A PHOTOMETRIC-METHOD FOR RECORDING HOOF DISEASES IN CATTLE, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO HEMORRHAGES OF THE SOLE

After cleaning and trimming, the sole surface and interdigital space o f the hooves of cows are photographed in a standardized way. The colou r slides are projected on to a screen and the haemorrhages of the sole (reflecting Pododermatitis aseptica diffusa) and the lesions of Derma titis interdigitalis and Erosio ungulae are scored according to their severity and extent by 2 people who do not know the identity of the co ws. In a repeatability test the correlation coefficients between 2 ass essments of the haemorrhages in the sole ranged between 0.78 and 0.88 for assessments of the front hooves, the hind hooves and all the hoove s together.