47 Follow us on Twitter @BetterFarmingON Better Farming | December 2023 the feedlot due to its association with environmental conditions. With a variety of categories and causes, how can feedlot producers identify and diagnose different types of lameness? Identification and diagnosis Assessing gait score is the first step in determining if a feedlot animal is lame. Catching lameness early is also important. “It’s easy to pull out a severely lame animal, but sometimes at that point treatments aren’t as effective,” says Schwartzkopf-Genswein. “As a pen rider, you should try to catch those animals as early as possible.” It can be more difficult to identify the signs of lameness early in feedlots with uneven walking surfaces, such as frozen outdoor yards, icy or bumpy surfaces or packs. After lameness is identified, proper diagnosis is required for producers to determine an appropriate treatment plan. “It’s easy to pull out the lame heifer or steer, but then to diagnose these conditions you really need to do a more thorough exam in a chute to look at the foot and leg,” says Miltenburg. “Swelling above the foot is most commonly associated with foot rot. On the foot, I’d be looking for redness between the claws if the foot is clean enough, heat, and bad smells. “If you’re looking up the leg and seeing swelling on the joints, that would put up infectious arthritis on my list. “In terms of digital dermatitis, you need to look between claws and at the back of the heel to find that raised lesion.” Schwartzkopf-Genswein says that with an increase in combination lesions, diagnosis and treatment can be more difficult. In the case of multiple infected animals within a pen, it is necessary to discuss with the herd vet to determine an appropriate treatment plan for those infected, as well as a prevention plan for the rest of the pen. Prevention Any environment or event that compromises the skin or hoof barrier will increase the risk of infectious lameness. Knowing and minimizing risk factors is an important aspect of preventing lameness in feedlot cattle. A few risk factors on Ontario feedlots include body weight, placement time, season and standing time. “From research in Western Canada we see that heavier calves have an increased risk of lameness,” says Miltenburg. “Fall placed calves also have a higher risk than spring placed calves. There is a higher overall risk in the spring in the western part of the country, related to the muddiness being worse. “In Ontario, where cattle are indoors, we don’t have as clear of a picture if that risk factor is the same here.” Miltenburg adds, “In Ontario, pens with wet conditions have more risk of breaking down the skin barrier and slick or abrasive floors will increase that as well. Time standing, access to lying space and stocking density also play a role.” Schwartzkopf-Genswein says that nutritional risk factors also play a role in non-infectious lameness. “You can see a risk factor with diets that are lower in forage. There is an increased risk of laminitis related to acidosis and digestive disorders,” says Schwartzkopf-Genswein. “Another dietary risk factor could be not feeding trace minerals. Some studies have shown positive effects of trace minerals on rate of healing, skin integrity and immune response.” Schwartzkopf-Genswein explains that it is likely impossible to completely prevent lameness but there are some steps that can be taken to manage risk factors. “We have to accept that it’s probably impossible to prevent lameness entirely because sometimes you can’t control environmental conditions as much as you want. You can only do so much in terms of bedding,” says Schwartzkopf-Genswein. “Make sure pens have proper drainage, make sure that calves aren’t standing in puddles of water in a pen and provide ample bedding so they aren’t walking through mud. “Research has shown that in mud depth greater than five centimetres, animals were twice as likely to become lame.” Miltenburg adds that low-stress handling and working with nutritionists and vets are also important in prevention. “Some conditions including toe tip necrosis are related to rough handling and it also increases foot abrasions and risk of injury,” says Miltenburg. She also recommends discussing options for vaccination and preventative foot baths with the herd veterinarian. Concerns about laminitis and dietary risks should be discussed with a nutritionist. Prevention of lameness is important for ensuring the overall health and welfare of calves in the feedlot. It also has economic implications. In a study from Western Canada, Schwartzkopf-Genswein says they found differences in the costs to finish healthy and lame animals. “For a healthy animal at about 600 kilograms, it was about $710 per animal to take them to finish, but a lame animal was about $860. The study was really specific to foot rot,” says Schwartzkopf-Genswein. By accounting for risk factors, catching lameness early and preventing it where possible, feedlot producers can improve calf health and performance while saving money associated with treatments and longer days on feed. BF Livestock Please send us interesting photos of Ontario farm life. We might feature them in the magazine! Paul.Nolan@Farms.com HAVE SOME COOL PICS?
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