ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN LOCOMOTION, CLAW LESIONS AND NOCICEPTIVE THRESHOLD IN DAIRY HEIFERS DURING THE PERIPARTUM PERIOD

The locomotion of 15 heifers was examined at fortnightly intervals ove r a 4 month peri-partum period. Measurements were made of the developm ent of gait abnormalities, thermal and mechanical nociceptive threshol ds, and severity and size of sole lesions observed in the hind claws. All heifers developed lesions at, or shortly after, parturition, and i n seven animals this induced marked lameness. Abnormalities of gait we re related more to the severity than to the size of the lesion. Lamene ss was associated with a significant increase in sensitivity to mechan ical noxious stimuli applied to the lame leg but not to a thermal stim ulus applied to the ear. This study demonstrated interactions between lameness, claw lesions and the development of hyperalgesia in heifers during the post-partum period.