‘A cow with long hooves or lameness drains every farmer’s finances. I frequently share this advice with my clients: neglecting hoof care leads to adverse financial results. No calculator can show positive numbers when it comes to lame cows.’ (Koos Vis, Diamond Hoof Care)

As an industry, our ultimate responsibility to dairy animals is their welfare, and this is non-negotiable. It is a bonus that we also make better profits.

Our challenge is to resist willful blindness – if you cannot decide if a cow is lame or not, then she is lame. When it is obvious and she is limping, we are days late in detection.  

The hoof wall grows about 5cm per year. The inner and outer claws generally wear away at a different rate which leads to some areas being higher as the hoof changes shape. This changes hoof angle and weightbearing, leading to strain and damage to both hoof and limb. Comparable to us wearing odd shoes and walking on our heels.

There are three bones in each claw in the hoof, equivalent to our toe.

‘Teetering on their tiptoes like a 600kg ballerina is no mean feat for our wonderful cows.’ Tomas James, LLM UK

The discomfort of long claws reduces feed intake even in the face of adequate rations. When feed is tight, she cannot harvest sufficient nutrients to maintain either milk production or body condition. Down goes your profit, up goes your workload, down goes your morale, up goes your costs.

If we continue to turn a blind eye, the compromised hoof is likely to break apart with white line disease and sole ulcers. More misery for cow and staff, more work and cost for less return; dramatic plunge in profit.

I recently visited a mixed age cow whose gait was getting so slow she could barely get to the shed before milking was over.  The photos below demonstrate just how overgrown her toe had become.

Because we didn’t have access to a handling crush with supportive limb and belly belts, the first trimming aimed to debulk the claws. This kept the time on three legs to a minimum so that she could cope with the discomfort to her hoof, hock, stifle and hip joints. Furthermore, tying the leg to rails invariably impedes access with both knife and grinder, making the work slow and laborious. Hoof trimming is an art best done with good light and 100% access to all parts of the claw, for both trimming decisions and assessment.

Once she settles into her ‘temporary feet’ we will return to further shape and optimise weightbearing of the wall, until she can grow out new hooves and restore limb posture.