J. Bernhard1, B. Vidondo2 and A. Steiner1
1Clinic for Ruminants, Vetsuisse-Faculty, University of Bern, Switzerland; 2Veterinary Public Health Institute, Vetsuisse-Faculty, University of Bern, Liebefeld, Switzerland
Email: johanna.bernhard@vetsuisse.unibe.ch
Introduction Animal welfare in modern dairy production is affected by the occurrence of so called technopathies. Skin lesions at exposed periarticular areas of a cow's legs are frequently reported, where the presentations range from hairloss to ulceration and swelling. Most of the studies that examined potential risk factors for such skin lesions were conducted on large tie stall farms in North America or the United Kingdom that differ from the traditional tie stall housing system typical for alpine areas; thus little is known about specific risk factors for skin lesions in dairy cows that are kept in tie stalls.
Materials and Methods Each tie stall farm was visited ≥ 4 weeks after the start of the Winter housing period in the course of this cross-sectional study. In all lactating and dry cows of the herd, both left and right carpal, tarsal, and stifle joints were visually assessed for the presence of hairloss, ulceration, and swelling and scored on a 4-point-scale (score 0-3; Potterton et al. (2011)). Cows that were purchased less than six weeks before the farm visit were excluded from the statistical analysis.
Herd-associated risk factors were assessed by a questionnaire the observer filled in with the farmer; stall- and cow-associated risk factors were measured for a random sample of tie stall places and cows in each herd; missing values were imputed prior to statistical analysis. Initially, all continuous variables were divided into four groups by the three quartiles; where category 1 served as the control.
The odds ratio was calculated for each significant category.
A multivariable two-level mixed-effects model with the random effect “farm” was fitted (α ≤ 0.05) and odds ratios were calculated.
The low prevalence of stifle lesions did not allow for valid multivariable two-level mixed effects models; therefore, the models were exclusively fitted for carpal and tarsal lesions.
Results Between December 2017 and April 2018, 627 cows of 27 farms were examined. Of the 607 cows included in the dataset for carpal lesions, 54.4% presented with moderate to severe hairloss, 7.7% with mild to severe ulceration, and 6.1% with moderate to severe swelling. Tarsal lesions (n = 608 cows) were recorded most frequently with a prevalence of 62.3%, 34.4%, and 24.0%, while stifle lesions (n = 608 cows) were recorded less frequently with a prevalence of 18.6%, 8.9%, and 3.5% for hairloss, ulceration and swelling, respectively. The risk to develop several types of skin lesions increased in January and decreased in December and April. A bedding depth of >2cm (according to Solano et al. (2016)) significantly decreased the risk of a cow to present with skin lesions. A free lunge space significantly decreased the risk to develop carpal ulceration and swelling. Dirtier cows more often suffered from tarsal lesions, as well as cows that were kept on a rubber mat surface. Furthermore, a higher rear step and shorter feeding intervals decreased the risk for tarsal swelling.
Conclusions The results of the present study highlight the importance of an adequate amount of bedding in the stall and reveal that the cows are at highest risk to develop skin lesions a few months after the Winter housing period starts. It might be hypothesized that the lesions improve with time, when the climatic conditions allow for a more frequent outdoor access in March and April.
References
Potterton, S. L., M. J. Green, J. Harris, K. M. Millar, H. R. Whay, and J. N. Huxley. 2011. Risk factors associated with hair loss, ulceration, and swelling at the hock in freestall-housed UK dairy herds. J Dairy Sci 94(6):2952-2963.
Solano, L., H. W. Barkema, E. A. Pajor, S. Mason, S. J. LeBlanc, C. G. Nash, D. B. Haley, D. Pellerin, J. Rushen, A. M. de Passille, E. Vasseur, and K. Orsel. 2016.
Associations between lying behavior and lameness in Canadian Holstein-Friesian cows housed in freestall barns. J Dairy Sci 99(3):2086-2101.
Session 02: Locomotion disorders: Impact on performance and welfare
Use of automated methods of lameness detection for evaluating the efficacy of ketoprofen in lame cows
M. Alsaaod, M. Fadul, R. Deiss, E. Bucher and A. SteinerClinic for Ruminants, Vetsuisse-Faculty, University of Bern, Switzerland Email: maher.alsaaod@vetsuisse.unibe.ch
Introduction Cattle lameness is a painful disorder, with an important welfare and economic impact. As cattle are prey species with a stoic character, they rarely show overt signs of pain until the stimulus is severe. Therefore, recognition and assessment of pain in cattle remain challenging (Coetzee, 2013). Consequently, valid and reliable methods for pain assessment of the locomotor apparatus in cattle are needed. Ketoprofen was shown to moderately reducing hyperalgesia of lame cows in the recovery period after therapeutic claw trimming (Whay et al., 2005) and improving the weight distribution between sound and lame legs (Flower et al., 2008). The newly developed tools for objectively assessing the cows' gait represent a promising approach to detect cows with foot pathologies and even very slight cases of lameness (Nechanitzky et al., 2016; Alsaaod et al., 2017). Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the NSAID Ketoprofen (Rifen® Streuli AG, Switzerland) during the time period when ketoprofen is thought to be active (24h) on cows affected with limb pathologies using locomotion scoring and validated automated tools of weight bearing and gait analysis.
Materials and Methods The study protocol was approved by the animal experimentation committee of the canton of Bern, Switzerland (permission #25601). A total of forty-one lame cattle referred to the clinic for Ruminants, Vetsuisse-Faculty, University of Bern, Switzerland, were included in this study. The inclusion criteria for the study animals were: cattle with unilateral fore- or hindlimb lameness, referred to the clinic for further assessment of this health problem. Cattle must not exhibit any relevant systemic concentration of analgesics at the beginning of the study. The study was performed as blinded, randomized, and placebo-controlled clinical trial. Cattle were randomly allocated to either the ketoprofen (group K; n = 21) or placebo group (group P; n = 20), receiving one dose of ketoprofen (3 mg/kg of BW i.v.; Rifen® Streuli Pharma AG, Switzerland, http://www.streuli-pharma.ch/) or an equivalent volume of sterile isotonic saline solution (NaCl 0.9% steril® Laboratorium Dr. G. Bichsel, Interlaken-Switzerland), respectively.
Three data collection time points - before treatment (basis; T0), one hour (hr) after treatment (T1) and 18 hours (hrs) after treatment (T2) were defined. The parameters included the locomotion score, weight distribution parameters (weight distribution and SD of the weight derived from a 4-scale weighing platform as described by Nechanitzky et al., 2016) and gait variables of the cow pedogram (400 Hz accelerometer; kinematic outcome = stance phase duration; kinetic outcome = foot load and toe-off) as described by Alsaaod et al., 2017. All variables were expressed as differences across limbs, and the measurements at 1 hr and 18 hrs were compared to the baseline. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine the differences between groups K and P.
Results The NSAID ketoprofen had a significant effect on one parameter each of the weighing platform (weight distribution) and the cow pedogram (stance phase duration) within 1 hr of intravenous administration. This effect had disappeared at 18 hrs after administration. An effect of ketoprofen on locomotion scores was not found.
Conclusions In conclusion, the results of this study reveal that measuring stance phase duration of the cow pedogram while cows are walking and weight bearing across limbs while standing show great potential as automated methods for evaluating the effect of NSAIDs on motion and weight bearing characteristics of the musculoskeletal apparatus of lame cattle.
References
Alsaaod, M., M. Luternauer, J. T. Hausegger, R. Kredel, and Steiner A. (2017) The cow pedogram – analysis of the gait cycle variables allows for detection of lameness and foot pathologies. Journal of Dairy Science 100(2):1417-1426.
Coetzee, J.F. (2013) Assessment and Management of Pain Associated with Castration in Cattle. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice 29(1):75-101.
Flower, F.C., M. Sedlbauer, E. Carter, M.A.G. von Keyserlingk, D.J. Sanderson, and Weary D.M. (2008) Analgesics improve the gait of lame dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science 91(8):3010-3014.
Nechanitzky, K., A. Starke, B. Vidondo, H. Muller, M. Reckardt, K. Friedli, and Steiner A. (2016) Analysis of behavioral changes in dairy cows associated with claw horn lesions. Journal of Dairy Science 99(4):2904-2914.
Whay, H. R., A. J. F. Webster, and Waterman-Pearson A.E. (2005) Role of ketoprofen in the modulation of hyperalgesia associated with lameness in dairy cattle.
Veterinary Record 157(23):729-737.
Detection of digital dermatitis treponemes and Dichelobacter nodosus from Mortellaro lesions in Swiss cattle
M. Alsaaod1,2, I. Locher1,2, J. Jores2, P. Grimm3, I. Brodard2, A. Steiner1 and P. Kuhnert21Clinic for Ruminants, Vetsuisse-Faculty, University of Bern, Switzerland; 2Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Vetsuisse-Faculty, University of Bern, Switzerland; 3Clinic for Ruminants and Swiss Bovine Health Service (RGD), Switzerland
Email: maher.alsaaod@vetsuisse.unibe.ch
Introduction Digital dermatitis (DD) in cattle is a widespread, contagious, multifactorial infectious foot disease that causes severe lameness in cattle worldwide. The three Treponema species T. pedis, T. medium and T. phagedenis are known to be the primary causative agents of DD. Besides Treponema species, Dichelobacter nodosus has been reported to contribute to the development of DD. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the prevalence of the three Treponema species as well as D. nodosus in DD lesions and the slurry environment of Swiss cattle using PCR-based techniques.
Materials and Methods Twenty-two farms with clinical DD and two farms without clinical DD were enrolled in this study. A total of 86 specimens from DD cases were collected (M1, n=15; M2, n=19; M3, n=9; M4, n=2, M4.1, n=16 and M5, n=25) using sterile, dry cotton swabs by rubbing the swab over the lesion (M1 to M4.1) and from the interdigital space in cases of clinically unaffected tissue (M5).. In addition, to assess the potential of environmental transmission, slurry samples from DD affected farms (n=21) were collected. Nested and real-time PCR were performed on DNA extracted from the specimens to detect Treponema species and D.
nodosus, respectively. Chi-square test (with Pearson's Chi-Square) was used to investigate the associations between the presence of Treponema species, D. nodosus and the DD status of the animals.
Results The DD-stages (M1 to M4.1) and M5 (healthy skin) were positive for at least one or more of the DD-associated Treponema species (50/61 (81.97%)) and (9/25 (36%)), respectively. M1 showed lower prevalence (14.75%) compared to the other DD stages (M2, M3, M4 and M4.1) (67.21%) (P=0.011). Most prevalent was T. phagedenis (65.12%). D. nodosus was detected in 51.81% (M1 to M4.1) and 24.10% in case of (M5) samples but not significantly associated with DD-stages. None of the D. nodosus strains detected contained the acid protease gene aprV2, that is associated with virulence in sheep foot rot but all strains contained the acid protease gene aprB2. Control farms were negative for all DD-associated Treponema species while aprB2-positive D. nodosus was present in 77.78% of specimens investigated. With respect to the slurry samples, three out of 21 specimens (14.29%) were positive for at least one or more of the DD-associated Treponema species and elven out of 21 specimens (52.38%) were positive for aprB2-positive D. nodosus.
Conclusions DD lesions were associated with specific Treponema species, while D. nodosus did not reveal such a close link with DD lesions. DD specific Treponema species were present in a low number of slurry samples, that may present a potential reservoir of DD treponemes.
References
Alsaaod, M., Locher, I., Jores, J., Grimm, P., Brodard, I., Steiner, A., Kuhnert, P. (2019). Detection of specific Treponema species
and Dichelobacter nodosus from digital dermatitis (Mortellaro’s disease) lesions in Swiss cattle. Accepted for publication in Schweizer Archiv für Tierheilkunde.
Session 02: Locomotion disorders: Impact on performance and welfare
Supporting German dairy farmers: Development of an e-learning tool to improve hoof health in dairy cows
M. Au1, B. Behr1, S. Hachenberg¹, M. Stumpf² and A. Fiedler³¹German Association for Performance and Quality Testing; ²Self-employed hoof trimmer; ³Practice for Hoof Health Email: Marie.Au@dlq-web.de
Introduction Only one in three lame cows is detected as such in due time (Cutler et al. 2017; Leach et al, 2010). This often originates in the farmer’s lack of experience in lameness detection, apart from having limited observation time. However, the chance of complications or consequential damages is lower the sooner a lame cow is detected and treated accordingly (Huxley, 2013; Maxwell et al. 2015, Miguel-Pacheko et al., 2017). These results highlight the demand for a supporting tool in hoof health management. While extensive research on hoof health is done at national and international level, the practical transfer of basic knowledge to the farmers, such as lameness detection, is often difficult.
The German Association for Performance and Quality Testing is committed to promoting knowledge transfer, benefitting from being the umbrella association of German milk recording organizations with a coverage of 31,000 dairy farms farming over 2,2 million cows. The services offered by the member organizations range from DHI to management support tools. Due to their monthly on-farm visits, the milk recording organizations are close to the farmers and understand the farmers’ needs.
E-learning programs are a contemporary tool for sharing knowhow and combine several advantages: The user can access it whenever he has time to spare, the content can easily be added to or altered according to the latest research results and it reaches out to the younger or more digitalized generation of farmers, hoof trimmers, vets and students. This contribution presents the implementation of an e-learning tool regarding the improvement of hoof health management. It has been realized within the joint project KLAUENfitnet.
KLAUENfitnet E-Learning 6 modules cover the most important topics regarding hoof health. As a key to hoof health management, the main focus is on the improvement of lame cows being detected as early as possible. Several videos are included to highlight the characteristics in the gait pattern of healthy and lame cows and to self-test the ability to detect early stages of lameness in a quiz.
Detailed background knowledge on the anatomy and the proper grooming of the hoof is the key to identifying the correct farm-individual prophylactic measures. Hence, mechanical stress in the hoof is visualized in different states of movement and/or hoof condition and, consequently, the importance of appropriate hoof trimming is illustrated.
Additionally, common hoof issues and the best practice of treatment are characterized via detailed footage of on-farm hoof trimming.
The significance of digital and standardized recording of findings during a hoof trimming session is highlighted as a crucial parameter for operational analysis and sustainable improvement of lameness. This is ensured by providing the German key to Hoof Health Diagnosis (DKDS 1.0) for download, which is based on the ICAR atlas of Claw Health.
As a current hot topic dermatitis digitalis is covered in a separate module.
Special attention has been payed to the practical relevance of all modules. In order to attract students’ attention and to simplify the learning process, an effort has been made by using different presentation methods, which resulted in the use of interactive charts, animated graphics and photos as well as plain text. In addition, video footage has been taken on a farm in Bavaria in order to be able to show hoof trimming in action as well as a vet and a hoof trimmer giving their detailed knowledge on hoof health management.
KLAUENfitnet e-learning has been developed in cooperation with vets, hoof trimmers and farmers and is accessible for free for anyone who is interested: https://elearning.klauenfitnet.de. It has been promoted in various conferences and meetings as well as newspaper and online articles.
Results and Discussion Since first being published in February 2018, the tool had a wide range of positive response: more than 7,500 users have accessed the homepage, with over 40% of the users being farmers. Also, more than 40% of the users visited the homepage repeatedly. The videos, which are hosted by YouTube, have partly been clicked for over 100,000 times in one year.
Since the program is in German, a translation would be advised for international use.
Conclusion The number of users highlights the strong interest of the dairy sector in improving hoof health in dairy cows and shows the relevance of adjusting knowledge transfer methods to the digital age.
The project was supported by funds of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) based on a decision of the Parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany via the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) under the innovation support programme.
References
1. Cutler, J. H. Rushen, H. J., de Passillé, A. M., Gibbons, J., Orsel, K., Pajor, E., Barkema, H. W., Solano, L., Pellerin, D., Haley, D., Vasseur, E., 2017. Producer estimates of prevalence and perceived importance of lameness in dairy herds with tiestalls, freestalls, and automated milking systems. Journal of Dairy Science 100: 9871-9880.
2. Huxley, J. N., 2013. Impact of lameness and claw lesions in cows on health and production. Livestock Science 156: 64-70.
3. Leach, K.A., Whay, H.R., Maggs, C.M., Barker, Z.E., Paul, E.S., Bell, A.K., Main, D.C.J., 2010. Working towards a reduction in cattle lameness: Understanding barriers to lameness control on dairy farms. Research in Veterinary Science 89: 311-317
4. Maxwell, O., Miguel-Pacheco, G., Newsome, R., Randall, L., Remnant, J., Thomas, H., Huxley, J., 2015. Lameness in cattle 1. Recent research to inform clinical practice. In Practice 37: 127-138.
5. Miguel-Pacheco, G.G., Thomas, H.J., Huxley, J.N., Newsome, R.F., Kaler, J., 2017. Effect of claw horn lesion type and severity at the time of treatment on outcome of lameness in dairy cows. The Veterinary Journal 225: 16-22