Prevalence of foot lesions among the slaughtered cattle in the Northwest of Iran

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of foot lesions in cattle slaughtered in the northwest of Iran. This study was performed on lower limbs of slaughtered cattle in four seasons of 2018-19. The feet of 400 cattle were divided into various zones to differentiate the lesions. The associations between gender and season with the lesions were assessed using the chi-square method and the results were presented as a percentage. P<0.05 was considered significant. The association between gender and season with the lesions was statistically significant (P<0.01). Lesions were observed in 61.5% of cattle and 78.5% of them were male. The lesions were more prevalent in autumn and winter (35.4%). 27% of total lesions were related to the forelimbs and 73% of them were related to the hindlimbs. Double sole and subclinical laminitis were the most frequent lesions of the limbs followed by sole, toe, and heel ulcers, white line disease, hoof cracks, interdigital hyperplasia, and interdigital necrobacillosis. Since a high percentage of slaughtered cattle in northwest Iran had at least one lesion in their feet, especially in the autumn and winter, it seems that proper management of herds is necessary to eliminate predisposing factors and improve livestock health.