Further investigation of lameness in cows at pasture: an analysis of the lesions found in, and some possible risk factors associated with, lame New Zealand dairy cattle requiring veterinary treatment

Previous descriptive analysis of data collected from veterinary visits to lame cows in the Taranaki region of New Zealand between December 1995 and July 2007 showed an association between both breed and age and lesion type and site. However, that simple analysis had significant limitations as it did not take account of more than 2 factors at the same time and did not evaluate the effect of time (either year or season). This analysis was designed to overcome those limitations. First, correspondence analysis, a multivariate method of analysis, was used to simultaneously evaluate the relationship between the 3 most commonly recorded causes of lameness (i.e., white line disease, sole injury, and axial disease, all of which are diseases of the claw horn), and 4 groups of predictor variables: foot (front or hind), breed (Jersey or Friesian), age (heifer or cow), and claw (lateral or medial). Second, time series analysis was used to ascertain the effect of season on lesion type and identify the change over years in proportional morbidity. The correspondence analysis clearly separated the 3 diseases, showing that differences between these 3 diseases in their risk factors and their etiology. Each disease clustered with a group of predictor variables. White line disease was linked to lateral claw, hind foot, cow, and Friesian breed; sole injury was linked to heifer and medial claw; and axial disease to Jersey and front foot. As sole injury and axial disease are diseases that occur principally in cows at pasture, this is the first full analysis of risk factors for those diseases. The time series analysis further strengthened the conclusion that these 3 diseases have different risk factors, as, even in the strongly seasonal New Zealand system, significant differences in seasonality occurred between them. This analysis adds further to the data which show that claw horn diseases have different etiologies and need to be treated separately for both research purposes and for lameness management on-farm. This analysis is only a starting point; more research is required, particularly longitudinal studies, to better understand the differences in etiology between the main causes of lameness due to claw horn disease, especially in cows kept at pasture, so that we can better target prevention.