Carpal, tarsal, and stifle skin lesion prevalence and potential risk factors in Swiss dairy cows kept in tie stalls: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

The prevalence of skin lesions at the legs of dairy cows often serves as an indicator for animal welfare and is used as a measurement of adequacy of the present housing conditions. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of skin lesions at the carpus, tarsus, and stifle in Swiss dairy cows kept in tie stalls and to describe potential risk factors associated with the different types and severities thereof. Skin lesions and potential risk factors were assessed in 627 cows of 27 tie stall farms in a cross-sectional study. The associations of each outcome and the potential risk factors were assessed by means of logistic regression models using farm as the random factor. One odds ratio was obtained for each biologically relevant risk factor category and the final models were compared between the lesion types and locations. Tarsal lesions were recorded most frequently, with a prevalence of 62.2, 34.4, and 24.0% for moderate to severe hair loss, any severity of ulceration, and moderate to severe swelling, respectively. The prevalence of carpal lesions ranged from 54.4% for hair loss, over 7.7% for ulceration, to 6.1% for swelling, while stifle lesions were recorded less frequently with a prevalence of 18.6, 8.9, 3.4% for hair loss, ulceration, and swelling, respectively. The risk for various skin lesion types and locations significantly increased, when the concrete stall base was covered with a rubber mat and the bedding depth was low. Cows were at the lowest risk to develop skin lesions when they had more than 13 days of outdoor exercise per month. The prevalence of skin lesions in tied Swiss dairy cows is remarkably high and could possibly be reduced by providing the herd more frequent outdoor exercise and a well-cushioned, friction-absorbing and non-abrasive lying surface.

Retrospective Evaluation of Septic Subtendinous Calcaneal Bursitis in 29 Cattle

“…Therefore, prevention must focus on avoidance of deep sepsis at the CT region, particularly by early and adequate treatment of decubital wounds, by debridement, application of a bandage and temporary separation of affected cattle into well-padded recovery boxes. Nevertheless, prevention of these decubital wounds should start by optimizing the quality of cubicles and barns and their bedding and by regular hoof trimming of dairy cows approximately three times a year for prevention of painful claw lesions [ 6 , 14 , 31 ].…”

“…Integument lesions, such as circumscribed hairless areas, scabs, decubital wounds and inflammatory swellings at exposed, peri-articular bony protuberances, are commonly described in cubicle-housed, free-stall [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] and tie-stall dairy cows [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Such skin lesions on the legs of cows commonly occur at the lateral tarsal region and the lateral and medial aspects of the calcaneal tuber (CT).…”

“…They can substantially negatively impact animal welfare [ 5 , 7 , 8 ]. Causes of these pressure sores include management- and housing-associated factors [ 2 , 6 , 9 ]. However, hock lesions in cattle may also result from direct trauma following cuts or lacerating wounds, which are presented to the veterinarian in most cases after some delay as infected wounds associated with moderate-to-severe swelling [ 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”

The Relationship between Animal Welfare and Antimicrobial Use in Italian Dairy Farms

“…For instance, inadequate management and poor udder hygiene increase the risks of intramammary infection [ 2 ]. Poor housing conditions may increase the incidence of skin lesions in cows [ 3 ]. Mortality rates and the frequency of respiratory diseases were found to be higher in dairy calves housed with high stocking densities [ 4 ].…”

Factors Associated With Lameness in Tie Stall Housed Dairy Cows in South Germany

“…While the source of pain in the initial phase of a claw disorder is the lesion itself, hyperalgesia is present in chronic cases, which does not need to be related to the severity of the lesion (14)(15)(16). Painful disorders impair the natural behavior of affected animals (16)(17)(18)(19). Lameness is multifactorial by origin with housing conditions, onfarm management practices, and the individual animal having the greatest impact (20,21).…”