H R Whay

Assessment of the welfare of dairy cattle using animal-based measurements: direct observations and investigation of farm records.

A protocol was developed by consultation with experts on the welfare of cattle to use direct observations of cattle and an examination of farm records to assess welfare. Fifty-three dairy farms in England were visited and assessed during the winter of 2000/01. The findings were compiled and the results of the welfare measurements were examined by 50 experts who indicated at what level they considered that improvement was required. More than 75 per cent of them considered that 32 of the 53 farms needed to take action to reduce the incidence of mastitis, and that at least 42 of the farms needed to take action to reduce the prevalence of lameness, overgrown claws, swollen and ulcerated hocks, and injuries from the environment.

Associations between locomotion, claw lesions andnociceptive threshold in dairy heifers during the peri-partum period

The locomotion of 15 heifers was examined at fortnightly intervals over a 4 month peri-partum period. Measurements were made of the development of gait abnormalities, thermal and mechanical nociceptive thresholds, and severity and size of sole lesions observed in the hind claws. All heifers developed lesions at, or shortly after, parturition, and in seven animals this induced marked lameness. Abnormalities of gait were related more to the severity than to the size of the lesion. Lameness was associated with a significant increase in sensitivity to mechanical noxious stimuli applied to the lame leg but not to a thermal stimulus applied to the ear. This study demonstrated interactions between lameness, claw lesions and the development of hyperalgesia in heifers during the post-partum period.

The influence of lesion type on the duration ofhyperalgesia associated with hindlimb lameness in dairy cattle

The nociceptive thresholds of 42 sound dairy cattle were compared with 53 animals displaying hind-claw lameness. All animals in the study were lameness scored and nociceptive threshold tested. Each animal then received a routine claw trim while the lame cattle also had the cause of lameness determined and treated. Those cattle found to have a unilateral hind-claw lameness (n = 42) were re-evaluated at 28 days after treatment. The lame cattle were found to have a significantly lower nociceptive threshold (P < 0.001) as compared to the sound animals on day 1 and also at retesting on day 28 (P < 0.001). The group which were retested on day 28 were subdivided by lesion type: sole ulcer; white line disease and acute digital tissue infection. Each lesion type caused a decreased nociceptive threshold at day 1. At re-evaluation on day 28 only the thresholds of the acute digital tissue infection group were not significantly different from the sound group but thresholds in sole ulcer and white line disease cows were still depressed.

Assessment of lameness prevalence and associated risk factors in dairy herds in England and Wales.

Visits were made to 205 dairy farms in England and Wales between October 2006 and May 2007 by 1 or more of 4 researchers. At each visit, all milking cows were locomotion scored (lameness scored) using a 4-point scale (0=sound locomotion, 1=imperfect locomotion, 2=lame, 3=severely lame). The mean prevalence of lameness (scores 2 and 3) across the study farms was 36.8% (range=0-79.2%). On each farm, the presence within the housing and grazing environments of commonly reported risks for increased lameness was recorded. Each farmer was interviewed to gauge the ability of the farm staff to detect and treat lameness. A multivariable linear regression model was fitted. Risk factors for increased lameness were the presence of damaged concrete in yards, cows pushing each other or turning sharply near the parlor entrance or exit, cattle grazing pasture also grazed by sheep, the use of automatic scrapers, not treating lame cows within 48h of detection, and cows being housed for 61 d or longer at the time they were locomotion scored by the visiting researcher. Having a herd consisting entirely of a breed or breeds other than Holstein-Friesian was associated with a reduction in lameness prevalence compared with having a herd consisting entirely of Holstein-Friesians.

Current attitudes of cattle practitioners to pain and the use of analgesics in cattle

A questionnaire to examine the attitudes and perceptions of cattle practitioners to pain in cattle was sent to 2398 practitioners working in the uk, and 641 responses were received. From the range of procedures and conditions outlined in the questionnaire, claw amputation was scored as the most painful procedure undergone by adult cattle (assuming no analgesic drugs were administered), and neck calluses were scored as the least painful condition experienced by adult cattle. The pain associated with dystocia was considered the least painful experience for calves, and fracture of a distal limb and surgery for an umbilical hernia equally the most painful. There were significant differences between the pain scores assigned by men and women and by respondents who had graduated in different decades; female respondents and more recent graduates tended to give a higher pain score for most conditions. There were also significant differences between the pain scores assigned by respondents who routinely used analgesics and those who did not, the latter being more likely to assign significantly lower pain scores.

The development, implementation and testing of a lameness control programme based on HACCP principles and designed for heifers on dairy farms

This paper describes the development and testing of a lameness control programme (LCP) for heifers on dairy farms. The LCP, which is based on the analysis of hazards and critical control points (HACCP), was tested via a randomised intervention study on 60 farms. Tangible hazards for each farm were identified, allotted to 11 categories of proximate hazard and scored on each farm to quantify the risks presented by each hazard. Feet were inspected for signs of claw horn disease and infection, such as digital dermatitis. Intervention was generally ineffective, primarily through failure to implement the LCP. However, retrospective analysis was able to demonstrate highly significant associations between risks attached to proximate hazards and probabilities of lameness and foot lesions, allowing the severity of these hazards to be ranked. The most significant proximate hazards of environmental origin were prolonged standing on concrete, standing in wet slurry and factors that cause claw trauma. The most severe proximate hazards however were those associated with failures of management, especially poor claw condition and inadequate foot care. Overall farm risks (OFR) were estimated by summing the products of the generic severity for proximate hazards with on-farm risks. Changes in OFR were significantly related to changes in outcome (lameness and lesions).

Locomotion scoring and lameness detection in dairy cattle

THE problem of high levels of lameness in UK dairy cattle has persisted into the 21st century and still presents a specific welfare concern. The mean prevalence of lameness seems to have changed little over the past decade and, although the relative proportions of lameness-causing lesions may have altered over time, the resulting number of lameness cases appears to have remained constant. The upsurge in farm assurance schemes has brought about the opportunity for structured veterinary involvement in the active monitoring and prevention of lameness at a herd level through the use of herd health plans which require careful record-keeping of lameness levels on farm and biannual locomotion scoring of the herd. This article discusses the role of locomotion and lameness scoring and describes how such systems might be implemented.

Role of ketoprofen in the modulation of hyperalgesia associated with lameness in dairy cattle

Forty lame dairy cows were randomly assigned to receive a course of either the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug ketoprofen, or sterile saline, together with conventional treatment for lameness. The effect of the ketoprofen was measured by using locomotion scoring and by testing the cows’ nociceptive threshold over a period of 28 days. The locomotion score of all the cows improved but ketoprofen had no significant effect on this change. However, in the cows that received ketoprofen the hyperalgesia associated with lameness, recorded using a nociceptive threshold test, was significantly modulated on days 3, 8 and 28 after their initial examination, drug administration and treatment of lesions.

Thermal and mechanical nociceptive threshold testing in horses: a review

OBJECTIVE This review evaluates the thermal and mechanical nociceptive threshold testing techniques that have been used in horses and discusses them with reference to their applications, limitations and the factors which can influence both the testing procedure itself and the animals responses. Methods to optimise the reliability and repeatability of the testing procedures are suggested and the potential clinical applications discussed. DATABASES USED Web of Science and Medline. CONCLUSIONS Thermal and mechanical nociceptive threshold testing techniques have valuable roles in both the identification of altered nociceptive function and the pre-clinical evaluation of analgesics in horses.

Results of a survey of attitudes of dairy veterinarians in New Zealand regarding painful procedures and conditions in cattle

Abstract AIMS: To quantify the range of attitudes and perceptions of cattle practitioners to painful procedures and conditions in cattle, to identify some of the demographic factors affecting those attitudes and perceptions, and to compare results from veterinarians based in New Zealand with those from the United Kingdom (UK) and Europe. METHODS: A questionnaire, based on one used for similar surveys in Europe, was sent to all 455 members of the Society of Dairy Cattle Veterinarians (DCV) of the New Zealand Veterinary Association. This questionnaire included a section on demographic data, e.g. gender, year of graduation, and preveterinary school background, and a section which asked the respondents to rate on a scale of 1 to 10 how painful they thought 24 procedures and conditions would be without any analgesia. RESULTS: A total of 166 questionnaires were returned, a response rate of 37%. From the range of procedures and conditions outlined in the questionnaire, those perceived as most painful were claw amputation, then Caesarean section, followed by surgery for left-displaced abomasum (LDA). The two least painful were mastitis with milk clots only, and the effect on a calf of dystocia. There were significant differences between the pain scores assigned by men and women and by respondents who had graduated in different decades. Female respondents and more recent graduates tended to give a higher pain score for most conditions. These effects remained, even after the potential interaction between age and gender had been assessed. The effect on pain score of either background or time spent treating cattle was much less marked than the effect of age and gender. Overall, the results were very similar to results from similar surveys undertaken in the UK and Europe. CONCLUSIONS: The responses to this survey indicate that, as in the UK and Europe, dairy cattle practitioners in New Zealand have a wide range of attitudes to pain in cattle. The estimates of the severity of pain were subjective, but such a survey allows the majority opinion of a considerable number of informed assessors to be quantified. CLINCAL RELEVANCE: The wide range of results suggests that more needs to be done to disseminate up-to-date knowl- edge of pain in cattle to veterinarians to ensure they provide appropriate levels of analgesia. In particular, the baseline data from this study can be used by practitioners to identify whether they are underestimating pain in cattle and, if they are, to assess whether they are using analgesia appropriately. Additionally, this dataset provides an informed and independent assessment of the pain associated with husbandry procedures, and could be used to better guide legislation concerning pain control of such procedures.