title: Comparison of models to identify lame cows based on gait and lesion scores, and limb movement variables.
abstract: Bovine lameness results in pain and suffering in cattle and economic loss for producers. A system for automatically detecting lame cows was developed recently that measures vertical force components attributable to individual limbs. These measurements can be used to calculate a number of limb movement variables. The objective of this investigation was to explore whether gait scores, lesion scores, or combined gait and lesion scores were more effectively captured by a set of 5 limb movement variables. A set of 700 hind limb examinations was used to create gait-based, lesion-based, and combined (gait- and lesion-based) models. Logistic regression models were constructed using 1, 2, or 3 d of measurements. Resulting models were tested on cows not used in modeling. The accuracy of lesion-score models was superior to that of gait-score models; lesion-based models generated greater values of areas under the receiving operating characteristic curves (range 0.75 to 0.84) and lower mean-squared errors (0.13 to 0.16) compared with corresponding values for the gait-based models (0.63 to 0.73 and 0.26 to 0.31 for receiving operating characteristic and mean-squared errors, respectively). These results indicate that further model development and investigation could generate automated and objective methods of lameness detection in dairy cattle.
authors.affiliation: Bou-Matic, LLC, Madison, WI 53708, USA. parimal@boumatic.com
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Rajkondawar
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Dyer
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Neerchal
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Tasch
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Lefcourt
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Erez
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Varner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019540:Area Under Curve; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000145:classification*; D005121:Extremities / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology; D007794:Lameness, Animal / Q000145:classification*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008954:Models, Biological; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012372:ROC Curve; D013997:Time Factors