Sole Haemorrhages and Heel Horn Erosion in Dairy Cows: The Influence of Housing System on their Prevalence and Severity

Abstract

Altogether 94% of the primiparous and 66% of the multiparous cows had haemorrhages of the sole at trimming 2-4 months after calving. Within cows, and independent of age and stall system, the lateral hind claws had higher scores of haemorrhages than the other claws. The primiparous cows had higher scores than the multiparous cows both in the tie-stalls and in the cubicles. The palmar/plantar region of the claw capsule was divided into zones (“white line zones” and “sole zones”). For the multiparous cows the haemorrhage scores of the “white line zones” were higher among the cows housed in the cubicles than among those housed in the tie stalls. There was no difference between stall systems for haemorrhages of the “sole zones”. Heel horn erosion was absent or rare in the fore hooves of both the primiparous and multiparous cows in the tie-stalls. The cows in the cubicles had higher heel horn erosion scores in their fore hooves than the cows in the tie-stalls. The scores of the hind hooves were generally higher than those of the fore hooves in both systems. Heel horn erosions were reduced in association with the introduction of a footbath. A higher incidence of lameness was observed in the cubicle system.