Identifying, Treating and Preventing Lameness in Sows

Introduction Lameness is generally defined as “incapable of normal locomotion, deviating from the normal gate [1].” Lameness can result from damage to any of the structures involved in locomotion including the bones, muscles, tendons, nerves and blood supply of the shoulder, hock, stifle, foot, toe or hoof. A significant portion of lesions that can cause lameness are not visible on external examination in typical production settings and similarly a portion of the causes of lameness do not have adequate therapies that can be administered in a production setting. The goal of this discussion is to illustrate how to identify lameness, determine treatment options and apply preventive measures for those causes that can successfully be addressed in a production setting. Figure 1 provides a decision tree to triage suspected lameness issues in a sow population.