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Review Article

Orthopedic diseases in dairy cattle: causes, effects, and preventions

Marcjanna Wrzecińska ¹ , Alicja Kowalczyk ², Ewa Czerniawska-Piątkowska ¹, Robert Kupczyński ², José Pedro Araújo ³,⁴

¹Department of Ruminant Science, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Klemensa Janickiego 29, 71-270 Szczecin, Poland

²Department of Environment Hygiene and Animal Welfare, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Chełmońskiego 38C, 51-630, Wrocław, Poland

³Escola Superior Agrária do Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Rua D. Mendo Afonso, 147, Refóios do Lima, 4990-706 Ponte de Lima, Portugal

⁴Mountain Research Centre (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo

1. Acta Sci. Pol. Zootechnica, 20(3), 2021, 45‒50
2. DOI: 10.21005/asp.2021.20.3.06

Abstract. Locomotor diseases in cattle can have various causes, both infectious and non-infectious. Infectious agents, such as bacteria, mainly cause finger dermatitis and interdigital dermatitis. In turn, the non-infectious factors include deformation of the claws and the animal housing system, including the bedding material in the barn. Orthopedic disorders and diseases generate financial losses due to lower milk yield, extension of the calving period, or the need to implement treatment. Moreover, animals suffering from any hoof dysfunction suffer from reduced welfare, which results from the sensation of pain, discomfort, and stress associated with a hoof injury or deformation of the claw, or an infection developing on the bovine hoof. It is necessary to take measures to prevent the appearance of diseases and dysfunctions within the cow’s hooves, and early detection of disorders is associated with faster implementation of treatment.

Keywords: orthopedic diseases, locomotor disorders, lameness, dairy cattle