Improvement of claw health of cattle in Switzerland

Huber, S.; Ruiters, M Welham; Syring, Claudia; Steiner, Adrian

doi:10.17236/sat00257

Cited by 7 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…The breeds involved were Holstein Friesian (n = 11), Red Holstein (n = 5), Swiss Fleckvieh (n = 4), and cross-breed (n = 1). Functional claw trimming was performed twice a year according to a standardized protocol using an angle grinder [ 33 , 34 ]. Both farms did not use any disinfecting footbath.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proof of an optimized salicylic acid paste-based treatment concept of ulcerative M2-stage digital dermatitis lesions in 21 dairy cows

et al. 2022

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The efficacy of salicylic acid paste (SA) in the treatment of ulcerative bovine digital dermatitis (BDD) was assessed by combining clinical and histopathological analyses with molecular biological techniques. The latter were conducted in a blinded manner to reach maximum objectivity. Prior to treatment, M2-stage BDD lesions (n = 26, diagnosed in 21 dairy cows) exhibited ulceration, with severe perivascular, chronic, lymphoplasmacytic dermatitis and extensive keratinolysis being noted in most cases. Pretreatment biopsy samples (n = 12) followed by povidone-iodine ointment under bandage for one week before administration of SA paste were tested positive for Treponema spp. by blinded PCR and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Subsequent treatment consisted of application of SA and bandaging at weekly intervals until lesions had completely resolved. The treatment duration ranged between 2 and 4 weeks. Complete healing was achieved in 100% of cases, with 2/21 animals requiring a second round of treatment upon disease reoccurrence. Importantly, only 3/26 biopsies taken from previously affected sites still tested positive by Treponema PCR, and in another biopsy, the outermost layers of the stratum corneum scored weakly positive by Treponema-specific FISH. None of these Treponema DNA-positive biopsies showed signs of ulceration. One case exhibited focal keratinolysis. Positive PCR or FISH in these cases may have arisen from DNA traces of dead bacteria or environmental contamination during biopsy harvesting. To our knowledge, this is the first study on blinded molecular biological monitoring of the therapeutic efficacy of SA with respect to treponemal infection, and on complete BDD M2-stage remission in all animals achieved by SA treatment according to an optimized protocol. Although the etiology of BDD is considered as multifactorial, our data further support the concept that treponemes have a decisive role in BDD pathogenesis.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proof of an optimized salicylic acid paste-based treatment concept of ulcerative M2-stage digital dermatitis lesions in 21 dairy cows

et al. 2022

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“…A similar tool was implemented in the Danish herd management system SEGES (Raundal, 2021). Recently, key indicators of the prevalence of lameness, seven hoof lesions and annual culling due to hoof disease have also been established in Switzerland (Huber et al, 2020).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of productivity indicators on the culling of dairy cows in the sharply continental climate of Kazakhstan

Uskenov,

Issabekova,

Bostanova

et al. 2023

Braz. J. Biol.

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This article presents the results of the culling of cows of the Simmental and Holstein breeds in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The purpose of the research was to study the actual number of culled cows of dairy productivity in the farms of the Republic of Kazakhstan to determine its norm. The object of research were cows of Simmental (18,462 heads) and Holstein (17,862 heads) breeds in various regions of the republic. The research was carried out according to generally accepted zootechnical methods using statistical data processing using RStudio. The results of the studies showed that the percentage of culling increases in cows of the Simmental and Holstein breeds and amounts to 19.7 and 22.9%, respectively. The analysis of the retirement of full-aged cows of the Simmental breed showed that the main causes are hoof diseases (up to 26%), low reproductive function (up to 21%), low productivity (up to 18%). Holstein cows had an increase in disposals in all categories except for disposals for various reasons, for problems with reproduction, the disposal is up to 21%. The determination of the relationship between productivity and retirement in the Simmental breed cows showed that with age and increased lactation, the proportion of retired cows also increases, in the Holstein breed, with increased productivity, the percentage of culled animals also increases.

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“…However, the advantages of frequent routine trimming outweigh the disadvantages, because the incidence of horn associated claw disorders can be reduced [ 37 ]. Nevertheless, the transmissibility of the infectious disease and the implementation of adequate biosafety measures must be considered [ 41 ]. Additionally, farms with higher DD prevalences may perform more frequent herd trimming sessions to prevent digit disorders, which accordingly leads to more frequent detection but also more treatment of such lesions [ 36 , 40 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The project “Healthy claws–the foundation for the future” aims to establish regular claw health monitoring in Switzerland in close cooperation with professional hoof trimmers by electronically recording the findings on digit disorders during routine trimming [ 1 , 21 , 22 ]. The project is an innovation programme run by the Federal Office for Agriculture to promote the sustainable and efficient use of resources [ 23 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of Painful Lesions of the Digits and Risk Factors Associated with Digital Dermatitis, Ulcers and White Line Disease on Swiss Cattle Farms

Fürmann,

Syring,

Becker

et al. 2024

Animals

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The first aim of this study was to calculate the prevalence of painful lesions of the digits (“alarm” lesions; ALs) in Swiss dairy herds and cow–calf operations over a three-year study period. The following ALs were included in the calculation: the M2 stage of digital dermatitis (DD M2), ulcers (U), white line fissures (WLF) of moderate and high severity, white line abscesses (WLA), interdigital phlegmon (IP) and swelling of the coronet and/or bulb (SW). Between February 2020 and February 2023, digit disorders were electronically recorded during routine trimmings by 40 specially trained hoof trimmers on Swiss cattle farms participating in the national claw health programme. The data set used consisted of over 35,000 observations from almost 25,000 cows from 702 herds. While at the herd-level, the predominant AL documented in 2022 was U with 50.3% followed by WLF with 38.1%, at the cow-level, in 2022, it was DD M2 with 5.4% followed by U with 3.7%. During the study period, within-herd prevalences of ALs ranged from 0.0% to a maximum of 66.1% in 2020. The second aim of this study was to determine herd- and cow-level risk factors associated with digital dermatitis (DD), U and white line disease (WL) in dairy cows using data from 2022. While for DD, analysed herd-level factors appeared to have a greater effect on the probability of its occurrence, the presence of U and WL was mainly associated with the analysed cow-level factors. The risk for DD increased with a higher herd trimming frequency. Herds kept in tie stalls had a lower risk for DD and WL and a higher risk for U compared to herds kept in loose housing systems. Herds with predominantly Holstein Friesian cows as well as Holstein Friesian cows had a higher risk for the occurrence of DD compared to herds and cows of other breeds. With increasing parity, cows had a higher risk of developing U and WL, whereas for DD, parity was negatively associated with prevalence. Cows trimmed during the grazing period had a higher risk of U and WL than cows trimmed during the housing period. These findings may contribute to improve management measures affecting the health of the digits in farms with structures similar to those evaluated in the current study, such as small herds with frequent access to pasture. Further research is warranted to demonstrate how measures addressing the current results combined with those of individual herd risk assessments might contribute to an improvement in the health of the digits in the respective dairy herds.

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Improvement of claw health of cattle in Switzerland

Cited by 7 publications

References 12 publications

Proof of an optimized salicylic acid paste-based treatment concept of ulcerative M2-stage digital dermatitis lesions in 21 dairy cows

Proof of an optimized salicylic acid paste-based treatment concept of ulcerative M2-stage digital dermatitis lesions in 21 dairy cows

The influence of productivity indicators on the culling of dairy cows in the sharply continental climate of Kazakhstan

Prevalence of Painful Lesions of the Digits and Risk Factors Associated with Digital Dermatitis, Ulcers and White Line Disease on Swiss Cattle Farms

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