Short communication: Association of foot and leg conformation and body weight with claw disorders in Spanish Holstein cows

Abstract

Data of first-lactation Holstein cows including claw disorders, foot and leg type traits, and structure and capacity type traits were used to study the phenotypic association of conformation and body weight with claw health status. The claw disorders studied were digital and interdigital dermatitis, sole ulcer, white line disease, and an overall claw disorder trait, indicating the presence of any of the 6 claw disorders recorded by the Spanish I-SAP program. Body weight was estimated indirectly with the Von Bertalanffy equation using live weight, which was also estimated from body depth, stature, and chest width. Cows with poor scores for foot and leg traits were more likely to have a claw disorder, with the exception of rear leg rear view and foot and leg composite that did not show any association with the studied disorders. The heavier the cow was, the higher was the probability of having sole ulcer, white line disease, or overall claw disorder trait, but digital and interdigital dermatitis, as an infectious disorder, did not show any association with body weight. Therefore, it is recommended that the preventive trimming routine be improved, which means checking each cow at least once per lactation and trimming if necessary, to achieve balanced weight-bearing for heavier cows and cows with poor feet and leg classification.

Keywords: body weight; claw disorder; feet and legs; trigger factor.