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.

BACKGROUND: Ovine foot rot is a highly contagious and multifactorial claw disease, caused by Dichelobacter nodosus (D. nodosus) and is the main cause of lameness in sheep. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence of D. nodosus in western Austria both at animal and farm levels. Real-time PCR was evaluated in comparison with clinical and bacteriological investigations from interdigital foot swabs to detect D. nodosus-infected animals. In addition, the use of pooled four-foot swabs to detect foot rot was determined. In course of the study a total of 3156 sheep from 124 farms were examined for lameness and clinical signs of foot rot. The found flock prevalence of D. nodosus was 30,65 % with bacterial culture showing a sensitivity of 75,0 % and a specificity of 100,0 % (p < 0,001) respectively, compared with PCR. Furthermore, clinical foot rot scores (Ckorr = 0,87; p < 0,001) and lameness scores (Ckorr = 0,71; p < 0,001) highly correlated with the detection of D. nodosus by PCR. The result showed that the clinical examination can be used to identify animals infected with D. nodosus in flocks, but PCR must be used to confirm the diagnosis. D. nodosus could be detected equally well with risk-based pools-of-five samples as with undiluted samples (p < 0,001), suggesting that a pool-of-five samples might be a suitable and cost-effective method for detecting D. nodosus in sheep flocks. This study provides an overview of foot rot in Tyrolean sheep flocks and outlines the possibilities and limitations of the various diagnostic tools for D. nodosus. Further studies to investigate possible influencing factors, including alpine pasturing, management factors and biosecurity predisposing to foot rot are necessary for the design of effective future control programs in alpine regions.
BACKGROUND: Moderhinke ist eine hoch ansteckende und multifaktorielle Klauenkrankheit, die durch Dichelobacter nodosus (D. nodosus) verursacht wird und die Hauptursache für Lahmheit bei Schafen ist. Ziel dieser Querschnittsstudie war es, die Prävalenz von D. nodosus in Westösterreich auf Tier- und auf Betriebsebene zu ermitteln. Klinische und bakteriologische Untersuchungen von interdigitalen Klauenabstrichen wurden mit den Resultaten der Real-time-PCR zum Nachweis von mit D. nodosus infizierten Tieren ausgewertet. Zusätzlich wurden gepoolte Vier-Fuss-Abstriche zur Erkennung von Moderhinke analysiert. Im Rahmen der Studie wurden insgesamt 3156 Schafe aus 124 Betrieben auf Lahmheit und klinische Anzeichen von Klauenfäule untersucht. Die gefundene Herdenprävalenz von D. nodosus betrug 30,65 %. Die Bakterienkultur zeigte im Vergleich zur PCR eine Sensitivität von 75,0 % bzw. eine Spezifität von 100,0 % (p < 0,001). Die klinischen Fussfäule-Scores (Ckorr = 0,87; p < 0,001) und Lahmheits-Scores (Ckorr = 0,71; p < 0,001) korrelierten stark mit dem Nachweis von D. nodosus durch die PCR. Das Ergebnis zeigte, dass die klinische Untersuchung zur Identifizierung von mit D. nodosus infizierten Tieren in Herden genutzt werden kann, zur Bestätigung der Diagnose jedoch eine PCR eingesetzt werden muss. D. nodosus konnte mit risikobasierten Pools aus fünf Proben genauso gut nachgewiesen werden wie mit unverdünnten Proben (p < 0,001), was darauf hindeutet, dass ein Pool aus fünf Proben eine geeignete und kostengünstige Methode zum Nachweis von D. nodosus in Schafherden sein könnte. Diese Studie gibt einen Überblick über die Klauenfäule in Tiroler Schafherden und zeigt die Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der verschiedenen Diagnoseverfahren für D. nodosus auf. Weitere Studien zur Untersuchung möglicher Einflussfaktoren, einschliesslich Alpweiden, Bewirtschaftungsfaktoren und Biosicherheit, die die Klauenfäule prädisponieren, sind für die Gestaltung wirksamer zukünftiger Bekämpfungsprogramme in Alpenregionen erforderlich.
BACKGROUND: Le piétin ovin est une maladie des onglons hautement contagieuse et multifactorielle, causée par Dichelobacter nodosus (D. nodosus) qui constitue la principale cause de boiterie chez les ovins. L’objectif de cette étude transversale était de déterminer la prévalence de D. nodosus dans l’ouest de l’Autriche, tant au niveau de l’animal que de l’exploitation. La PCR en temps réel a été évaluée en comparaison avec les examens cliniques et bactériologiques effectués à partir d’écouvillons des espaces interdigités pour détecter les animaux infectés par D. nodosus. En outre, l’utilisation d’un pool d’écouvillons des quatre membres pour détecter le piétin a été déterminée. Au cours de l’étude, un total de 3156 moutons provenant de 124 fermes ont été examinés pour détecter des boiteries et des signes cliniques de piétin. La prévalence de D. nodosus dans les troupeaux était de 30,65 %, la culture bactérienne montrant une sensibilité de 75 % et une spécificité de 100 % (p < 0,001), respectivement, par rapport à la PCR. En outre, les scores cliniques de piétin (Ckorr = 0,87; p < 0,001) et les scores de boiterie (Ckorr = 0,71; p < 0,001) étaient fortement corrélés avec la détection de D. nodosus par PCR. Les résultats montrent que l’examen clinique peut être utilisé pour identifier les animaux infectés par D. nodosus dans les troupeaux mais que la PCR doit être utilisée pour confirmer le diagnostic. D. nodosus a pu être détecté aussi bien avec des pools de cinq échantillons basés sur le risque qu’avec des échantillons non dilués (p < 0,001), ce qui suggère qu’un pool de cinq échantillons pourrait être une méthode appropriée et rentable pour détecter D. nodosus dans les troupeaux de moutons. Cette étude donne un aperçu du piétin dans les troupeaux de moutons tyroliens et souligne les possibilités et les limites des différents outils de diagnostic pour D. nodosus. D’autres études visant à examiner les facteurs d’influence possibles, y compris les pâturages alpins, les facteurs de gestion et la biosécurité prédisposant au piétin, sont nécessaires pour la conception de futurs programmes de contrôle efficaces dans les régions alpines.
BACKGROUND: Lo scopo di questo studio trasversale era di determinare la prevalenza di D. nodosus nell’Austria occidentale sia a livello del singolo animale che a livello dell’allevamento. La PCR in tempo reale è stata valutata in confronto con indagini cliniche e batteriologiche su tamponi interdigitali per rilevare gli animali affetti da D. nodosus. Inoltre, è stata determinata l’efficacia dell’uso di tamponi per quattro arti raggruppati per rilevare la pododermatite infettiva. Nel corso dello studio sono stati esaminati un totale di 3156 pecore provenienti da 124 allevamenti per zoppia e segni clinici di pododermatite infettiva. La prevalenza dell’infezione da D. nodosus nell’allevamento è stata del 30,65 %, con una sensibilità della coltura batterica del 75,0 % e una specificità del 100,0 % (p < 0,001) rispettivamente, confrontata con la PCR. Inoltre, i punteggi di pododermatite infettiva clinica (Ckorr = 0,87; p < 0,001) e i punteggi di zoppia (Ckorr = 0,71; p < 0,001) sono risultati altamente correlati con il rilevamento di D. nodosus mediante PCR. Il risultato ha mostrato che l’esame clinico può essere utilizzato per identificare gli animali infetti da D. nodosus nelle greggi, ma la PCR deve essere utilizzata per confermare la diagnosi. D. nodosus è stato rilevato altrettanto bene con campioni raggruppati a cinque come con campioni non diluiti (p < 0,001), suggerendo che un raggruppamento a cinque campioni potrebbe essere un metodo adatto ed economicamente efficace per rilevare D. nodosus negli allevamenti di pecore. Questo studio fornisce una panoramica della pododermatite infettiva negli allevamenti di pecore tirolesi e delinea le possibilità e i limiti dei vari strumenti diagnostici per rilevare la presenza di D. nodosus. Ulteriori studi per indagare possibili fattori influenti, tra cui il pascolo alpino, fattori di gestione e predisposizione alla pododermatite infettiva della biosicurezza, sono necessari per la progettazione di futuri programmi di controllo efficaci nelle regioni alpine.

A geriatric Holland Lop rabbit presented for acute lameness. A pathologic fracture of the right distal femur associated with a pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma was diagnosed, and staging radiographs showed no overt metastasis upon initial presentation. The limb was amputated and submitted for microscopic examination. Immunohistochemical evaluation revealed the neoplastic cells were positive for desmin and MyoD1, and negative for cytokeratin AE1/AE3, CD204, IBA-1, and SMA. Gross, histologic, and immunohistochemical evaluation confirmed a diagnosis of pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma. The patient died 396 days after amputation, and a post-mortem examination showed metastatic sarcoma to multiple organs.

BACKGROUND: Cattle lameness is a significant welfare and economic problem facing the livestock industry. Published research has investigated foot trimming practices in dairy herds, but little is known about the practices in beef herds. Therefore, the objective of this study was to obtain information about the current practices of professional cattle foot trimmers concerning beef cattle within the UK.
METHODS: An online survey comprising 16 questions was created using the Joint Information Systems Committee platform. The survey was open for 3 months.
RESULTS: There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the proportions of dairy cattle and beef cattle receiving preventative foot trims. Digital dermatitis was the most commonly recorded cause of lameness when a lame beef animal was trimmed by the respondents, followed by white line disease. A thematic analysis of foot trimmers\' opinions of barriers to engagement on beef farms is presented, in addition to their opinions on veterinary involvement with beef lameness.
CONCLUSIONS: Distribution bias may have affected the results, as the survey was distributed online with support from the Cattle Hoof Care Standards Board and the National Association of Cattle Hoof Trimmers. The percentage of foot trimmers not affiliated with either professional body is not known.
CONCLUSIONS: Further research on the impact of lameness on suckler and finishing cattle, including investigations into preventative actions to reduce lameness in beef systems, is warranted.

The clinical presentation, cytologic findings, radiographic findings, and postmortem assessment of a cat with primary pulmonary adenocarcinoma with multiple digital metastasis are described. An unusual shifting, waxing and waning pattern of lameness, suspected to be an early manifestation of digital metastasis before any gross lesions were visible, was documented. Initial cytologic finding of a lung nodule was equivocal for diagnosis of neoplasia despite being strongly suspicious. Palliative management was short-lived, with rapid progression culminating in widespread metastasis to multiple digits, muscles, and other organs. The diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma was confirmed via necropsy and histopathology. Key clinical message: This case report highlights that feline lung-digit syndrome is an important differential diagnosis for an acute, waxing and waning, shifting leg lameness in an older cat. This pattern of lameness should raise the index of suspicion for an underlying primary lung neoplasm, and thoracic imaging (radiographs) should be considered.
Syndrome pulmonaire-digital félin : un diagnostic différentiel des boiteries changeantes, croissantes et décroissantes chez un chatLa présentation clinique, les résultats cytologiques, les résultats radiographiques et l’évaluation post mortem d’un chat atteint d’adénocarcinome pulmonaire primaire avec métastases numériques multiples sont décrits. Un schéma inhabituel de boiterie, variable, croissante et décroissante, suspecté d’être une manifestation précoce de métastases digitales avant que des lésions macroscopiques ne soient visibles, a été documenté. La découverte cytologique initiale d’un nodule pulmonaire était équivoque pour le diagnostic de néoplasie bien qu’elle soit fortement suspecte. La prise en charge palliative a été de courte durée, avec une progression rapide aboutissant à des métastases généralisées à plusieurs doigts, muscles et autres organes. Le diagnostic d’adénocarcinome pulmonaire a été confirmé par autopsie et histopathologie.Message clinique clé :Ce rapport de cas souligne que le syndrome pulmonaire-digital félin est un diagnostic différentiel important pour une boiterie aiguë, croissante et décroissante et mobile des pattes chez un chat ágé. Ce type de boiterie devrait faire suspecter une tumeur primaire du poumon sous-jacente, et une imagerie thoracique (radiographies) devrait être envisagée.(Traduit par Dr Serge Messier).