Lameness in Dairy Cattle – New Research on Gait and Housing

This paper reviews recent research on lameness in dairy cows, with special focus on our work at the University of British Columbia addressing the scientific assessment of impaired gait, and how such impairments can be prevented through improvements in housing. Subjective gait scores can vary considerably between observers, but the reliability of these scores can be much improved with training and the use of well-defined scoring criteria. Some variation in gait relates to hoof pathologies and pain, factors typically considered central to the problem of cattle lameness. However, many cows with impaired gait have no visible sole lesions, and vice versa, and treating lame cows with analgesics has a significant but minor effect on gait. Gait also varies with features of the cow not related to lameness (e.g. udder fill) and with features of the environment (e.g. walking surface). Most importantly, lameness (as evidenced by impaired gait) can be dramatically reduced through improvements in housing conditions, including access to pasture or to more comfortable free stalls.