Lameness in our dairy herds is a persistent and consistent problem for most. Lameness can be reduced with excellent stockmanship, but is it fair enough to say we will never be without lame cows?? I think so.

So, if lameness is going to be a persistent problem, then the way we treat lame cows is very important. It’s imperative to identify lame cows early, effectively treat them, and minimise their time out of the main milking herd.

Also, is it safe to say that no one “loves” doing lame cows?? I don’t mind it, I find it satisfying to relieve the pain from the cow, but I’m not going to say that I love it. This emphasises the importance of having a simple and efficient process for treating lame cows. This is my process:

1. Lift the foot up.
2. Check between the claws for a stone or lesions such as foot-rot.
3. Use your hoof testers to localise pain– (look at the muscles higher up the legs for twitching).
4. Trim the good claw – shape out the inside of the claw, trim the toe and make the surface flat for a block.
5. Place your block on the good non-painful claw.
6. Trim the painful claw – shape out the inside of the painful claw. Trim the toe if needed and trim off any underrun sole.
7. Spray any foot-rot, or bleeding areas with magic purple or blue spray.
8. ‍Give pain relief (could also do this at the start)

And…. That’s about it for most cases.

Some helpful tips:

• As soon as you have identified the painful claw put a block on the non-painful one – then trim the affected hoof, this allows more time for the glue to cure. My view on using blocks is – there must be a good reason for me not to use a block. Sometimes both claws are painful – either put the block on the less painful claw or shape the block so it isn’t contacting the painful site on the claw.
• ‍Have a good reason to not give pain relief. Pain relief will help the cow feel better faster and return faster to the milking herd.
• Do not stress if you do not find a specific lesion or problem – from trials currently in progress, we have seen dramatic improvements from applying a block (lifting the painful claw off the ground) and giving pain relief.
• A grinder is very useful to prepare the foot for a block by making the contact surface as flat as possible. A grinder can help us lift the painful claw off the ground by reducing the thickness of the painful claw’s sole.  Please wear safety equipment and ask us for a demonstration of grinder use.

Please give us a call at the clinic if you want us to give a demonstration to your staff on some of your lame cows.