Infectious diseases causing lameness in cattle with a main emphasis on digital dermatitis (Mortellaro disease)

Refaai, Walid; Aert, Marcel Van; El-Aal, A.M. Abd; Behery, Ahmed; Opsomer, G.

doi:10.1016/j.livsci.2013.06.004

Cited by 51 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 96 publications

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“…Lameness resulted being among the main causes for culling in cattle (Refaai et al, 2013), and the fully slatted concrete floors have been identified within major risk factors for locomotor problems (Tessitore et al, 2009a). In the present study, the percentage of bulls treated for locomotor problems (mainly lameness) was indeed higher on CS.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synthetic rubber surface as an alternative to concrete to improve welfare and performance of finishing beef cattle reared on fully slatted flooring

Brščić

Ricci

Prevedello

et al. 2015

Animal

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The aim of this study was to compare a fully slatted concrete floor (concrete slatted (CS)) with the same floor on which synthetic rubber slats were placed on the concrete slats (rubber slatted (RS)) as housing solution for finishing beef cattle. The present study involved five commercial beef cattle farms in which the floor of at least three pens was kept as fully slatted, and in an equal number of pens a rubber cover was placed on the floor, tightly matching the gap profile of the concrete slats to allow the drainage of manure. A total of 326 finishing beef bulls were used (153 on CS and 173 on RS), and regardless of the floor treatment animals were housed in groups of 6 to 12 bulls/pen with a space allowance of 3.1 ± 0.2 m 2 /bull. Bulls had similar initial live weights (422.3 kg on CS and 425.0 kg on RS), but bulls on RS were heavier at the end of the finishing period with a higher average daily gain than bulls kept on CS (1.53 v. 1.46 kg/day; P < 0.05). The proportion of bulls treated for locomotor problems was lower in RS pens compared with CS. Rubber covering prevented the occurrence of bursitis, but it increased the odds for hoof overgrowth at end of the finishing period. Hoof overgrowth detected in vivo in bulls on RS was confirmed at the slaughterhouse by the longer dorsal wall and diagonal lengths of the hoof as well as by a more acute toe angle. Compared with bulls on CS, bulls on RS showed less inactivity and resting time, increased social interactions, decreased abnormal lying down and unsuccessful attempts to lie down, as well as shortened the time for lying down. Bulls in RS pens were dirtier compared with those in CS pens, likely due to the draining gaps being reduced to 11.6 ± 1.2% of the total pen surface compared with the 16.9 ± 1.7% in CS pens. This study gave further evidence about the positive effects of the RS floor on growth performance and welfare of finishing beef cattle, although compromising cleanliness and hoof overgrowth.Keywords: beef cattle, welfare, slatted floor, rubber covering ImplicationsFinishing beef cattle in pens with floors that both improve animal welfare and reduce labour as that required for deep litter management is quite challenging. This study gives evidence of how covering the fully slatted concrete floor with rubber slats resulted in a reduced number of treatments for locomotor problems and a lower percentage of bulls with bursitis. The rubber allowed better expression of the speciesspecific behavioural pattern and enhanced bulls' growth performance. The negative effects of this type and design of rubber surface on bulls' cleanliness and hoof overgrowth might be reduced by improved drainage and abrasion.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synthetic rubber surface as an alternative to concrete to improve welfare and performance of finishing beef cattle reared on fully slatted flooring

Brščić

Ricci

Prevedello

et al. 2015

Animal

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“…Moreover, the prevalence of DD (Mortellaro disease: n=30; 25%) were very high in comparison to the rest of infectious claw disorders because of noticed muddy conditions of farms. Bovine DD is an infectious and a multifactorial disease that generated by bacteria, namely treponemes, as well as environmental, managerial and individual-animal factors (Refaai et al, 2013), while the causative agents of IDD in cattle are Bacteroides nodosus (Dichelobacter nodosus) and Fusobacterium necrophorum. Therefore, IDD is commonly observed in wet and unhygienic environments (Hultgren and Bergsten, 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the Relationship between Claw Disorders and Milk Yield before and after Claw Trimming Using Modified Dutch Method in Three Egyptian Dairy Farms

Gomaa¹

2014

J. Anim. Health Prod.

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“…Digital dermatitis (DD) is another disease that causes significant lameness and chronic hyperalgesia [22] in dairy cattle. DD is one of the most prevalent foot health problems in dairy cattle across Europe, USA, Africa, Australia and South America [23], caused by a number of infectious agents, as well as being related to management and environmental factors (see Refaai et al [23], for a review).…”

Section: Diseasementioning

confidence: 99%

Why Pain Is Still a Welfare Issue for Farm Animals, and How Facial Expression Could Be the Answer

McLennan

2018

Agriculture

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Pain is a sensory and emotional experience that significantly affects animal welfare and has negative impacts on the economics of farming. Pain is often associated with common production diseases such as lameness and mastitis, as well as introduced to the animal through routine husbandry practices such as castration and tail docking. Farm animals are prey species which tend not to overtly express pain or weakness, making recognizing and evaluating pain incredibly difficult. Current methods of pain assessment do not provide information on what the animal is experiencing at that moment in time, only that its experience is having a long term negative impact on its behavior and biological functioning. Measures that provide reliable information about the animals' affective state in that moment are urgently required; facial expression as a pain assessment tool has this ability. Automation of the detection and analysis of facial expression is currently in development, providing further incentive to use these methods in animal welfare assessment.

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Infectious diseases causing lameness in cattle with a main emphasis on digital dermatitis (Mortellaro disease)

Cited by 51 publications

References 96 publications

Synthetic rubber surface as an alternative to concrete to improve welfare and performance of finishing beef cattle reared on fully slatted flooring

Synthetic rubber surface as an alternative to concrete to improve welfare and performance of finishing beef cattle reared on fully slatted flooring

Investigating the Relationship between Claw Disorders and Milk Yield before and after Claw Trimming Using Modified Dutch Method in Three Egyptian Dairy Farms

Why Pain Is Still a Welfare Issue for Farm Animals, and How Facial Expression Could Be the Answer

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