Authors
FC Flower, DM Weary
Publication date
2006/1/1
Journal
Journal of dairy science
Volume
89
Issue
1
Pages
139-146
Publisher
Elsevier
Description
To explore how hoof pathologies affect dairy cattle gait, we studied cows with sole hemorrhages (n = 14), sole ulcers (n = 7), and those with no visible injuries (n = 17). Overall gait assessments, scored from video using a 1 to 5 numerical rating system (1 = sound, 5 = severely lame) and a continuous 100-unit visual analog scale, found cows having sole ulcers had poorer gait than healthy cows (mean±SEM: 4.0±0.13 vs. 3.1±0.08, and 59±3 vs. 46±2, respectively). Six gait attributes (back arch, head bob, tracking-up, joint flexion, asymmetric gait, and reluctance to bear weight) were also assessed using continuous 100-unit scales. Compared with healthy cows, those having sole ulcers walked with a more pronounced back arch (12±3 vs. 28±4), more jerky head movement (2±2 vs. 10±3), shortened strides (7±2 vs. 26±4), and more uneven weighting among the limbs (16±2 vs. 32±3). Of all measures, the numerical …
Total citations
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