revalence of thin soles in the hind limbs of dairy cows housed on fully-floored vs. partially-floored mastic asphalt areas in Austria

This study compared prevalence of thin soles in Austrian dairy cows in six herds housed on fully-floored mastic asphalt (FMA) or partially-floored mastic asphalt (PMA). All cows had last received hoof trimming at least 5 months before the study commenced. Sole horn thickness of the hind claws was measured ultrasonographically in 97 cows at two points on each claw: (1) point 1 exactly at the tip of the pedal bone surface; and (2) point 2 approximately 3 cm caudally. Locomotion was scored in all cows and claw lesions were categorised using a computerized claw trimming database program and evaluated at cow- and claw-level. An ANCOVA-model was applied to calculate the effects of different factors (breed, age, farm, days in milk) and covariates on sole horn thickness. The cut-off measurement for thin soles was defined as ≤ 4.5 mm, in accordance with a recent study.Regarding claw health, FMA areas were inferior to PMA areas in barn installations. In cows on FMA, the prevalence of thin soles was significantly higher (P = 0.01) and mean sole horn thickness at point 1 was significantly lower (P = 0.01) than cows on PMA (59.7% vs. 12.5%; 5.35 mm vs. 6.63 mm, respectively). There were also significantly more lame cows on FMA than on PMA (P = 0.01). The FMA group had higher prevalences of white-line disease (59.6% vs. 25%; P = 0.01) and toe ulcers (12.3% vs. 0%; P = 0.02) than the PMA group.
Source: The Veterinary Journal - Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research