After infertility and mastitis, lameness is the third most important cause of economic losses in the dairy industry. Most lameness occurs at the level of the hoof and more frequently in the hindlimbs.
This site aims to help you find out more about lameness and what steps you can take to reduce the problem in your herd.
Discover more about the anatomy of the foot and the influence of long-standing (chronic) disease on biomechanics.
Lameness is a disease caused by the interaction of many different risk factors. Some can be managed in the short term, some longer term and some are out of our control.
Lameness can usually be grouped into non-infectious conditions of the claw horn, infectious diseases, laminitis and non-foot lameness.
A lame cow may require regular foot trimming and medicines prescribed by your vet to treat any pain, inflammation and infection.
The total cost of lameness in a herd is not just associated with treatment. A critical factor is estimating costs is the duration of episodes.
Lameness compromises the animals’ welfare by causing long-term pain and preventing their normal behaviour.
Watch our videos on lameness control with Herd Health Consultancy or view our step-by-step guides to help you to plan and implement an effective mobility improvement programme.
Ketofen® is a prescription only medicine for the relief of pain and inflammation in cattle. This page is for authorised veterinary professionals and farmers only
For more information about lameness please download our lameness booklet or cattle welfare booklet.
To find out about the economic impact of lameness associated with digital dermatitis, download our economic impact of DD summary.
For a detailed information about a study showing how the use of Ketofen can improve production in early lactation cows download the digital dermatitis welfare & productivity study summary.
