Lameness is second only to mastitis as the most costly disease on dairy farms worldwide. Not only is lameness painful for cows, it decreases milk production, decreases reproduction, increases culling, and has direct costs associated with treatment. The overall cost of lameness has been estimated between $200 to $1,000 per case, with claw lesions, like sole ulcers, more costly than infectious lesions, like digital dermatitis.
Lost Milk Production
Cows with lameness are estimated to lose 270 – 574 kg over their lactation. They spend less time eating compared to healthy herd mates. Cows with a case of lameness early in lactation may have reduced production for the remainder of their lactation.
Lost Reproductive Performance
Lameness early in lactation increases time to first service and results in an average of 30 more days open, 20% lower conception rate, and 1.2 more services per conception. Progesterone, a key hormone for fertility and maintaining pregnancy, is lower in lame cows during their estrus cycle. Lame cows have reduced heat expression and more often fail to ovulate compared to healthy cows.
Lost Cows: Increased Culling
Sole ulcers and white line disease decrease productive life by 35 – 71 days compared with healthy cows. In one study, lame cows were 8.4 times more likely to be culled. In situations where transport of lame animals is limited, lameness may result in more on-farm euthanasia compared to sale for slaughter, resulting in zero salvage value.
Treatment Costs
The direct cost of treatment of lameness cases may include professional hoof trimmer or veterinary services, on farm labor to detect, isolate, and treat the cow, antimicrobial treatment in some cases, and milk discard following antimicrobial or pain mitigation treatments.
Reduced Welfare
Hoof diseases are usually not detected until the cow is showing signs of pain – limping! Increased levels of stress hormones and the behavioral response of limping indicate the cow is experiencing pain, which is often chronic, since many hoof lesions take time to heal. The impact of improving cow welfare on the long-term viability of the dairy is difficult to quantify but should be considered.
The Genetic Connection
To genetically increase resistance to lameness in your herd, use an index that includes the Zoetis Lameness trait (such as DWP$®) or select sires who are above average for Lameness resistance.