Lameness and foot lesions in Swiss dairy cows: I. Prevalence.
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.
Clinic for Ruminants, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Berne, Switzerland.
J
J
Becker
Clinic for Ruminants, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Berne, Switzerland.
A
A
Steiner
School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Zollikofen, Switzerland.
S
S
Kohler
School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Zollikofen, Switzerland.
A
A
Koller-Bähler
Clinic for Ruminants, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Berne, Switzerland.
M
M
Wüthrich
Veterinary Public Health Institute, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Berne, Switzerland.
M
M
Reist
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D003612:Dairying; D005260:Female; D005534:Foot Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D006724:Hoof and Claw / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D007794:Lameness, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D015995:Prevalence; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology
Klauenerkrankung; Klauengesundheit; Lahmheit; Milchkuh; Prävalenz; claw health; dairy cow; foot lesion; prevalence