Prevalence of lameness in crossbred cattle in the Pantnagar region of Uttarakhand

Introduction

Dairying is a crucial aspect of the livelihood systems for the rural poor in India, closely linked to agriculture and significantly contributing to the rural economy (Singh, 2017) [15] . Livestock plays an essential role in the Indian economy, with animal husbandry being a key economic activity in rural areas (World Bank, 2019) [23] . Lameness is the third most economically important health issue in dairy herds after fertility problems and mastitis, and it substantially affects milk production, health, and welfare. (Westin et al., 2016) [22] . Lame cows exhibit behaviour alterations, leading to lot of stress and restlessness during milking and more time lying down (O'Callaghan et al., 2003) [14] . Hoof problems are particularly prevalent in crossbred cattle, leading to reduced milk yield, lower reproductive performance, and shorter lifespans. Timely identification and treatment of hoof issues are critical to minimizing losses, especially during peak lactation periods (Kumar et al., 2018) [11] . Lameness severity in cows ranges from mild to severe, manifesting as reduction in gait symmetry, reluctance or inability to bear weight on an affected limb, or the animal cannot stand leading to complete recumbency. Bran et al. (2018) [2] found that factors like age, parity, lactation stage, and breed significantly influence lameness prevalence in dairy cows. Globally, around 20% of cows in intensively managed dairy herds experience lameness (Espejo et al., 2006) [6] . In India, the prevalence of lameness in cows is around 8 to 30.5% (Sood and Nanda, 2013) [18] . Bran et al. (2018) [2] found that factors like age, parity, lactation stage, and breed significantly influence lameness prevalence in dairy cows. Lameness undermines dairy cows' overall health, reducing milk yield, altering behavior, decreasing productivity, and harming animal welfare. This study therefore assesses the prevalence of lameness in dairy cows in and around Pantnagar.

Materials and Methods

The present investigation was undertaken to determine the prevalence of lameness. In present investigation, a total number of 228 cross bred animals were evaluated for lameness. The study was conducted at the Instructional Dairy Farm (IDF), Nagla, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar where the animals are housed on concrete floor under a loose housing system. Cases from the Department of Veterinary Clinical Complex (VCC), College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (CVASc), Pantnagar were also included. All the lactating cattle aged more than three years were first examined at their yard and subsequently during their walk to the milking parlor. Lameness scoring system by Sprecher et al. (1997) [19] was used specifically to evaluate lameness in dairy cattle and were categorized on the basis of severity as mild, moderate, lame or severely lame. The total number of cases of lameness in cross bred cattle was screened out to determine overall prevalence of lameness in cattle. The age wise was estimated on the basis of different age groups viz; 3-5 years, 5-7 years, 7-9 years, 9-11years and greater than 11 years. The limb wise prevalence was estimated on the basis of limb to be most affected i.e.; hind limb or fore limb and Prevalence of lesions was also evaluated.

Results and Discussion

After hoof trimming, various claw disorders were detected in the animals, such as sole haemorrhage, white line disease, sole ulcers, digital dermatitis, double hooves, and overgrown hooves etc.

In present study, a total of 228 animals were evaluated for lameness. Of these, 125 animals (54.82%) were assigned a lameness score of 1, indicating no observable signs of lameness. Mild lameness, corresponding to a score of 2, was observed in 27 animals (11.84%). Moderate lameness, classified as a score of 3, was seen in 32 animals (14.04%). Animals with scores falling into the lame category, scores 4 made up 29 animals (12.72%). Among these, 15 animals (6.58%) were identified as severely lame, with a score of 5.

Overall prevalence of lameness was found to be 103/228 (45.17%) which is given below. [13] reported an annual clinical lameness rate of 9.42% in crossbred cattle in Wepst Bengal, with seasonal variations of 7.25% in summer and 11.6% in winter. More recently, Bran et al. (2019) [3] observed a higher prevalence of 42.1% clinical lameness in exotic cattle breeds, with 20.9% of these cases categorized as severe. Additionally, Kalsi et al. (2002) [10] and Jain et al. (2006) [8] estimated the overall incidence of lameness in crossbred cattle in India to range between 35% and 57%.

Age wise prevalence of lameness

The prevalence of lameness in cattle varied across different age groups, with the highest incidence recorded in the 5-7

years age group (39 cases, 30.46%), followed by the 9-11 years group (33 cases, 26.4%). The 7-9 years group accounted for 23 cases (18.4%), while 11 years had 17 cases (13.6%), and the lowest prevalence was observed in the 3-5 years group with 13 cases (10.04%) which is given below. Similarly, the reduced prevalence in the 11 years age group could be linked to decreased activity levels or the removal of older, less healthy animals from the herd through selective culling.

Age plays a significant role in the prevalence of lameness among crossbred cattle, with several studies highlighting its impact alongside other contributing factors. Younger cattle, such as heifers, generally exhibit a lower prevalence of lameness compared to older cows. This difference may be attributed to their limited exposure to environmental and management-related stressors, as noted by Hernandez et al.

(2019) [7] . Supporting this, Thomsen et al. (2018) [21] identified age as a critical risk factor, observing that cows in advanced lactations are more susceptible to lameness due to declining body condition and increased parity. Environmental factors also interact with age in influencing lameness. Chapinal and Goldhawk (2017) [4] emphasized that although lameness becomes more common as cattle age, its prevalence can be mitigated by better housing and management practices. Cook and Nordlund (2020) [5] reinforced this idea, pointing out that poorly managed systems disproportionately affect older cattle, suggesting that age alone does not account for all cases of lameness.

In addition to prevalence, the type of lameness varies with age. Ahrens and Döpfer (2021) [1] observed that younger cattle are more likely to suffer from injuries, whereas older cows tend to experience chronic conditions such as sole ulcers and digital dermatitis.

Limb wise prevalence

Out of 103 crossbred cattle examined, lameness was observed in 20 (19.41%) animals affecting the forelimbs, whereas 83 (80.58%) animals showed lameness in the hindlimbs, indicating a higher prevalence in the hind limbs which is given below. Lameness in crossbred cattle is generally more prevalent in the hind limbs than the fore limbs, primarily because the hind limbs carry a larger portion of the animal's weight, leading to increased stress. This higher weight-bearing load makes the hind limbs more susceptible to issues that can result in lameness. Contributing factors to this condition include uneven flooring, improper hoof trimming, and metabolic disorders, all of which can exacerbate the strain on the hind limbs. Previous studies have consistently highlighted that hind limb lameness is more common than fore limb lameness, underlining the significant role of weight distribution. Additionally, poor hoof care and inadequate management practices further increase the likelihood of lameness in the hind limbs. As a result, addressing these factors is crucial in preventing and managing lameness in crossbred cattle, particularly in the hind limbs (Smith, 2015; Jones and Brown, 2018; Taylor et al., 2020) [16,9,20] .

Types of foot lesions

After hoof trimming, among the 103 animals which were positive for lameness. The most common foot lesion observed was wall cracks, which were present in 22.33% of animals, followed by overgrown claws i.e., 20.38%.

Interdigital skin hyperplasia was found in 15.5% of the animals, while foreign body penetration and heel erosion were seen in 11.65% and 6.79% of the animals, respectively. Other hoof conditions such as digital dermatitis (4.85%), interdigital dermatitis (5.82%), corkscrew claw (5.82%), white line disease (2.91%), and sole ulcers (3.88%) were also noted, reflecting the diversity of hoof issues affecting the population under study.

Conclusion

The present study revealed a high prevalence of lameness (45.18%) among crossbred dairy cattle maintained under semi-intensive systems in and around Pantnagar. The observed prevalence is higher than several earlier field reports from India, which may be attributed to the inclusion of mild and subclinical cases through systematic locomotion scoring. The findings indicate that lameness remains an under-recognized problem in crossbred dairy cattle, particularly in herds managed on concrete flooring. Approximately 85%-90% of the causes of lameness involve lesions of hoof (Manske et al., 2002) [12] . Hoof lesions are considered significant indicators and risk factors for lameness in dairy cows (Solano et al., 2016) [17] . Age-wise analysis showed that cows in the 5-7 year and 9-11 year age groups were most affected, suggesting that cumulative production stress and advancing parity play a significant role in the development of lameness. Lower prevalence in younger and older animals may be associated with reduced physiological stress in early life and culling of severely affected animals at later ages. These results highlight the need for targeted monitoring of cows during peak productive stages.

International Journal of Advanced Biochemistry Research https://www.biochemjournal.com A significantly higher involvement of hindlimbs (80.58%) compared to forelimbs was recorded, which may be attributed to greater weight bearing, locomotor stress, and unfavourable floor conditions. The predominance of hoof lesions such as wall cracks, overgrown claws, and soft tissue proliferations indicates inadequate hoof management and adverse housing environments as major contributing factors.

In conclusion, lameness in crossbred dairy cattle in the Pantnagar region is a multifactorial condition influenced by age, limb biomechanics, housing, and hoof health. Regular locomotion scoring, timely hoof trimming, and improvement in housing and floor management are recommended to reduce the incidence of lameness and enhance productivity and welfare of dairy cattle.

Acknowledgement

AcknowledgementsWe are grateful to Dean, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pantnagar, for granting permission and providing all necessary facilities as and when required during entire research period. I also extend my sincere thanks to Dean, College of post graduate studies, Pantnagar, for their technical support and time to time help during the present investigation. We also owe thanks to IDF, Nagla CVASC, Pantnagar, all farm animal attendants for their most valuable help during the study period.

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