title: Short communication: Pilot study on hormonal, metabolic, and behavioral stress response to treatment of claw horn lesions in acutely lame dairy cows.
abstract: Short-term effects of therapeutic claw trimming in acutely lame cows (n=21) with nonadvanced claw horn lesions on the endocrine, metabolic, and behavioral stress responses were investigated in comparison to regular claw trimming in nonlame control cows (n=21). Controls were matched to lame cows by parity and stage of lactation. Lame cows suffering from typical sole ulcers or white line disease were blinded and randomly assigned to 2 treatments, receiving 15 min before interventions either ketoprofen (n=11; 3mg/kg of BW intramuscularly; Romefen, Merial, Lyon, France) or placebo (n=10; saline in equivalent amount and route of administration). All cows underwent functional claw trimming in lateral recumbency on a surgical tipping table, and claw horn lesions in lame cows were conventionally treated (removal of loose horn, block on opposing claw, bandaging of affected claw). Blood samples collected 15 min before, at the end, and 24h after claw trimming were analyzed for concentrations of cortisol, fatty acids, lactate, and glucose, and fecal samples (collected before treatment and after 24 h) for cortisol metabolites. Behavioral stress responses during functional and therapeutic claw trimming were recorded. Concentrations of blood cortisol, fatty acids, glucose, and fecal cortisol metabolites were higher in lame than in nonlame cows after treatment. During claw treatment, more leg movements were recorded for lame cows than nonlame cows. Pre-emptive administration of ketoprofen had no obvious effects on stress responses to therapeutic claw trimming. Treatments of claw horn lesions caused a significant stress and pain reaction in acutely lame cows, demonstrating the necessity of adequate pain management protocols for such interventions.
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Cattle, University of Veterinary Medicine, 30173 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Janßen
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Cattle, University of Veterinary Medicine, 30173 Hannover, Germany. Electronic address: Christian.Wunderlich@tiho-hannover.de.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wunderlich
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Cattle, University of Veterinary Medicine, 30173 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heppelmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, 2010 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Palme
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Starke
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Cattle, University of Veterinary Medicine, 30173 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kehler
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Ruminants, Vetsuisse-Faculty, University of Berne, 3001 Berne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Steiner
authors.affiliation: Surgery, Anaesthesiology and Radiology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, 35516 Mansoura, Egypt.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rizk
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Nutrition, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 38116 Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Nutrition, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 38116 Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Daenicke
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Cattle, University of Veterinary Medicine, 30173 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rehage
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases; D005260:Female; D005534:Foot Diseases / Q000662:veterinary; D006724:Hoof and Claw; D007774:Lactation; D007794:Lameness, Animal; D010865:Pilot Projects
keywords: animal welfare; dairy; lameness; pain; stress response