Research Article

Histomorphometric analysis of cows hoof sole horn

Mariusz Bogucki ² , Anna Kołodziejska-Sawerska ³, Jozef Bujko ³, Joanna Bogucka ¹

¹Niezależne Laboratorium Badawcze STANLAB Sp. z o. o., Puchacza 1, 89-100 Nakło and Notecią, Poland

²Department of Animal Science and Nutrition, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, Mazowiecka 28, 85-084 Bydgoszcz, Poland

³Vetrinary Clinic Dino-Vet, Toruńska 6, 86-050 Solec Kujawski, Poland

⁴Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding Biology, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Slovakia

1. Acta Sci. Pol. Zootechnica, 22(4), 2023

Abstract. The aim of the study was to perform histomorphometric analysis of the sole horn in the thoracic limbs and pelvic limbs of primiparous and multiparous cows. During hoof trimming, samples of the sole horn were collected from the fore and hind legs of 30 (15 primiparous and 15 multiparous) cows of the Holstein-Friesian breed. Once prepared, the histological slides were analysed using Multiscan software. The bovine sole horn was subjected to histomorphometric analysis, taking account of the number of horn tubules per 1.5 mm², diameter of the horn tubules, and distances between the horn tubules. In both primiparous and multiparous cows, a significantly greater diameter of the horn tubules was observed in the fore legs, 51.60 and 48.62 vs. 42.42 and 39.88 μm. In second and third lactation cows, the number of horn tubules in the sole horn was significantly greater in the fore legs, 31.00 per 1.5 mm² vs. 22.50 per 1.5 mm² (pelvic limbs). There were no significant differences in the histological structure of the sole horn between the primiparous and multiparous cows.

Keywords: cows, hoof horn, histomorphometric analysis