Prevalence of and risk factors for hock and knee injuries on dairy cows in tiestall housing in Canada

Nash, C.G.R.; Kelton, D.F.; DeVries, T.J.; Vasseur, E.; Coe, Jason B.; Heyerhoff, J.C. Zaffino; Bouffard, Veronique; Pellerin, D.; Rushen, J.; Passillé, A.M. de; Haley, Derek B.

doi:10.3168/jds.2015-10676

Cited by 45 publications

(88 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Moreover, only farmers practicing the traditional seasonal movement of the entire herd from valley farms to highland pastures during summer were included. Tie-stall systems were predominant (almost 70%) in the sample, as expected for small-scale systems in general and mountain farming systems during winter specifically (Sturaro et al, 2013;Nash et al, 2016).…”

Section: Study Area and Farmssupporting

confidence: 61%

A survey of selected animal-based measures of dairy cattle welfare in the Eastern Alps: Toward context-based thresholds

Zuliani

Mair

Kraševec

et al. 2018

Journal of Dairy Science

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In the Alps, traditional dairy farms are small-scale operations where vertical transhumance from valley indoor housing systems to highland pasture-based systems is still practiced in summer. Vertical transhumance implies a substantial change of environment, available resources, and management practices from one season to another. In such systems, animal-based welfare measures need to be monitored throughout the year to capture the variation of welfare outcomes, based on which targeted welfare management plans can be implemented. Because the Welfare Quality assessment approach has been tailored to indoor housing and intensive farming systems, the European Food Safety Authority recently developed a welfare assessment protocol for small-scale dairy cattle farms adapted after the Welfare Quality framework. The aim of this study was to assess nonbehavioral animal-based measures as defined by this protocol at different time points for transhumant systems in the Alps. In total, 18 animal-based measures were assessed before, during, and after the mountain pasture period in a sample of 67 small-scale dairy cattle farms practicing vertical transhumance in neighboring provinces of Austria, Italy, and Slovenia. Significant differences between assessments were identified for dirtiness of legs and teats, hairless patches, lesions and swellings, claw condition, ocular discharge, and diarrhea whereas BCS, lameness/severe lameness, vulvar discharge, nasal discharge, and hampered respiration were unchanged between seasons. In addition, a benchmarking exercise was carried out to identify relative boundaries (worst quartile thresholds) for each animal-based measure and to contribute to the discussion about achievable welfare outcomes for the 2 husbandry conditions that characterize a transhumant system. Worst quartile thresholds indicated a high prevalence of dirtiness (>80%) when cows were kept indoors, high prevalence of hairless patches (65%) before pasture turnout, and high prevalence of very lean cows (>13%) throughout the assessments. On the other hand, the best quartile thresholds for most clinical conditions suggested that high welfare standards (zero prevalence) are widely achievable in mountain farms practicing vertical transhumance during all assessments. The thresholds identified through benchmarking should serve as the basis for an effective context-based welfare management strategy promoting continuous welfare improvement on-farm.

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Section: Study Area and Farmssupporting

confidence: 61%

A survey of selected animal-based measures of dairy cattle welfare in the Eastern Alps: Toward context-based thresholds

Zuliani

Mair

Kraševec

et al. 2018

Journal of Dairy Science

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“…Another measurement collected was the height of the cow at the rump and the width at the hook bones, as described by Nash et al (2016). In tiestalls, this measurement was collected on all of the animals entered into the study and used to determine whether the dimensions of their stalls were appropriate for their size.…”

Section: On-farm Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Two Canadian studies found a prevalence of neck lesions of 4% in tiestall facilities (Zurbrigg et al, 2005a) and 9% in freestall facilities (Zaffino Heyerhoff et al, 2014). The overall prevalence of hock and knee lesions reported in these studies was quite high; however, within individual herds the prevalence of these lesions can be very low to none (von Keyserlingk et al, 2012;Zaffino Heyerhoff et al, 2014;Nash et al, 2016), demonstrating that reducing lesions is an achievable goal for producers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Over the past decade, the global prevalence of lesions to the hock joints of dairy cattle has been reported to be 40 to 81% (Kielland et al, 2009;von Keyserlingk et al, 2012;Chapinal et al, 2014;Zaffino Heyerhoff et al, 2014). Studies conducted in North America reported that between 1 and 43% of cows had knee lesions (von Keyserlingk et al, 2012;Zaffino Heyerhoff et al, 2014;Nash et al, 2016). Although not as often studied as leg lesions, neck lesions are also of interest in terms of dairy welfare.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Skin lesions to the legs of dairy cows have been associated with environmental-based measures, such as dimensions of the stalls (Zurbrigg et al, 2005b;Keil et al, 2006;Zaffino Heyerhoff et al, 2014;Nash et al, 2016), type and amount of bedding provided (Kielland et al, 2009;Potterton et al, 2011), and type of material used for the base of the stall (Weary and Taszkun, 2000;Andreasen and Forkman, 2012;Zaffino Heyerhoff et al, 2014;Nash et al, 2016), making them an indicator of how well the animal is interacting with their physical environment. Animal-based measures that have been associated with leg lesions include body condition (Kielland et al, 2009;Nash et al, 2016), cleanliness of the cow (Potterton et al, 2011), the stage of production (Kielland et al, 2009;Zaffino Heyerhoff et al, 2014;Nash et al, 2016), and parity (Kielland et al, 2009;Potterton et al, 2011;Zaffino Heyerhoff et al, 2014;Nash et al, 2016).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Prevalence of hock, knee, and neck skin lesions and associated risk factors in dairy herds in the Maritime Provinces of Canada

Jewell

Cameron

Spears

et al. 2019

Journal of Dairy Science

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Skin lesions are commonly seen in dairy herds and have been associated with animal-, environmental-, and management factors. These lesions are not only a welfare concern, but they also affect profitability. Three areas on the cattle were examined for skin lesions: the hock, knee, and neck. Previous Canadian studies estimating the prevalence of lesions and the risk factors associated with them have not included the Maritime Provinces. In this study, 73 herds in the Maritime Provinces were chosen voluntarily to participate, with both tiestalls (n = 33) and freestalls (n = 40) represented. Within each herd, 67 to 90% of the lactating cows were selected and assessed for potential animal-, environmental-, and management-based risk factors. If producers were aware of the potential risk factors, this could help them reduce the prevalence in their herd. Leg lesions were scored on a 4-point scale (0-3) based on hair loss, swelling, and scabs, with a lesion defined as a score of 2 or 3 on at least 1 hock or knee. Necks were scored on a 3-point scale (0-2), with a lesion defined as score 2. For freestalls, the prevalence (95% confidence interval) of hock lesions was 39% (29-49%), knee lesions was 14% (11-18%), and neck lesions was 1% (<1-2%). Similarly, for tiestalls the prevalence (95% confidence interval) of hock lesions was 39% (33-46%), knee lesions was 17% (13-22%), and neck lesions was 5% (3-8%). Due to differences in management and methods of assessment between facility types, tiestalls and freestalls were analyzed separately. Due to dichotomization of cows as having a skin lesion or not, random-effects multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the risk factors for each lesion and facility type. Several environmental-based measurements, such as the stall base, type and dryness of bedding, and type of milking parlor, were associated with leg lesions. An environmental-based measurement that was associated with neck lesions was the design of the feed rail barrier in freestalls and the dimensions of the tie rail in tiestalls. Animal-based risk factors, such as stage of lactation, parity, and body condition, were also associated with all 3 types of lesions. This study showed that lesions to the hock, knee, and neck were common in the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Although differences were seen between facility types, in general, the results suggest that improving stall design and management and feed bunk design would help producers reduce the number of skin lesions seen in dairy cattle.

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Prevalence of lameness, claw lesions, and associated risk factors in dairy farms in Selangor, Malaysia

Sadiq

Ramanoon

Mansor

et al. 2017

Trop Anim Health Prod

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The objectives of this cross-sectional study were to estimate the prevalence of lameness, claw lesions, and associated risk factors in dairy farms in Selangor, Malaysia. The sample population was 251 lactating cows from 8 farms assessed for lameness and claw lesions by locomotion scoring and claw assessment respectively while specific animal-based measures were hypothesized as cow-level risk factors. The Wilcoxon rank test and logistic regression were applied to assess the prevalence of lameness, claw lesions, and association with potential risk factors, respectively. The prevalence of lameness was 19.1% ranging from 10.0 to 33.3% while 31.1% of cows had claw lesions and ranged from 16.3–40%. Claw lesions were recorded in 87.5% of the lame cows with highest being those affected with sole lesions (54.2%) and white line disease (61.2%). Overall, the occurrence of overgrown claws, sole lesions, white line disease, and digital dermatitis were 37, 18.2, 10.9, and 8.3%, respectively. More than one claw lesion per cow was present in 71.8% of the affected cows. Lameness was associated with early lactation (OR = 3.3; 95% CI 2–7), injured hocks (OR = 4.8; 95% CI 5-17), and dirty legs hygiene (OR = 2.6; 95% CI 1.3-6.2), whereas presence of claw lesions was associated with dirty legs hygiene (OR = 4.7; 95% CI 4-11) and overgrown claw (OR = 2.7; 95% CI 1.4-5.3). To reduce the prevalence of lameness, farmers need to improve the management of cows with overgrown claw, injured hocks, and cleanliness by establishing routine claw trimming and efficient stall design.

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Prevalence of and risk factors for hock and knee injuries on dairy cows in tiestall housing in Canada

Cited by 45 publications

References 30 publications

A survey of selected animal-based measures of dairy cattle welfare in the Eastern Alps: Toward context-based thresholds

A survey of selected animal-based measures of dairy cattle welfare in the Eastern Alps: Toward context-based thresholds

Prevalence of hock, knee, and neck skin lesions and associated risk factors in dairy herds in the Maritime Provinces of Canada

Prevalence of lameness, claw lesions, and associated risk factors in dairy farms in Selangor, Malaysia

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