Associations between locomotion, claw lesions andnociceptive threshold in dairy heifers during the peri-partum period

Lameness in sows has an economic impact on pig production and is a major welfare concern. The aim of the present project was to develop methods to evaluate and quantify lameness in breeding sows. Five methods to study lameness were compared between themselves and with visual gait scoring used as a reference: footprint analysis, kinematics, accelerometers, lying-tostanding transition and foot lesion observation. Fifty sows of various parities and stages of gestation were selected using visual gait scoring and distributed into three groups: lame (L), mildly lame (ML) and non-lame (NL). They were then tested using each method. Kinematics showed that L sows had a lower walking speed than NL sows (L: 0.83 6 0.04, NL: 0.96 6 0.03 m/s; P , 0.05), a shorter stride length than ML sows (L: 93.0 6 2.6, ML: 101.2 6 1.5 cm; P , 0.05) and a longer stance time than ML and NL sows (L: 0.83 6 0.03, ML: 0.70 6 0.03, NL: 0.69 6 0.02 s; P , 0.01). Accelerometer measurements revealed that L sows spent less time standing over a 24-h period (L: 6.3 6 1.3, ML: 13.7 6 2.4, NL: 14.5 6 2.4%; P , 0.01), lay down earlier after feeding (L: 33.4 6 4.6, ML: 41.7 6 3.1, NL: 48.6 6 2.9 min; P , 0.05) and tended to step more often during the hour following feeding (L: 10.1 6 2.0, ML: 6.1 6 0.5, NL: 5.4 6 0.4 step/min standing; P 5 0.06) than NL sows, with the ML sows having intermediate values. Visual observation of back posture showed that 64% of L sows had an arched back, compared with only 14% in NL sows (P 5 0.02). Finally, footprint analysis and observation of lying-to-standing transition and foot lesions were not successful in detecting significant differences between L, ML and NL sows. In conclusion, several quantitative variables obtained from kinematics and accelerometers proved to be successful in identifying reliable indicators of lameness in sows. Further work is needed to relate these indicators with causes of lameness and to develop methods that can be implemented on the farm.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of lameness in sows using gait, footprints, postural behaviour and foot lesion analysis

Gregoire

Bergeron

D’Allaire

et al. 2013

“…Previous studies have reported weak to modest relationships between scores and measures of hoof and leg injuries or disease. For example, a series of studies have shown that the presence of sole lesions accounted for 20% to 70% of the variation in gait scores (Whay et al, 1997;van Eerdenburg et al, 2003;.…”

Section: Subjective Methods Of Gait Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some scoring systems use very general terms to categorize animals (e.g. 'sound, imperfect locomotion, mild lameness, moderate lameness and severe lameness'; Whay et al, 1997), allowing more leeway among observers, and others use more detailed descriptions of the behaviours (e.g. Whay, 2002).…”

Section: Subjective Methods Of Gait Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gait assessment in dairy cattle

Flower

Weary

2009

114

Lameness is one of the most important dairy cow welfare issues and has inspired a growing body of literature on gait assessment. Validation studies have shown that several methods of gait assessment are able to successfully distinguish cows with and without painful pathologies. While subjective methods provide an immediate, on-site assessment and require no technical equipment, they show variation in observer reliability. On the other hand, objective methods of gait assessment provide accurate and reliable data, but typically require sophisticated technology, limiting their use on farms. In this critical review, we evaluate gait assessment methods, discuss the reliability and validity of measures used to date, and point to areas where new research is needed. We show how gait can be affected by hoof and leg pathologies, treatment of these ailments and the pain associated with lameness. We also discuss how cow (e.g. conformation, size and udder fill) and environmental features (e.g. flooring) contribute to variation in the way cows walk. An understanding of all these factors is important to avoid misclassifying of cows and confounding comparisons between herds.

“…The behavioral expressions of this pain are tender walking and lameness (Galindo and Broom, 2002), and locomotion scoring is the most commonly used instrument to assess the pain associated with foot disorders (Flower et al, 2008). Locomotion scores can be correlated with the severity of foot lesions (Whay et al, 1997;Winckler and Willen, 2001;O'Callaghan et al, 2003), and therefore will be used as a proxy of pain in this study. We used a scale and description of locomotion scoring on a scale from 1 to 5 (see Table 1), assuming that scores 1 and 2 indicated subclinical foot disorders (low degrees of pain; (severe) discomfort) and that scores of 3 and higher indicated clinical lameness.…”

Section: Conceptual Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the welfare impact of foot disorders in dairy cattle by a modeling approach

Bruijnis

Beerda

Hogeveen

et al. 2012

123

Foot disorders are the main cause of dairy cow lameness and are considered to have a major impact on the welfare of dairy cattle. This study adopts a modeling approach, using a dynamic stochastic model, to provide more insight into the welfare impact of different types of foot disorders, both clinical and subclinical. The impact of specific foot disorders on welfare was assessed by simulating the incidence and duration of foot disorders and the pain associated with them. Pain assessment was based on locomotion scores, with underlying knowledge obtained from scientific literature and experts. The results demonstrated the seriousness of the welfare impact of foot disorders. The negative welfare impact was measured on a scale from 0 to 60, where the maximum outcome represents a cow having very severe pain during the whole year. On average, each cow achieves a welfare impact score of 12, which is 20% of the maximum welfare impact score. This welfare score equals having severe pain for a period of 3 months, indicating a serious impact on welfare. On average, digital dermatitis impacts most on welfare, which is caused by a high incidence of the painful clinical stage, followed by sole hemorrhages (SoH) and interdigital dermatitis and heel horn erosion (IDHE). The combination of a high incidence and long duration of SoH and IDHE causes this relatively high welfare impact of foot disorders that occur mostly subclinically. On average, over 1 year, 46% of the welfare impact due to foot disorders is caused by clinical foot disorders. The fact that subclinical foot disorders contribute more or less equally to the effects on welfare as clinical ones, indicates that farmers may readily underestimate the welfare impact by a factor two. Modeling welfare impact at cow level, individual cases of foot disorders, stresses the importance of pain intensity, indicating the importance of clinical foot disorders. This study demonstrated the serious welfare impact of foot disorders in dairy cattle and pointed out the considerable impact of subclinical foot disorders. Furthermore, the approach of welfare assessment, for example herd v. cow level, influenced the ranking of foot disorders for their impact on animal welfare. Potentially, this leads to different prioritization of specific solution strategies for dairy farmers, for example, focusing on cow comfort, hygiene or preventive medical treatments, foot trimming and/or health monitoring. The findings in this study support in raising awareness about this welfare issue.