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COMPLIANCE WITH TREATMENT GUIDELINES FOR CLAW DISORDERS BY SWEDISH HOOF TRIMMERS

     
      Åkerström F*1,2, Telezhenko E2, Bergsten C3

  1. Department of Research and Development, Växa Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden
  2. Department of Biosystems and Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden
  3. Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden

Introduction and objectives

Presently there are about 100 professional, certified hoof trimmers in Sweden. Certification means, among other qualifications, that they are assumed to follow national treatment recommendations. The aim of this study was to investigate how well hoof trimmer's treatment strategies agreed with these guidelines and latest research.

Materials and Methods

40 randomly selected professional certified hoof trimmers were enrolled in the study. In 2021 two persons performed telephone interviews regarding treatment strategies of the most common claw disorders and the questions were either multiple choice or open ended. How well the guidelines were complied with was descriptively analysed in Excel.

Results

The enrolled hoof trimmers, aged between 22 to 66 years, had 3-40 years of experience (x̄:16,3 years). Thirteen (33%) were women and 27 (68%) were men. All trimmers used an angle grinder as their main tool and 48 % used a welded 2-bladed cutting disc, 23% used a 3-bladed, 25% used both a 2-bladed and a 3-bladed, and 5% used a 6-bladed disc. The hoof-knife was used by 20% of trimmers both for treating claw horn lesions and to refine the modelling of the sole while 78% of trimmers only used the hoof-knife when treating claw horn lesions.

Almost all respondents (98%) answered that they treated both foot rot and digital dermatitis (DD) with a bandage and one or several antibiotic-free disinfectants. When treating foot rot 10% also recommended immediate parenteral antibiotic treatment prescribed by a veterinarian. Salicylic acid was the most common local disinfectant used when treating both foot rot (95%) and DD (88%).

Almost all trimmers (98%) blocked a severe sole ulcer (large exposure of corium, protruding granulation tissue, necrotic corium and or infection). Approximately a third (33%) also blocked a mild sole ulcer. A wooden block was used by 80% of trimmers, 10% used a plastic block with a toe pouch and 25% said that they used a rubber/plastic block. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (prescribed by a vet.) as treatment for painful claw disorders were recommended routinely by 55% of the trimmers, 32% answered that they occasionally recommended it and 13% answered that they never recommended it.

Of the interviewees, 83% recommended farmers to contact a veterinarian if medical treatment of prescribed drugs (NSAIDs or antibiotics) was considered necessary, 25% when surgery was needed, 28% when the cause of lameness was not identified in the hoof and 5% said that they never recommended to contact a veterinarian.

Conclusions

In agreement with legislation and recommendations in EU and Sweden (2) the use of local and systemic antibiotic treatment  should be reduced. Most trimmers used alternative antibiotic free treatments and a bandage, as recommended both for DD and foot rot (3, 4). Regarding foot rot it is recommended to consider local non-antibiotic treatment of mild cases to avoid systemic antibiotics. This has been successfully adopted among farmers and hoof trimmers.

The recommendation to use the hoof knife when treating claw horn lesions was well established. Even if severe sole ulcers generally were blocked only a third used a block on mild ulcers. Probably blocks are deselected to save time and the responding claw on the same foot is often used to unload weight from the affected claw. From an animal welfare point of view and for healing it would be an advantage to block all ulcers and to recommend NSAID treatment to a higher extent (5, 6).

Bibliography

  1. Bergsten C, Åkerström F, Paakala E, Vahlsten T, Niemi J, Junni R, et al. Nordic claw atlas; pictures, definitions and nomenclature of claws disorders (English version). In: Sweden V, editor. Stockholm: Växa Sverige; 2020. p. 27. https://indd.adobe.com/view/6a29094f-951e-489c-bec8-fa16f34be9dc
  2. Pringle M, Persson Y, Bergsten C. Dosering av antibiotika till nötkreatur och får – Ny rekommendation. Klövsjukdomar. Information från Läkemedelsverket. 24: Läkemedelsverket; 2013. p. 37-40. https://www.lakemedelsverket.se/sv/behandling-och-forskrivning/behandlingsrekommendationer/sok-behandlingsrekommendationer/antibiotika-till-notkreatur-och-far--behandlingsrekommendation/
  3. Persson Y, Jansson Mork M, Pringle M, Bergsten C. A Case-Series Report on The Use of a Salicylic Acid Bandage as a Non-Antibiotic Treatment for Early Detected, Non-Complicated Interdigital Phlegmon in Dairy Cows. Animals : an open access journal from MDPI. 2019;9(4). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30934915
  4. Schultz N, Capion N. Efficacy of salicylic acid in the treatment of digital dermatitis in dairy cattle. Vet J. 2013;198(2):518-23. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24268474
  5. Thomas HJ, Miguel-Pacheco GG, Bollard NJ, Archer SC, Bell NJ, Mason C, et al. Evaluation of treatments for claw horn lesions in dairy cows in a randomized controlled trial. J Dairy Sci. 2015;98(7):4477-86. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25981077
  6. Bergsten C. NSAID vid klöv- och bensjukdomar hos nötkreatur. Information från Läkemedelsverket. 2009;20(suppl 1 ):25-6. https://www.sva.se/media/fyzj4w2p/lakemedelsv2013_stora.pdf