Treating Laminitis In Dairy Cows

Laminitic lesions of the claw are not always a result of poor feeding practices.

Treating laminitis in dairy cows. The greek name of the disease kritiasis relates to overfeeding of barley. Correct grain overload keeping the animal moving and the claws cool. Proper foot trimming is essential to prevent and manage claw problems. Rations that lead to acidosis are followed by laminitis but this is difficult to manage when the largest percentage of diets for dairy cattle contain carbohydrates.

The functional approach to claw trimming allows for correction of claw problems. Laminitis has been described in many species but is most common in equine and bovine. Edwards also spoke about downed cattle. Treatment for subclinical laminitis is impractical because diagnosis in an individual animal is not possible at the time of the causative insult s.

Nsaid non steroidal anti inflammatory drug injectable ketoprofen 2 to 4 mg kg im iv. Lameness in dairy cows may be due to infectious diseases or disruptions of normal claw growth. Controlling subclinical laminitis see laminitis in cattle in a high production intensively managed dairy herd requires a systematic epidemiologic study. The greeks aristotle associated equine laminitis with indigestion.

Though there is no effective treatment for laminitis edwards says consistent bunk management and using adequate step up rations can help prevent it. To feed carbohydrates correctly fiber levels must be measured using neutral detergent fiber ndf and acid detergent fiber adf values. Antihistamines may be useful e g.