By Bargai, U., Israel-Journal-of-Veterinary-Medicine, 1996
Description
A severe problem of lameness in a dairy herd in Israel is described. The lameness originated in the hooves of cows from second lactation onward. The lameness was typical for sequelae of laminitis, such as double sole, sole abscesses, white line abscesses and wall separation. The herd consisted of 300 milking cows, among which there were 78 1st lactation cows. None of the 1st lactating cows showed lameness. All heifers were moved to the lactating cows' shades and diet immediately after parturition. The diet of all the lactating cows was the same and included 17% digestible protein and 1.72 Mcal/kg of food. During the last 2 years there were 3 to 4 new lame cows every week and 30% of the herd was culled annually. Cows were housed all winter and most of the summer in a closed space with a slate floor. The slates were very irregular, rough and had dry manure adhering to them. It was concluded that the laminitis developed in cows walking on the very rough slates and that 1st lactation cows without large, heavy udders were less affected by the slates
A severe problem of lameness in a dairy herd in Israel is described. The lameness originated in the hooves of cows from second lactation onward. The lameness was typical for sequelae of laminitis, such as double sole, sole abscesses, white line abscesses and wall separation. The herd consisted of 300 milking cows, among which there were 78 1st lactation cows. None of the 1st lactating cows showed lameness. All heifers were moved to the lactating cows' shades and diet immediately after parturition. The diet of all the lactating cows was the same and included 17% digestible protein and 1.72 Mcal/kg of food. During the last 2 years there were 3 to 4 new lame cows every week and 30% of the herd was culled annually. Cows were housed all winter and most of the summer in a closed space with a slate floor. The slates were very irregular, rough and had dry manure adhering to them. It was concluded that the laminitis developed in cows walking on the very rough slates and that 1st lactation cows without large, heavy udders were less affected by the slates
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