The periodic trimming of the long hairs growing at the distal end of the tail -switch trimming- is humane alternative of tail docking. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of switch trimming on somatic cell count (SCC), California mastitis test (CMT) and udder cleanliness of lactating cows in a free-stall dairy farm. In the present study, 219 healthy, pregnant Holstein cows ...

UNLABELLED A lightweight bracelet that provides tactile stimulation to the horse's pastern and coronet induces a higher flight arc of the hoof. This study addresses the pattern of habituation to these devices. OBJECTIVE To evaluate short-term habituation to tactile stimulation of the pastern and coronet in trotting horses. METHODS Tactile stimulation was provided by a lightweight (55 g) dev...

A method for culturing explants of lamellar hoof was developed to investigate the process of lamellar separation that occurs in laminitis. Explants, consisting of hoof wall, dermal and epidermal lamellae and the adjacent sub-lamellar connective tissue remained intact when cultured in tissue culture medium for 2 days. However, when cultured in the presence of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) a...

Left-right symmetrical distal limb conformation can be an important prerequisite for a successful performance, and it is often hypothesized that asymmetric or uneven feet are important enhancing factors for the development of lameness. On a population level, it has been demonstrated that uneven footed horses are retiring earlier from elite level competition, but the biomechanical consequences a...

This study aimed at verifying if beak-trimming methods in Japanese quail pullets could optimize production by decreasing stress caused by cannibalism. A total number of 816 day-old Japanese quails was distributed in a completely randomized experimental design in a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement, with two beak-trimming ages (14 and 21 days of age) and three beak-trimming sizes (not trimmed, 1/3 tri...

The translocation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 as well as the impact of water washing and partial or complete surface trimming as possible pathogen reduction strategies were evaluated for vacuum-packaged beef subprimals destined for nonintact use. Cap-on and cap-off beef top sirloin butts were inoculated with two levels of E. coli O157:H7: a high-inoculum level of approximately 10(4) CFU/cm(2) a...

Because musculoskeletal injuries to racehorses are common, instrumentation for the study of factors (e.g. track surface), which affect the ground reaction loads in horses during racing conditions, would be useful. The objectives of the work reported by this paper were to (1) design and construct a novel dynamometric horseshoe that is capable of measuring the complete ground reaction loading dur...

Keratin from the hoof is a less explored source for making valuable products. In this paper we present the extraction of pure keratin from bovine hooves and characterized them to better address the possible exploitation of this bio-resource as an alternative material for tissue engineering applications. The keratin protein from the pulverized hooves was extracted by reduction, which was observe...

In the western United States, sugar beet processing for sugar recovery generates a lime-based waste product (∼250,000 Mg yr) that has little liming value in the region's calcareous soils. This area has recently experienced an increase in dairy production, with dairies using copper (Cu)-based hoof baths to prevent hoof diseases. A concern exists regarding soil Cu accumulation because spent hoof ...