Lameness is a painful disease that decreases cattle performance and is one of the most important health and welfare concerns in the dairy industry. Many researchers have reported behavior and production differences in lame versus sound cows.

We are lucky to have many fine hoof trimmers in the U.S. who do an outstanding job for their clients. Unfortunately, because the business of trimming is largely unregulated, there are trimmers who do not do a good job trimming our cows’ feet.

For about 15 years, I have been volunteering to help the Hoof Trimmers Association by manning the organization’s booth at World Dairy Expo. Each year, I strike up conversations with visiting trimmers and discuss trimming techniques.

Claw lesions, such as those due to digital dermatitis (DD, hairy heel warts, Figure 1), are a serious problem in dairy cattle herds worldwide and often cause lameness. Treatments for DD include a large variety of products, used at both the herd level and the individual level, and these often involve the application of antibiotics.

When hoof trimmer Rick Trinko of Middleton, Wisconsin, began seeing a large number of cows at one dairy with white-line hemorrhages in zone 2, he was alarmed. The typical site for a white-line hemorrhage is zone 3, and it can indicate the early stages of white-line disease.

What is the best product to run in my footbath? How often should I run my footbath? These are questions I am often asked by dairy producers. It seems everyone is looking for that “silver bullet” to control digital dermatitis (DD).

Many factors can affect the body temperature of a dairy cow or heifer: illness, stress, breed, age, reproduction status, water intake, environmental conditions and diurnal cycles.

Proper care of pregnant heifers and cows starts calves off on the right foot The care for heifers and cows in the days and weeks before calving, known as pre-parturition, has a significant impact on unborn calves.

Despite overall declines in drug residues found in bulk milk samples, marketing and regulatory efforts continue to apply pressure to reduce antimicrobial use in livestock, including dairy herds.

Some combinations are simply meant to be. Can you imagine Abbott without Costello? Lucy without Rickie? Laverne without Shirley? Likewise, dietary anion-cation difference (DCAD) and metabolizable protein (MP) must both be considered in formulating successful dairy rations.