Lameness is a significant cost for all dairy herds. In Ireland, lameness in dairy herds is very different to lameness in Europe where cows are housed indoors for most of the year on concrete.

In Ireland, lameness issues are more associated with walking on farm roadways. As herds increase in size, more walking is inevitable as cows are walking longer distances to grazing.

Cause and symptoms

The causes of lameness in Irish herds are many and varied. In autumn when typically cow roads are wet and cows are walking in wet fields ,white line disease can become a problem. Wet weather and moisture underfoot softens the tissues.

The increasing importance of digital dermatitis-related infections (commonly known as Mortellaro disease) is more of a problem when cows are indoors a lot and hooves are in contact with faeces on a constant basis.

The white line is the line of attachment between the sole of the foot and the side wall. As the softest part of the foot, it is easily damaged and, therefore, is often an entry point for infection.

Tracks of infection may cause a localised abscess and may penetrate to cause a deeper abscess or grit and small stones may lodge in the softened widened area, causing further pain.

Treatment

Immediate investigation of any cow not walking properly, then appropriate and prompt treatment, is among the most effective change available to many farmers. When controlling digital dermatitis (Mortellaro) putting them through a daily footbath solution can reduce infection sixfold, whether this is a solution of copper sulphate or a proven branded treatment. In milking cows, footbathing will help harden the hoof and make it more suitable for walking on roadways. Regular hoof dipping is effective if done correctly to manage mortellaro.

On foot trimming, you cannot have a one size fits all approach to sole length or hoof angle as all cows are different and the experts say previous advice on having a uniform sole length was incorrect. Cows which are observed lame should be treated early, as this has a big bearing on getting a positive outcome.

Youngstock should be exposed to the same underfoot conditions as cows as this helps to build up the digital cushion in the hoof and it helps to prevent injuries after they calve.

Treatment of white line disease depends on the degree of progression of the disease. Mild cases resolve quickly once the lesions are trimmed. Local abscesses must be drained, while deeper abscesses require severe trimming of the hoof and may benefit from the application of a poultice or a shoe.

Where infection is present, antibiotic treatment may be needed. Many herd owners now carry out routine hoof paring of cows to detect lesions early and prevent lameness.

Routine foot bathing of cows, using products to strengthen the hoof, may also help to reduce incidence.

Treatment of non-healing hoof lesions consists of removing all the under-run, dead and black hoof, applying a topical dressing of antibiotic or some other antibacterial substance and often also injecting long-acting antibiotics in severe cases.

Prevention and control

Prevention is the name of the game, like so many other health issues with animals. Often it is too late when a cow is lame and a better option is to have some regular hoof care carried out on the herd to prevent cows going lame.

A simple overground foot bath built wide enough so the cow steps into the solution is the ideal setup. Footbath design should not impose a single file procession, but be wide enough for unhurried passage by two or three cows abreast. Footbath length should require at least two steps in the fluid by each foot, at a volume allowance of one litre per cow that passes through and 10cm minimum depth.

Proper roadways are key to prevention – you need a smooth, stone-free surface at all times. Wet patches, stony areas, sharp bends in roadways all lead to more lameness issues in herds.

When it comes to managing mortellaro, keeping yards clean and dry, preventing cross contamination and regular footbath (every day in some cases) was the only way to tackle the disease.

Management is the main focus in minimising the incidence of white line disease in dairy herds. Farm roadway maintenance is very important, particularly those near the parlour that are used by the cows most often. Passageways and collecting yards need to be kept as free as possible from stones.

Cows should be handled quietly and allowed to move at their own pace, as white line problems tend to be exacerbated by the impact of movement, especially rapid changes of direction. Excessive driving of cows with quad bikes or dogs is a major cause of lameness in some herds.

Steps to successful footbath construction

1Keep entrance wide – don’t narrow the entrance into the footbath. Design the placement of the footbath where cows don’t have to push to get in. If cows have to keep pushing to get through the footbath then in effect you are causing more damage during the footbath process.

2Cows don’t like stepping down – it makes them nervous and if they are nervous there is more dunging so don’t have the footbath built where cows have to step down into the footbath.

3Cows don’t like stepping up – In the same way cows don’t like stepping up so again if possible don’t construct where they have to step up.

4Build at same level – The ideal scenario is where the footbath is built at the same level as the existing levels either side of the footbath. That means don’t build on a slope.

5Plastic footbaths not good – Plastic footbaths can be frightening to cows when walking through. The uneven surface and the noise makes cows uncomfortable.

6Cheap construction - One of the cheapest methods of constructing a footbath is to lay 20 cm concrete blocks down on an existing concrete surface with a bung in the corner to allow the footbath to be drained.

7Don’t round corners - The advice is not to round off the corners of the blocks as cows do not like a rounded surface so leave the square edge, even if plastering the block.

8Keep main exit route the same – Ideally don’t change the direction of the cow flow where the footbath is located. If cows always exit straight keep the exit straight and install the footbath in the centre of that exit race.

9Don’t narrow exit – don’t narrow down the exit to force cows through. Ideally keep it wide enough for two cows to exit side by side. If large numbers are exiting the parlour together (eg parlour sizes with 20-unit herringbone upwards) cows exit quicker under less pressure.

10Don’t build too long - Ideally you want the cows to have two steps in the footbath but building it too long is not the job either. More than 3m in length and cows start to lift the tail and dung again. Ideally make it 1.5m wide and about 2m long.

11Make volume big enough - Make sure the footbath can carry enough volume. Small volume means the solution can get very dirty very quickly. If the depth of the block is 20cm then aim for an 8cm to 10cm depth of solution in the footbath. The rule is you need at least one litre per cow pass. So if 150 cows are passing through then you need at least 150 litres of solution in the footbath, 300 cows need 300 litres and so on.