interrelationships between Housing and Herd Health
Summary: Describes causes of lameness and environment effects on udder health.
Title: Nutrition and Claw Health
Summary: Describes interactions between cow nutrition and lameness.
Title: Changes in standing behaviour identify cows at risk for digital and interdigital dermatitis
Summary: Describes a study which showed that standing behaviour had an effect on the incidence of digital and interdigital dermatitis in cows.
Title: Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Adventures at the Claw-Floor Interface
Summary: Describes the detection, diagnosis, causes and treatment of lameness in dairy cows.
Title: Feeding to Minimize Aciodosis and Laminitis in Dairy Cows
Summary: Describes feeding strategies to reduce the incidence and severity of subacute ruminal acidosis in lactating cows.
Title: Automatic Detection of Lameness in Dairy Cows
Summary: Describes a system for detection of lameness in dairy cows as they walk through a modified cattle scale.
Title: Effect of Flooring and/or Flooring Surfaces on Lameness Disorders in Dairy Cattle
Summary: Describes the effects of flooring on lameness.
Title: Copper Sulfate for Footbaths - Issues and Alternatives
Summary: Describes the environmental implications of copper sulphate use for cattle footbaths.
Title: Lameness in Fraser Valley Herds
Summary: Reports results of a survey of the prevalence of 7 hoof disorders in British Columbia dairy herds.
Title: Too Many Lame Cows - How Can You Know? What Can Be Done?
Summary: Describes protocols for determining and reducing the level of lameness in a herd.
Title: Lameness in Ontario Dairy Herds
Summary: Summarizes a study that documented the prevalence of 11 hoof ailments among 13,350 cows.
Title: Nutritional Influences on Horn Quality and Hoof Health
Summary: Summarizes the processes involved in formation of claw horn, focusing on the influence of nutritional factors on horn production, horn quality and hoof health.
Title: Flooring Options to Minimize Lameness and Optimize Welfare
Summary: Describes the effects of various flooring surfaces on hoof health and cow welfare.
Title: Lameness in Dairy Cattle – New Research on Gait and Housing
Summary: Reviews recent research on lameness in dairy cows, focusing on the scientific assessment of impaired gait, and how such impairment can be prevented through improvements in housing.
Title: Preventing and Treating Dairy Cattle Lameness
Summary: Describes causes, prevention and treatment of lameness due to hoof injury.
Title: Hoof Health on Rubber Mats versus Slatted Concrete
Summary: Rubber flooring increased cow activity and decreased the incidence of some hoof disorders but not others.