Identifying Lameness in Dairy Cattle

by Tanya Brouwers

Lameness is thought to be one of the most overlooked and underestimated health and welfare issues to affect dairy cattle today. Several studies have demonstrated that the pervasive nature of this problem is due, in part, to the inability of many farmers to diagnose lameness in its initial stages, before it has evolved into conditions that will affect, most obviously, gait, but also the cow’s reproductive abilities and her milk yields.

In an effort to help dairy farmers more accurately identify the earliest and, consequently, least severe symptoms of lameness, the Organic Agriculture Center of Canada (OACC) has produced a fact sheet on identifying lameness in dairy cattle. In addition to providing a scoring system that allows the farmer to visually assess soundness based on a series of factors like stride and stiffness, the literature, in keeping with the preventative philosophy of organic agriculture, also provides the reader with a list of management practices that may contribute to the incidence of lameness and which, consequently, should be avoided.

The scoring system described in the fact sheet uses the behaviour of cows when they are walking or standing to determine whether a cow is 1 (‘sound’), 5 (‘severely lame’), or any of the numbers in between. The goal of such a system is to help the farmer determine when a cow or number of cows has scored a ‘2‘or a ‘3’ to prevent progression to a score of ‘5’. A ‘3’ is classified as ‘mildly lame’ and can be seen in a cow as an obviously arched back when walking and/or a slight limp or swinging out in the hind limbs. Although not considered fully lame, these cows should be monitored, as they are at risk for further degrees of lameness. If a cow both walks and stands with an arched back, favours one leg and jerks her head up and down, then a score of ‘4’ is given. At this point the farmer should seek out a professional hoof trimmer. Finally, if the cow exhibits extreme difficulty when rising and walking, shows signs of severe joint stiffness and weight loss, has an excessively arched back and a very jerky head bob, then she would receive a score of ‘5’. With a score of ‘5’ the farmer should immediately call a veterinarian or hoof trimmer that has experience with dairy cattle lameness.

Of course, once a cow has been given a ‘3’, far more than monitoring is required to prevent that score from jumping to a ‘4’. The farmer should also consider whether his or her management practices might be contributing to the incidence of lameness. Surfaces that have the potential to damage the hoof wall, like uneven or grooved concrete flooring and long, rocky pathways between the pasture and the milking parlour greatly increase the chance of lameness occurring. Lameness can also arise when housing conditions such as overstocking in the lying stalls, the provision of inadequate bedding and uncomfortable lying surfaces force dairy cows to stand for longer than what would be considered behaviourally ‘normal’, often on manure or muddy surfaces. Improper foot bathing, too, can exacerbate the incidence of lameness, by spreading conditions like foot rot throughout an entire dairy herd.

Ideally, a hoof trimmer should visit the herd at least once a year. This easily implemented preventative strategy will ensure that relatively minor ailments like cracked hoofs, bruised soles and heel erosion are diagnosed before they evolve into more severe conditions. Similarly, regular visits from a hoof trimmer will ensure that more serious disorders, like ulcers in the sole, “whiteline disease”, foot rot and digital dermatitis, are treated promptly and efficiently.

Lameness in dairy cattle has become a serious welfare issue, for both conventional and organic dairy farmers. An inability to diagnose the disease has been cited as one reason for the magnitude of the problem. OACC has responded by publishing a fact sheet that will assist farmers with early detection of the condition before it becomes crippling. It is hoped that this system of early diagnoses, coupled with preventative management practices, will diminish an alarmingly wide-spread problem. The welfare of animals is intended to be a basic tenet of organic farming.


For more information, please see the Animal Welfare Task Force Fact Sheet, Identifying Lameness in Dairy Cattle.


Tanya Brouwers is a Consultant for the OACC. Please send comments or questions by phone to 902-893-7256 or by email to oacc@nsac.ca.

Posted August 2009