Synovial Fluid Analysis in Cattle

52 Cases

Abstract

Bovine lameness causes significant monetary losses to the industry. The majority of lameness often originates from disorders of the digits and diagnosis, management, and prevention programs for digit disorders on a herd basis are well established. In contrast, non-digital lameness originating from joint diseases has a lower prevalence. However, joint diseases cause significant losses in productivity, often lead to premature culling with loss of genetic material and increase cost for replacement. One study recorded 22 days of lameness in 63 non-digital lameness cases. Infectious arthritis presents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to the practitioner and clinician. This may be caused in part by vague clinical signs in the early stages of the disease or by inconsequent treatment due to economic concerns. It is generally accepted that early diagnosis and aggressive treatment of infectious arthritis are essential to successful management and full return to function. Inadequate treatment lowers the prognosis and may also preclude the application of various treatment modalities previously described in other species. While infectious arthritis has received a lot of attention in other species, reports on diagnosis and management of this disorder in cattle are sparse. In other species, synovial fluid analysis is an integral part in the diagnosis of various forms of joint diseases and clinical guidelines for the differentiation of infectious and non-infectious arthritis are well established. In cattle there are only few reports on synovial fluid analysis and these are frequently based on small sample sizes. The purpose of this study is to describe the changes of the synovial fluid constituents in cattle with various forms of arthritis and to establish guidelines for clinical differentiation of infectious and non-infectious arthritis in cattle based on changes in the cellular components and protein concentration of synovial fluid.