CLAW LESIONS IN DAIRY-CATTLE - METHODS FOR ASSESSMENT OF SOLE AND WHITE LINE LESIONS

Claw lesions are a major cause of lameness in dairy cattle. Analysis o f the development of lesions is aided by numerical representation of t heir significance. Using data from observations on 31 heifers at 9 wee ks post-calving, 5 lesion scoring method were compared. These were: (1 ) number of lesions; (2) severity; (3) adjusted severity; (4) size (me asured by a novel technique involving image analysis of distal view ph otographs) and (5) size multiplied by adjusted severity (combined scor e). Relationships between scores for sole and white line lesions and b etween different claws within a cow were investigated. The small size but high clinical significance of severe lesions means that severity m ust be weighted if combined with size in a score. Sole and white line lesions showed a moderate but significant correlation in terms of seve rity but none in terms of size. The highest correlation between scores for a single claw (the right hind outer) and the remaining claws was found for adjusted severity of sole lesions.