Heredity plays a significant role in cattle lameness. There are rare abnormalities such as syndactyly, or mule foot. More frequent in occurrence is poor conformation which predisposes cattle to lameness. Conformation weaknesses may result in slowly progressive lameness problems, particularly when cows are kept in an environment that puts stress on feet and legs. Examples of such environments are slatted floors or slippery, free-stall confinement housing.
Nutrition can have an influence on cattle lameness.
A common nutritional cause of lameness is excessive energy intake or sudden dietary changes producing laminitis or founder. Acute laminitis can occur in cattle, as it does in horses, due to sudden access to unaccustomed quantities of a high energy feed. More frequently, however, cattle laminitis is a result of diet changes, especially around the time of calving or early lactation. The resultant founder may have a gradual onset ad not be apparent until excessive misshapen hoof growth is visible. In dairy cattle, typical feeding situations that could produce laminitis are sudden change from an all hay ration to a high corn silage-grain ration at calving time.