A higher risk of being lame was found for the presence of claw overgrowth , the first 120 days in milk , larger herd sizes , and increasing parity .
Background Lameness in dairy cows has been an ongoing concern of great relevance to animal welfare and productivity in modern dairy production .
Many studies have examined associations between various factors related to housing , management , and the individual animal and the occurrence of lameness .
The objective of this systematic review was to answer the research question “ what are risk factors associated with lameness in dairy cows that are housed in free stall barns or tie stall facilities ” .
Furthermore , we performed a synthesis of current evidence on certain risk factors by means of a meta- analysis to illustrate the strength of their association with bovine lameness .
A prospective cohort study of digital cushion and corium thickness. Part 1: Associations with body condition, lesion incidence, and proximity to calving.
Claw horn disruption lesions ( CHDL ) are a major cause of lameness in dairy cattle and are likely a result of excessive forces being applied to the germinal epithelium that produces the claw horn . The digital cushion is a connective tissue structure , containing depots of adipose tissue , that sits beneath the distal phalanx and has been shown to be thicker in fatter cows . Body condition score ( BCS ) loss is a risk factor for CHDL , and one possible explanation is that fat is mobilized from the digital cushion during negative energy balance , causing the digital cushion to thin and lose force-dissipating capacity , leading to disruption of claw horn growth . This prospect i ve cohort study investigated the association between measures of body fat and sole soft tissue ( SST ) thickness ( a combined measure of the corium and digital cushion beneath the distal phalanx ) in a longitudinal manner . The  SST  of 179 cows in 2 high-yielding dairy herds were measured at 5 assessment points between 8 wk before and 35 wk postcalving . The BCS , back fat thickness ( BFT ) , and lesion incidence were recorded . Data were analyzed in a 4-level mixed effects regression model , with the outcome being SST thickness beneath the flexor tuberosity of the distal phalanx . Data from 827 assessment points were available for analysis . The overall mean of SST was 4.99 mm ( st and ard deviation : 0.95 ) . The SST was thickest 8 wk before calving ( 5.22 mm , st and ard deviation : 0.91 ) and thinnest 1 wk postcalving ( 4.68 mm , st and ard deviation : 0.87 ) , suggesting an effect of calving on SST . The BFT was positively correlated with SST in the model with a small effect size ( a 10 mm decrease in BFT corresponded with a 0.13 mm decrease in SST ) , yet the nadir of BFT was 11.0 mm at 9 to 17 wk postcalving ( when SST was ∼4.95 mm ) , rather than occurring with the nadir of SST immediately after calving . The SST also varied with other variables [ e.g. , cows that developed a sole ulcer or severe sole hemorrhage during the study had thinner SST ( -0.24 mm ) ] , except when a sole ulcer was present , when it was thicker ( + 0.53 mm ) . Cows that developed lesions had a thinner digital cushion before the lesion occurrence , which became thickened with sole ulcer presence , perhaps representing inflammation . Furthermore , although BFT was correlated with SST over time , SST may also have been influenced by other factors such as integrity of the suspensory apparatus , which could have a major effect on CHDL . Measures of body fat likely contributed to having thin SST , but other factors including calving , herd , and lesion presence also had an effect
A higher risk of being lame was found for the presence of claw overgrowth , the first 120 days in milk , larger herd sizes , and increasing parity .
Background Lameness in dairy cows has been an ongoing concern of great relevance to animal welfare and productivity in modern dairy production .
Many studies have examined associations between various factors related to housing , management , and the individual animal and the occurrence of lameness .
The objective of this systematic review was to answer the research question “ what are risk factors associated with lameness in dairy cows that are housed in free stall barns or tie stall facilities ” .
Furthermore , we performed a synthesis of current evidence on certain risk factors by means of a meta- analysis to illustrate the strength of their association with bovine lameness .