HERD HEALTH

Defining the ‘lame cow’

Lameness is a clinical sign due to an injury or disease of the foot or leg. In a study the Calgary Lameness Research Team performed across Canada in 2011, on average 20 percent of dairy cows housed in freestall barns walked lame, with a range of 0 to 69 percent.

It may still be spring, but summer heat is just around the corner. It’s no secret warm temperatures cause stress on dairy cows.

For the dairy industry, and me personally, the end of calendar year 2017 was a rugged stretch. With the release of the latest dairy undercover video just before the Christmas holiday, there were six separate videos released in the U.S. since the middle of November.

Training employees in the basics of dairy cattle handling can do more than save hours of labour; it can even save a life.

Timely euthanasia is perhaps one of the biggest challenges for farmers and veterinarians. Many times, there isn’t a definite answer. Euthanizing the animal too early could mean a missed opportunity, but doing it too late means unnecessary animal suffering.

As we move past tail docking, down cows and the handling of dairy cattle on our farms, there are a number of other welfare concerns emerging for us to address in the near future. These issues are voiced by consumers through social media, open discussion with food marketers and are often amplified by animal activism groups.