Lameness is considered one of the most serious maladies facing dairy

摘要

A cow's body language can be a telling sign of what is going on with her especially when it comes to health problems. Acquiring skills to identify the early stages of lameness in dairy animals was part of a workshop during the 22nd annual Western Canadian Dairy Seminar held in Red Deer, Alberta March 9-12. Participants learned about diseases and injuries that affect the hoof and saw first hand the damage by examining numerous cadaver hooves. Gerard McDowell, Zinpro representative from New York, encouraged participants to don a pair of rubber gloves for a hands-on examination of hooves that ranged from healthy to severely diseased. Pointing out the cause of damage to the hoof, McDowell also explained parts of the hoof in relation to preventing disease. "The hoof is like your skin in that it is the first line of defence," he said.