The five freedoms offer a framework for discussion of lameness and its impact on the welfare of cows. Altered feeding behavior is a cause of reduced body condition, smaller digital cushion, and ...lameness. Providing a comfortable environment is critical to recovery and welfare. Pain associated with injury or disease of feet or legs is manifested by lameness. Pain management is an important part of therapy. In cases of severe lameness, euthanasia may be preferred. Lameness interferes with an animal's ability to exhibit natural behaviors by altering lying time, social interaction, ovarian activity and estrus intensity, and rumination behavior.
A longitudinal study was conducted to examine the relationship between lameness and delayed ovarian cyclicity during the first 60 d postpartum and days to first luteal activity during the first 300 d ...postpartum in Holstein cows. Two hundred thirty-eight cows from a 600-cow dairy that calved during a 12-mo period were used. Cows were classified into 1 of 6 categories of lameness during the first 35 d postpartum using a locomotion scoring system. Cows were blood-sampled weekly for detection of plasma progesterone concentrations during the first 300 d postpartum. Cows with delayed resumption of ovarian cyclicity were defined as those with progesterone concentrations consistently <1ng/mL during the first 60 d postpartum. The null hypothesis that risk of delayed cyclicity is the same in cows classified as nonlame, moderately lame, or lame (after adjusting for potential modifying or confounding effects of loss of body condition and other variables related with delayed cyclicity) was tested using logistic regression. Analysis of results of the study reported here support the hypothesis that lameness is associated with delayed ovarian activity in Holstein cows during the early postpartum period. Cows classified as lame had 3.5 times greater odds of delayed cyclicity, compared with cows classified as nonlame. Attributable proportion analysis indicated that delayed ovarian cyclicity in lame cows would be reduced by 71%, if lameness had been prevented.
Sole ulcers and white line disease are 2 of the most common claw horn lesions in confined dairy cattle. Predisposing causes include unbalanced weight bearing, and metabolic, enzymatic, and hormonal ...changes. The white line serves as the junction between the sole and axial and abaxial wall. It is vulnerable to trauma and separation, permitting organic matter to become entrapped. Colonization contributes to retrograde movement of the infection to the solar and perioplic corium, where an abscess forms resulting in pain and lameness. Successful treatment requires an orthopedic foot block to the healthy claw and corrective trimming of the lesion.
Lameness is a multifactorial condition with many causes. In this study, cow lifetime records were used to quantify the incidence of specific lameness-causing lesions and investigate factors ...associated with those lesions. Of primary interest were the effects of seasonality and the effects of thin soles (TS). Thin sole-induced toe ulcers (TSTU) occurring adjacent to the white line in the apical portion of the weight-bearing surface were distinguished from white line disease (WLD) occurring in the region of the abaxial heel sole junction. Sole (SU), heel (HU), and toe (TU) ulcers; TS; sole punctures (SP); leg injuries (INJ); and other (OTH) lesions (e.g., infectious diseases, laminitis, unclassified hemorrhage) were also considered. Data were collected from May 2004 through October 2007 and included records for 4,915 cows of which 1,861 had at least one recorded lameness event. Of these, 20% were TSTU, 20% OTH, 16% SU, 13% TS, 10% WLD, 8% HU, 6% INJ, 4% SP, and 2% TU. Annual incidence risk for lameness was 49.1%. Overall incidence rate for lameness was 1.41/1,000 cow-days, and rates for all lesions were highest in the summer. As parity increased, so did incidence rates for TS, SU, WLD, HU, and INJ. For TS, TSTU, and WLD, incidence rates were lowest in early lactation (16 to 60 DIM), whereas for SU, HU, TU, incidence rates were highest in mid lactation (61 to 150 DIM). Cox proportional hazard models for TS, TSTU, WLD, SU, HU, TU, and SP included age and year of first calving and milk production capacity. Prior/concurrent lameness events, season, parity, and stage of lactation were included as time-dependent effects. Prior/concurrent TS increased the hazard for all other lesions, particularly TSTU, and HU. Having any other prior claw lesion also increased the hazard for all lesions. Hazard was highest in summer for all lesions except TU. Stage of lactation was a significant effect in hazard of TSTU, which was lowest in mid lactation (61 to 150 DIM).
Samarium-neodymium isotopic analyses of unleached and acid-leached mineral fractions from the recently identified olivine-bearing shergottite Northwest Africa 1195 yield a crystallization age of 347
...±
13
Ma and an
ε
Nd
143
value of +40.1
±
0.9. Maskelynite fractions do not lie on the Sm–Nd isochron and appear to contain a martian surface component with low
147Sm/
144Nd and
143Nd/
144Nd ratios that was added during shock. The Rb–Sr system is disturbed and does not yield an isochron. Terrestrial Sr appears to have affected all of the mineral fractions, although a maximum initial
87Sr/
86Sr ratio of 0.7016 is estimated by passing a 347
Ma reference line through the maskelynite fraction that is least affected by contamination. The high initial
ε
Nd
143
value and the low initial
87Sr/
86Sr ratio, combined with the geologically young crystallization age, indicate that Northwest Africa 1195 is derived from a source region characterized by a long-term incompatible-element depletion.
The age and initial Sr and Nd isotopic compositions of Northwest Africa 1195 are very similar to those of Queen Alexandra Range 94201, indicating these samples were derived from source regions with similar Sr–Nd isotopic systematics. These similarities suggest that these two meteorites share a close petrogenetic relationship and might have been erupted from a common volcano. The meteorites Yamato 980459, Dar al Gani 476, Sayh al Uhaymir 005/008, and Dhofar 019 also have relatively old ages between 474 and 575
Ma and trace element and/or isotopic systematics that are indicative of derivation from incompatible-element-depleted sources. This suggests that the oldest group of meteorites is more closely related to one another than they are to the younger meteorites that are derived from less incompatible-element-depleted sources. Closed-system fractional crystallization of this suite of meteorites is modeled with the MELTS algorithm using the bulk composition of Yamato 980459 as a parent. These models reproduce many of the major element and mineralogical variations observed in the suite. In addition, the rare earth element systematics of these meteorites are reproduced by fractional crystallization using the proportions of phases and extents of crystallization that are calculated by MELTS. Other shergottites that demonstrate enrichments in incompatible-elements and have evolved Sr and Nd isotopic systematics have some geochemical systematics that are similar to those observed in the depleted group. Most notably, although they exhibit a very limited range of incompatible trace element and isotopic compositions, they have highly variable major element compositions. This is also consistent with evolution from a common mantle source region by variable amounts of fractional crystallization. If this scenario is correct, it suggests that the combined effects of source composition and fractional crystallization are likely to account for the major element, trace element, and isotopic diversity of all shergottites.
•Digital dermatitis is a painful condition that can result in lameness and decreased performance.•Two non-antibiotic formulations resulted in earlier transition to M0 lesions than no treatment.•A ...copper sulphate and iodine combination was most effective in reducing lesion size, pain, and lameness.•A honey and iodine combination reduced lesion size but effects were transient.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of two non-antibiotic treatment options for digital dermatitis (DD) on an organic certified dairy farm. A randomized clinical trial was conducted using 70 multiparous Holstein cows with an early DD lesion at a USDA certified organic dairy farm in Northern Colorado, USA. Cows were enrolled in the study based on the presence of early DD lesions (scores M1 and M2) and randomly assigned to one of three treatments: (1) topical application of copper sulfate and iodine (CUI); (2) topical application of honey and iodine (HOI); and (3) control subject to no treatment (CON). Cows were evaluated at enrolment and on days 3, 12, 28, and 120 post treatment for pain and lesion size and received a locomotion and a lesion score. Cure was defined as the transition from active to non-active stages (M1/M2 to M0 or M4).
The formulations had variable effects on the treatment of DD. The cure rate was numerically higher for CUI on all follow up days. The proportion of cows experiencing pain on d3 after treatment was greater in CON, followed by HOI and CUI. However, this proportion increased in HOI during the follow up period. The CUI group had a greater reduction in lesion size and larger lesions persisted in HOI. Non-antibiotic treatment formulations were partially effective in the treatment of DD in organic dairy cows: The two non-antibiotic formulations resulted in an earlier transition to mature lesions compared with the control group. The CUI combination was the most effective treatment in reducing lesion size, pain, and lameness in affected cows. However, this combination had short-term efficacy, which did not persist throughout the duration of the study. The HOI combination produced only transient reduction in lesion size.
Lameness affects the cattle industry via both economic losses and welfare considerations. In addition to production deficits, the pain and distress associated with lameness have been documented. ...Evaluation and prevalence of lame cattle are among the primary factors in third-party welfare audit programs. Mean lameness prevalence in herds has been reported to be as high as 36.8%, although a less than 10% prevalence of lame cattle was reported by some producers. Note that lameness is usually underreported by producers compared with independent observers, potentially because of a decreased sensitivity in detecting lame cattle.
Traumatic Lesions of the Sole Shearer, J K; van Amstel, Sarel R
The Veterinary clinics of North America. Food animal practice
33, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Traumatic lesions of the sole are a common cause of lameness in beef and dairy cattle. This article provides a brief description of traumatically induced conditions with specific attention to ...underlying causes, treatment, and prevention. Lameness, traumatic lesions of the sole, sole punctures, thin soles, thin sole toe ulcers, toe tip necrosis syndrome, and toe abscesses are discussed.
Summary
Background and Objective
Despite the worldwide use of vitamin K antagonists (VKAs), there is limited knowledge of the influence of dietary vitamin K on anticoagulation control. In view of the ...increasing nutraceutical availability of menaquinone‐7 (MK‐7; vitamin K2) and its promotion for bone and cardiovascular health, it is important to determine the posology for the interference of supplemental MK‐7 with VKA therapy.
Patients
Eighteen healthy men and women were anticoagulated for 4 weeks with acenocoumarol, and 15 of them attained a target International Normalized Ratio (INR) of 2.0. In the six subsequent weeks, subjects were given increasing doses of MK‐7 (10, 20 and 45 μg day−1) while continuing acenocoumarol treatment at established individual doses.
Results
Apart from the INR, acenocoumarol treatment significantly increased the levels of uncarboxylated factor II (ucFII), uncarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC), and desphospho‐uncarboxylated matrix Gla‐protein (dp‐ucMGP), and decreased endogenous thrombin generation (ETP). A daily intake of 45 μg of MK‐7 significantly decreased the group mean values of both the INR and ucFII by ~ 40%. Daily intakes of 10 and 20 μg of MK‐7 were independently judged by two hematologists to cause a clinically relevant lowering of the INR in at least 40% and 60% of subjects, respectively, and to significantly increase ETP by ~ 20% and ~ 30%, respectively. Circulating ucOC and dp‐ucMGP were not affected by MK‐7 intake.
Conclusions
MK‐7 supplementation at doses as low as 10 μg (lower than the usual retail dose of 45 μg) significantly influenced anticoagulation sensitivity in some individuals. Hence, the use of MK‐7 supplements needs to be avoided in patients receiving VKA therapy.
Thin soles and resulting lameness are often associated with increased culling rates in large dairy operations. The moisture content of the sole horn may cause the horn to be softer, thus predisposing ...it to an increased rate of wear. For that reason, the first objective of this study was to determine the moisture content of the sole horn of thin-soled cows. The second objective was to document physical changes of the claw associated with thin soles. Twenty-six adult Holstein cows showing signs of thin soles, and 16 normal cows were used in the study. Selection criteria for thin-soled cows included a dorsal wall length of less than 7.5cm and the following clinical signs: painful gait, arched back, and specific leg lameness. Sixteen normal adult cows with dorsal wall length in excess of 7.5cm were randomly selected. For thin-soled cows, the moisture contents of sole horn were 37.1±0.7% for front claws and 40.5±0.7% for rear claws. These values were significantly different from each other. Moisture contents of sole horn from normal cows were 31.08±0.93% for front claws and 33.1±0.9% for rear claws, which were significantly different from each other and different from thin-soled cows. Rear claws had higher moisture contents than front claws. Mean sole horn thickness was 4.23±0.18mm for the rear lateral claws and 5.15±0.18mm for the rear medial claws. The average dorsal wall lengths were 66.8±3.94mm for rear lateral claws and 69.1±7.25mm for rear medial claws. Thirty percent of rear feet with thin soles had pathological claw horn lesions including sole/white line separation (72%) and sole ulcers (28%). Of the affected claws, 13% had more than one lesion. Seventy-seven percent of claw lesions occurred in the lateral claw.
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