The evolution of lameness on North American dairies: Addressing current industry challenges and exploring new and existing approaches to reduce lameness

Abstract

Lameness is a key issue on commercial dairy farms, impacting productivity, profitability, sustainability, and overall welfare. As the causes of the disorder are multifactorial the persistence of lameness requires more complex approaches that take into account the existing knowledge we have on risk factors and management strategies and couples these with more novel ap­proaches to the issue. With hoof lesions being the source of the overwhelming majority of lameness cases, improving our understanding of what makes for a successful hoof trimming strategy on farms is a first step in addressing lameness. Howev­er, it is our ability to detect and provide early intervention that is proving increasingly vital to overall success in reducing on-farm lameness. Technology, especially when integrated with existing sources of routinely collected herd data, is one such emerging tool that may hold considerable promise for earlier, more accurate, and low labor lameness detection to allow for earlier intervention. Stakeholders, such as hoof trimmers, vet­erinarians, and nutritionists, can serve as effective and trusted facilitators of the adoption of new lameness management prac­tices and technologies, highlighting the need for their involve­ment in the industry pursuit for lower lameness prevalence.