BACKGROUND: Discriminating the underlying cause of gait abnormalities can be challenging in a clinical setting, especially in the presence of bilateral disease. Pressure-sensitive walkways (PSWs) have been utilized to characterize the gait of dogs with various neurologic or orthopaedic conditions. The potential use of the PSW includes the discrimination of conditions that can be similar in clinical presentation, such as bilateral hindlimb lameness and hindlimb ataxia. The primary aim of this study was to describe the spatial, temporal, and kinetic gait parameters of dogs with hindlimb ataxia or bilateral hindlimb lameness and compare them to those of normal dogs. Forty-six dogs were prospectively recruited. The normal group included 20 dogs with normal neurologic and orthopaedic exams. The orthopaedic group included 15 dogs with bilateral hindlimb orthopaedic diseases with weight-bearing hindlimb lameness and normal neurologic exams. The neurologic group included 11 dogs with ambulatory paraparesis and normal orthopaedic exams. Each dog was walked across the PSW, and at least 3 valid trials were collected. The stride time, stance time, swing time, stride length, gait velocity, peak vertical force (PVF), vertical impulse (VI), and limb symmetry were recorded. The mean values of all parameters from the valid trials were calculated and used for data analysis. The outcomes were compared among all groups.
RESULTS: Compared with the normal group, the orthopaedic group had a significantly greater percent body weight distribution (%BWD) and vertical impulse distribution (VID) in the forelimbs. When comparing the spatiotemporal parameters, the neurologic group showed an increase in forelimb stance time compared to that of the normal group. Compared with that in the normal group, the stride velocity in the forelimbs in the orthopaedic group was greater. There were no significant differences in the kinetic parameters between the neurologic group and the normal group, nor in stride time or stride length among the groups.
CONCLUSIONS: The gait parameters obtained by PSW demonstrated that the orthopaedic and neurologic groups may have different compensatory mechanisms for their gait deficiencies. These parameters can potentially be used to construct a predictive model to evaluate PSW as a diagnostic tool in future studies.

A 12-year-old Saluki was presented with acute lameness and plantar swelling of the right metatarsus following an episode of free running. Radiographs showed soft tissue swelling only, the involved bone and joint structures were unremarkable. The lesion recurred several months later. Ultrasonographic imaging of the lesion revealed a well-vascularized cavernous structure. Subsequent surgical removal and histopathological examination of the structure raised the initial suspicion of an arteriovenous fistula, which was then confirmed histologically following a second surgical removal of another recurrence. The purpose of this case report is to illustrate the potential complexity of what initially appears to be a simple lameness. At the same time, attention is focused on the possibility that arteriovenous fistulas may tend to recur.
Ein 12 Jahre alter Saluki wurde mit einer akuten Lahmheit und plantaren Schwellung des rechten Metatarsus nach dem Freilauf vorgestellt. Im Röntgen war lediglich eine Weichteilschwellung zu erkennen, die beteiligten Knochen- und Gelenkstrukturen zeigten sich unbeteiligt. Einige Monate später kam es zum Rezidiv der Schwellung. Bei der diesbezüglich durchgeführten Ultraschalluntersuchung war eine gut vaskularisierte kavernöse Struktur zu erkennen. Die folgende operative Entfernung und histopathologische Untersuchung der Struktur ergab den ersten Verdacht auf eine arteriovenöse Fistel, welche sich auch bei einer zweiten operativen Entfernung nach einem weiteren Rezidiv histologisch bestätigte. Der vorliegende Fallbericht soll die mögliche Komplexität einer zunächst einfach zu behandelnden Lahmheit darstellen. Gleichzeitig liegt das Augenmerk auf der Möglichkeit, dass arteriovenöse Fisteln zu Rezidiven tendieren können.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate differences in lameness prevalence among Austrian dairy farms for both lactating and dry cows as assessed by locomotion scoring (LCS 1-5) by an expert and a student who had received brief training in locomotion scoring and by farmers\' estimates and by farmers\' lameness assessments.
METHODS: In total, 632 cows from 11 farms were evaluated, including 553 lactating and 79 dry cows. Lameness prevalence was calculated for all farms collectively as well as for individual farms. The ratio of lameness prevalence determined by the student/expert (Student\'s Assessment Index: SAI), the ratio between farmers\' assessments/expert assessments (Farmers\' Assessment Index: FAI) and the ratio between farmers\' estimates/expert assessments (Farmers\' Detection Index: FDI) were calculated.
RESULTS: For the expert, the mean lameness prevalence (LCS≥2) among all 632 cows was 63.1%, while for the student it was 60.2%, and the farmers\' assessment was 37.3%, resulting in a mean difference of 25.8% between the expert and the farmers. In cows with LCS 2, the SAI was 99.6%, in cows with LCS 3, it was 84.4%, and in cows with LCS≥4, it was 88.6%. The mean FDI and FAI for all cows on the 11 farms were 35.1% and 58.2%, respectively, with wide variation across farms (6.8-79.1% and 17.8-94.7%, respectively). Overall, lactating and dry cows exhibited a high mean lameness prevalence (63.9% vs. 59.6%), which differed by only 4.3%.
CONCLUSIONS: Farmers should actively assess their cattle for lameness on a regular basis. Moreover, they should be trained to identify lame cows (lactating and dry cows), especially those showing mild lameness (LCS 2). Since the recently trained student achieved similar high recognition rates as the expert, it is assumed that a training in locomotion scoring can contribute to higher recognition rates.
UNASSIGNED: In dieser Studie wurde die Lahmheits-prävalenz in 11 österreichischen Milchviehbetrieben mittels Locomotion-Scorings (LCS 1–5) durch eine Expertin und eine Studentin ermittelt und mit den Einschätzungen und Lahmheitsbewertungen der Landwirte verglichen. Ziel war es, die Differenz in der Lahmheitsbeurteilung zwischen der Expertin und Studentin, die eine kurze Einschulung im Locomotion-Scoring erhalten hatte, einerseits und zwischen der Expertin und den Landwirten andererseits zu erheben, und zwar sowohl bei laktierenden als auch bei trockenstehenden Kühen.
METHODS: Insgesamt wurden 632 Kühe in 11 Betrieben beurteilt, davon 553 laktierende und 79 trockenstehende Kühe. Die Lahmheitsprävalenz wurde sowohl für alle Betriebe zusammen als auch für jeden einzelnen Betrieb bestimmt. Zudem wurde das Verhältnis zwischen den ermittelten Lahmheitsprävalenzen der Studentin und der Expertin (Student’s Assessment Index: SAI), dem Landwirt und der Expertin (Farmers’ Assessment Index: FAI) sowie das Verhältnis zwischen der Schätzung der Lahmheitsprävalenz durch die Landwirte und der Lahmheitsbewertung durch die Expertin (Farmers’ Detection Index: FDI) berechnet.
UNASSIGNED: Laut Expertin betrug die mittlere Lahmheitsprävalenz (LCS≥2) bei allen 632 Kühen 63,1%, während die Studentin 60,2% und die Landwirte 37,3% der Lahmheiten korrekt erkannten. Die Differenz in der korrekten Lahmheitserkennung zwischen Expertin und Landwirten lag somit im Mittel bei 25,8%. Der SAI bei Kühen mit LCS 2 betrug 99,6%, bei Kühen mit LCS 3 84,4% und bei Kühen mit LCS≥4 88,6%. Der mittlere FDI bzw. FAI für alle Kühe in den 11 Betrieben betrug 35,1% bzw. 58,2%, jedoch war die Varianz zwischen den einzelnen Betrieben groß (6,8–79,1% bzw. 17,8–94,7%). Laktierende und trockenstehende Kühe wiesen hohe mittlere Lahmheitsprävalenzen auf (63,9% vs. 59,6%), die sich nur um 4,3% unterschieden.
UNASSIGNED: Aus diesen Ergebnissen lässt sich die Empfehlung ableiten, dass Landwirte regelmäßig eine aktive Lahmheitsbewertung ihrer Tiere durchführen sollen, sowohl bei laktierenden als auch bei trockenstehenden Kühen, und in der Erkennung von Lahmheiten, vor allem von geringgradigen Lahmheiten (LCS 2), geschult werden sollten. Da die frisch eingeschulte Studentin ähnlich hohe Erkennungsraten wie die Expertin erzielte, wird angenommen, dass eine Schulung im Locomotion-Scoring zu höheren Erkennungsraten beitragen kann.

Recycled manure solids has emerged as a promising alternative for animal bedding, owing to its economic feasibility, ready availability on farms, and soft, non-abrasive nature. This research aimed to assess the impact of recycled manure solids (RMS) bedding, combined with a conditioner containing 7.5% lime and 6% sodium hydrosulphate, on dairy cow welfare and gait kinematics over three months. Hock and knee injury scores, lameness incidence, and gait kinematic parameters were evaluated for animals housed on cement flooring (Control), RMS bedding (Treatment I), and conditioner-added RMS bedding (Treatment II) on days 0, 45, and 90 of the experiment with six crossbred cows in each group. The results revealed a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in lameness scores (5-point scale) for animals in both the RMS and conditioner-added RMS groups, with scores of 1.09 ± 0.05 and 1.04 ± 0.03, respectively, compared to those on cement floors. Moreover, a noteworthy decrease (p < 0.05) in knee and hock injury scores (4-point scale) was observed in the RMS groups, indicating a potentially positive impact on joint health. Gait kinematic analysis demonstrated that animals in the RMS (1.03 ± 0.04 m/s) and conditioner-added RMS (1.02 ± 0.06 m/s) groups exhibited higher walking speeds and increased step angles (158.59 ± 4.82° and 149.58 ± 3.85°) compared to their cement-floor counterparts. No significant changes (p > 0.05) were observed in stride length, step asymmetry, step length, and step width. The study concluded that the conditioner incorporated recycled manure solids resulting in a substantial decrease in lameness incidence and a reduction in hock and knee injuries among dairy cows. Additionally, the improved gait kinematics observed in non-lame animals suggest that this bedding combination positively influences overall animal well-being. These findings underscore the potential of sustainable bedding practices to enhance both physical health and locomotor behaviour in dairy cattle.

UNASSIGNED: The objective of this prospective observational research project was to have dairy producers use and assess the utility of a cull cow evaluation form.
UNASSIGNED: Cull dairy cows.
UNASSIGNED: Veterinarians were recruited to enrol a purposively selected group of dairy producers into a project to evaluate a cull cow evaluation form. Producers were provided with evaluation forms and asked to complete a form for every cow they culled from their herd from January to June 2017, inclusive.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 44 producers used the form to record information on 323 cows prior to transport.
UNASSIGNED: Despite the completion of 323 forms, only ~1/3 were completed fully, with compliance highest for body condition score, lameness, and temperature recordings (> 90% of forms). A cull cow evaluation form may improve the thoroughness and consistency of dairy producer assessment of cull dairy cows for fitness for transport.
Un formulaire d’évaluation pour aider les producteurs laitiers à évaluer systématiquement les vaches avant la réforme.
UNASSIGNED: L’objectif de ce projet de recherche observationnelle prospective était d’amener les producteurs laitiers à utiliser et à évaluer l’utilité d’un formulaire d’évaluation des vaches de réforme.
UNASSIGNED: Vaches laitières réformées.
UNASSIGNED: Des vétérinaires ont été recrutés pour inscrire un groupe de producteurs laitiers sélectionnés à dessein dans un projet visant à évaluer un formulaire d’évaluation des vaches réformées. Les producteurs ont reçu des formulaires d’évaluation et ont été invités à remplir un formulaire pour chaque vache qu’ils ont éliminée de leur troupeau de janvier à juin 2017 inclusivement.
UNASSIGNED: Au total, 44 producteurs ont utilisé le formulaire pour enregistrer des informations sur 323 vaches avant le transport.
UNASSIGNED: Malgré la complétion de 323 formulaires, seulement environ 1/3 ont été entièrement remplis, avec une conformité plus élevée pour le score d’état corporel, les boiteries et les enregistrements de température (> 90 % des formulaires). Un formulaire d’évaluation des vaches laitières réformées peut améliorer la rigueur et la cohérence de l’évaluation par le producteur laitier des vaches laitières réformées quant à leur aptitude au transport.(Traduit par Dr Serge Messier).

A high proportion of horses in training, perceived as free from lameness by their owner, exhibit vertical movement asymmetries. These types of asymmetries are sensitive measures of lameness, but their specificity as indicators of orthopaedic pathology or locomotor function remains unclear. Equine athletes performing at a high level could be assumed to exhibit a higher degree of movement symmetry compared with the general horse population, but this has not been confirmed. This study investigated the prevalence of movement asymmetries in horses performing at a high level in three equestrian disciplines; show jumping, dressage and eventing, as well as the association between riders\' perception of horse sidedness and said movement asymmetries. Using an inertial measurement unit-based system (Equinosis), gait analysis was performed on 123 high-performing horses. The mean difference between the two vertical minimum and between the two maximum values of each stride was recorded for the head (HDmin, HDmax) and pelvis (PDmin, PDmax). The horses were defined as asymmetric if one or multiple asymmetry parameters exceeded an absolute trial mean of: >6mm for HDmin or HDmax, and >3mm for PDmin or PDmax, with standard deviation less than the respective mean value. Based on the results, 70% of the horses were classified as asymmetric, which is similar to previous findings for young riding horses and horses competing at a lower level. More than one-third of these high-performing horses had asymmetry values of similar magnitude to those seen in clinically lame horses. No clear associations were observed between rider-perceived sidedness and the vertical movement asymmetry values, indicating that the perceived unevenness between sides is not a determinant of vertical movement asymmetry. Longitudinal studies on movement asymmetries in relation to training intensity and full clinical examinations with local or systemic analgesic testing are desired as further research to determine whether these movement asymmetries indicate a welfare problem.

BACKGROUND: Canine coxofemoral joint osteoarthritis is a common, painful and debilitating condition. The objective of this study was to evaluate if any measurable changes in pain or lameness occurred in this patient group immediately after a single treatment with pulsed electromagnetic field therapy. Eight dogs with coxofemoral joint osteoarthritis presenting with signs of pain and lameness were prospectively recruited to this randomised, controlled, double blinded, cross-over study. Subjects attended the research facility on two occasions for one active and one placebo treatment with pulsed electromagnetic field therapy. The immediate effect of one pulsed electromagnetic field therapy treatment on pain and lameness was measured subjectively with the Helsinki Chronic Pain Index and Visual Analogue Scale and objectively using a pressure sensitive walkway.
RESULTS: A statistically significant difference (P = 0.03) for change in stride length in the affected limb was recorded for subjects between the active and placebo treatments with pulsed electromagnetic field therapy. Within the active treatment results, there was a statistically significant change in the measurement for reach (P = 0.04) and stride length (P = 0.047) which got shorter in the affected limb post treatment. For the subjective outcome measures, there was no statistically significant difference between the active and placebo treatments for the evening of the treatment day or the next morning from pre-treatment values. Within the placebo treatment results a statistically significant change (improvement) was detected in Visual Analogue Score (P = 0.03) between pre-treatment and the next morning values.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study do not show demonstrable improvement in owner assessed pain levels or temporospatial performance in dogs with coxofemoral joint osteoarthritis immediately after a single application of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy.

Dairy cattle lameness represents one of the common concerns in intensive and commercial dairy farms. Lameness is characterized by gait-related behavioral changes in cows and multiple approaches are being utilized to associate these changes with lameness conditions including data from accelerometers, and other precision technologies. The objective was to evaluate the use of machine learning algorithms for the identification of lameness conditions in dairy cattle. In this study, 310 multiparous Holstein dairy cows from a herd in Northern Colorado were affixed with a leg-based accelerometer (Icerobotics® Inc, Edinburg, Scotland) to obtain the lying time (min/d), daily steps count (n/d), and daily change (n/d). Subsequently, study cows were monitored for 4 months and cows submitted for claw trimming (CT) were differentiated as receiving corrective claw trimming (CCT) or as being diagnosed with a lameness disorder and consequent therapeutic claw trimming (TCT) by a certified hoof trimmer. Cows not submitted to CT were considered healthy controls. A median filter was applied to smoothen the data by reducing inherent variability. Three different machine learning (ML) models were defined to fit each algorithm which included the conventional features (containing daily lying, daily steps, and daily change derived from the accelerometer), slope features (containing features extracted from each variable in Conventional feature), or all features (3 simple features and 3 slope features). Random forest (RF), Naive Bayes (NB), Logistic Regression (LR), and Time series (ROCKET) were used as ML predictive approaches. For the classification of cows requiring CCT and TCT, ROCKET classifier performed better with accuracy (> 90%), ROC-AUC (> 74%), and F1 score (> 0.61) as compared to other algorithms. Slope features derived in this study increased the efficiency of algorithms as the better-performing models included All features explored. However, further classification of diseases into infectious and non-infectious events was not effective because none of the algorithms presented satisfactory model accuracy parameters. For the classification of observed cow locomotion scores into severely lame and moderately lame conditions, the ROCKET classifier demonstrated satisfactory accuracy (> 0.85), ROC-AUC (> 0.68), and F1 scores (> 0.44). We conclude that ML models using accelerometer data are helpful in the identification of lameness in cows but need further research to increase the granularity and accuracy of classification.

Lameness affects animal mobility, causing pain and discomfort. Lameness in early stages often goes undetected due to a lack of observation, precision, and reliability. Automated and non-invasive systems offer precision and detection ease and may improve animal welfare. This study was conducted to create a repository of images and videos of sows with different locomotion scores. Our goal is to develop a computer vision model for automatically identifying specific points on the sow\'s body. The automatic identification and ability to track specific body areas, will allow us to conduct kinematic studies with the aim of facilitating the detection of lameness using deep learning. The video database was collected on a pig farm with a scenario built to allow filming of sows in locomotion with different lameness scores. Two stereo cameras were used to record 2D videos images. Thirteen locomotion experts assessed the videos using the Locomotion Score System developed by Zinpro Corporation. From this annotated repository, computational models were trained and tested using the open-source deep learning-based animal pose tracking framework SLEAP (Social LEAP Estimates Animal Poses). The top-performing models were constructed using the LEAP architecture to accurately track 6 (lateral view) and 10 (dorsal view) skeleton keypoints. The architecture achieved average precisions values of 0.90 and 0.72, average distances of 6.83 and 11.37 in pixel, and similarities of 0.94 and 0.86 for the lateral and dorsal views, respectively. These computational models are proposed as a Precision Livestock Farming tool and method for identifying and estimating postures in pigs automatically and objectively. The 2D video image repository with different pig locomotion scores can be used as a tool for teaching and research. Based on our skeleton keypoint classification results, an automatic system could be developed. This could contribute to the objective assessment of locomotion scores in sows, improving their welfare.

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between prepartum subclinical hypomagnesemia (pre-SHMg) and the occurrence of dystocia, metritis, clinical mastitis, lameness, and subclinical hypomagnesemia postpartum (post-SHMg) in pasture-based dairy cows. Also, the difference in means of prepartum magnesium (Mg) concentration by postpartum health events was evaluated. A total of 890 dairy cows from 32 commercial farms located in southern Chile were enrolled. Cows were examined twice, once between 30 and 3 days before and once between 3 and 30 days after calving. Blood samples were collected on both assessments, and cows were considered as having SHMg if serum total Mg < 0.65 mmol/L. On the postpartum visit, cows were evaluated for metritis and lameness. Information about clinical mastitis and dystocia was collected from on-farm records. Data were analyzed using multivariable mixed linear models and multivariable mixed logistic regression models. The overall prevalence of pre-SHMg was 9.9%, and its presence was associated with the occurrence of post-SHMg (odd ratio [OR] = 5.7; P < 0.0001) and metritis (OR = 3.1; P = 0.04). However, we did not detect an association between pre-SHMg and dystocia, clinical mastitis, or lameness after calving. Prepartum serum Mg concentrations were lower in cows that developed post-SHMg than those that did not (LSM ± SE = 0.75 ± 0.02 mmol/L vs. 0.83 ± 0.02 mmol/L; P < 0.0001). In conclusion, pre-SHMg was associated with a higher risk of post-SHMg and metritis in grazing dairy cows but not other postpartum health events.