Ceva Animal Health has released a step-by-step guide and mobility improvement training videos on best practice in dairy cattle lameness management.
The guide and videos are designed for the ‘Fab Five’ foot treatment team – farmers, vets, foot trimmers, mobility scorers and nutritional consultants – to emphasis the importance of working together to improve herd mobility.
Ceva said the step-by-step guide highlights the importance of implementing a robust and ongoing treatment plan to improve cow comfort and reduce lameness in the short-term, with the aim of increased production and herd welfare in the longer-term.
The steps feature:
- Advice on reviewing whole herd mobility by an independent RoMS (Register of Mobility Scorers) accredited mobility scorer;
- Seeking veterinary advice or contacting a mobility mentor (someone who has been trained to deliver the ADHB Healthy Feet Programme) if lesions are identified;
- Treating affected cows within 48 hours of identification using a combination of trim, block, topical antimicrobial spray and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID), as appropriate;
- The importance of ongoing treatment, prevention and monitoring every fortnight.
The guide also includes tips for the successful use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), which include the importance of using a NSAID with a zero milk withhold.
The lameness management videos are produced in collaboration with James Wilson, a foot health consultant from Herd Health Consultancy.
The videos feature contributions from professional foot trimmer and chair of the National Association of Cattle Foot Trimmers (NACFT), Alex Burrows; dairy farmer from Gleadthorpe Farm in Nottinghamshire, Dave Bacon; assistant herdsperson at Gleadthorpe Farm, Shannon Trinder; and veterinary surgeon and ruminant technical advisor at Ceva Animal Health, Harry Walby.
They cover the benefits of regular mobility scoring, prioritising lameness prevention in heifers and maintaining successes with practical and effective lameness treatment and prevention programmes across the whole herd.
Cattle mobility
Wilson, of Herd Health Consultancy, said he was delighted to be involved in the new dairy cattle mobility videos and guide as they provide “extesive advice” of lameness treatment.
As well as this, Wilson said the videos provide advice on prevention programmes and the importance of “rigorous mobility scoring”.
“Using this guide to help you prioritise mobility in heifers, particularly in regard to NSAID usage, will help to deliver measurable positive change to herd mobility,” he said.
Walby, of Ceva Animal Health, said: “Our new cattle lameness step-by-step guide and lameness management training videos provide invaluable advice to promote best practice and the planning and implementation of an effective and easy to follow herd mobility improvement programme which will help increase production and herd welfare.”
