Foot and Claw Health in Dairy Cow
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Cattle".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 July 2024 | Viewed by 3120
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In addition to mastitis and fertility, lameness in dairy cattle is a significant farm-related disorder. Lameness is important with regard to the economic damage it engenders, due to issues that include reduced levels of milk production and fertility, weight loss and the premature culling of cows. However, it is also a critical problem in the sense that it affects animal welfare, the job satisfaction of the farmers and the image of the dairy cattle sector.
As already mentioned by the late Toussaint Raven (1985), lameness in dairy cattle is mainly a hoof health problem, which particularly affects the hind limb hoofs. When first considered by Raven, the extent of its affect was in the ratio of 5:95 between the front and hind hoof, respectively; since then, the ratio has slightly shifted and it is now 20:80, respectively. The most important reasons for this distribution include the position of the hindlegs in relation to the body of the cow, a heavier load on the hind legs, and the hind legs being located in a more dirty and wet environment.
Claw disorders can be divided into infectious claw disorders (ICDs) and non-infectious claw disorders (NICDs). ICDs mainly include digital dermatitis (DD), interdigital dermatitis/heel horn erosion and interdigital phlegmon. NICDs include mainly sole hemorrhages, sole ulcers, white line disease and toe necrosis. Axial wall fissures are also more prevalent in the Netherlands. Researchers at the University of Liverpool have also shown that the distinction between ICDs and NICDs is somewhat artificial. Evans et al. (2011) have demonstrated that horn lesions are primarily or secondarily infected by the same Treponema bacteria that are responsible for DD.
The aim of this Special Issue is to present recent research and reviews on the etiology, pathogenesis, economic consequences and therapy of the claw disorders that are responsible for lameness in dairy cattle; this is with the aim of stimulating interest in, understanding and the exploration of this important subject, and in order to improve animal welfare and the durability of dairy cattle.
Dr. Menno Holzhauer
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- dairy cattle
- lameness
- claw disorders
- durability
Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
1. Tentative paper title: Painful lesions of the digit on Swiss cattle farms participating in a national claw health programme: Prevalence and associated risk factors
Authors: Andreas Fürmann, Analena Sarbach, Jim Weber, Maria Welham Ruiters, Claudia Syring, Jens Becker and Adrian Steiner
2. Tentative paper title: Local and systemic inflammation in Finnish dairy cows with digital dermatitis
Authors: Hertta Pirkkalainen, Aino Riihimäki, Taru Lienemann, Marjukka Anttila, Minna Kujala-Wirth, Päivi Rajala-Schultz, Heli Simojoki, Timo Soveri and Toomas Orro