Iranian Journal of Veterinary Surgery

Iranian Journal of Veterinary Surgery

Experts’ Opinion on Lameness in Iranian Dairy Herds: A Qualitative Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Hamideh Hasannejad 1
Alireza Bahonar 1
Hesameddin Akbarein 1
Amir Abbas Mohieddini 2
Seyed Mehdi Ghamsari 3
1 Division of Epidemiology and Zoonoses, Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
2 Private Practitioner in Bovine Medicine, Tehran, Iran.
3 Department of Surgery and Radiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
10.30500/ivsa.2024.454722.1404
Abstract
Lameness is one of the most serious issues in the dairy industry; it has severe effects on animal economics and welfare. Lameness is a multifactorial condition with a wide range of risk factors on the herd and cow levels. The aim of this study was to determine the responsible factors using expert clinicians’ opinions across the country. Eighteen experts agreed to participate, and 13 of them (response rate = 72%) completed the questionnaire. The highest agreement among the experts for the prevention factor was "increasing the resting time of the cows and their comfort", to which eight assigned a score of 5. According to the experts ’opinions freestall design, flooring and alleys, nutrition, stocking density, incorrect hoof trimming, infectious lesions, and insufficient resting time are the most important determinants of lameness prevalence.
Keywords
Lameness
Dairy herd
Risk factor
Prevalence
Prevention

Subjects

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  • Receive Date 30 April 2024
  • Revise Date 13 June 2024
  • Accept Date 19 June 2024
  • First Publish Date 26 January 2025