Are you wearing shoes? Unless you are cozied up into bed right now, the answer is most likely yes. Typically, putting on shoes every morning is something we do without much thought. That is, until the day we decide to try out a new pair of shoes and get a dreaded blister. Suddenly, our thoughts are consumed by the pain in our feet. Most of the time, we no longer want to walk in those shoes and hurry to take them off to feel that sweet relief from pain. Yet our four-legged friend, the cow, does not quite get that same luxury. Instead, this discomfort often manifests itself as lameness. Since cows cannot tell us when they are in pain, it is up to the farm teams to recognize the signs early and take action to protect mobility, comfort, and productivity.

              In a Cornell Cow Convos podcast interview with Dr. Gerard Cramer about managing lameness on dairy farms, it was discussed that the average lameness prevalence is around 25% of cows, a number that has changed little over the past couple of decades despite increased research on the topic. Dr. Cramer emphasized that there are opportunities for farmers to focus more on moderately lame cows, rather than only on severely lame cows, which typically make up less than 5% of the herd.  He mentioned that, in his research, farms that are successful at managing lameness consistently do three important things: run an effective foot bath program to control infectious hoof diseases, work with a skilled hoof trimmer who is on-farm on a regular basis, and have a designated individual on the farm who is passionate about hoof care and is responsible for objectively and consistently locomotion scoring cows daily to identify lameness early.

              Farms often fall short in daily monitoring of locomotion scores, yet it can be incredibly valuable in mitigating lameness on farm. The University of Wisconsin-Madison's Dairyland Initiative provides a clear, evidence-based framework for understanding the why, who, and where of locomotion scoring. The following summary is adapted directly from their website.

Why score locomotion?

• To identify individual cows that are lame so they can be treated promptly
• To determine the herd-level lameness prevalence for troubleshooting and long-term tracking 

Who should be scored?

• Identifying individual lame cows
  • Routinely observe each pen of cows at least once a week to identify new cases of lameness requiring treatment
  • Score cows at dry-off to identify individual cows that need attention before entering the dry period
• Assessing herd-level lameness prevalence
  • In small herds (fewer than 100 cows) all of the cows should be scored
  • In larger herds, most welfare audits use a sampling strategy focused on multiparous, high producing cows (at least two-thirds of the at-risk population), as well as lame or sick cows if they are housed separately

Where should locomotion scoring occur?

• Ideally, cows should be observed walking toward, past, and away from the scorer in a location where the rear legs and back of the cow are clearly visible
• For accurate scoring, cows should walk individually on an even, non-slip, well-lit surface
• Avoid areas with excessive slope, slatted flooring, or highly abrasive concrete, as these surfaces can influence gait
• When scoring groups, the observer must be able to control cow flow past the observation point; group scoring is best done as cows exit the parlor along a transfer lane
• After milking is also an ideal time to observe locomotion, as gait abnormalities associated with claw horn lesions, such as sole ulcer, are most apparent (Flower et al., JDS 89:2084, 2006)

The Dairyland Initiative summary provides clear guidance on why, who, and where to score locomotion; however, it is important to recognize that many different locomotion scoring systems exist, each with their own structure and level of detail. The most common scoring structure being a 3-5-point systems. My personal preferred rubric is attached and is from Dairy NZ. I think they do a great job at breaking it down to the 5 different points you want to observe: walking speed, stride, weight bearing, backline, and head. All that matters is that everyone on your farm is consistently using the same scoring guidelines. I recommend printing out your chosen lameness rubric and having it easily accessible.

If you are looking for resources about lameness to share with Spanish speaking workers, my colleagues on the Northwest New York Dairy Livestock and Field Crops Team made a great video series explaining lameness in Spanish that can be found at this link: https://tinyurl.com/hoofcarespanish

Lameness remains as a persistent challenge on dairy farms, impacting cow comfort, productivity, and longevity.  Strong footbath protocols, regular hoof trimming, and dedicated on-farm observation are valuable tools for taking a more proactive approach and shifting the focus from treating severe cases to preventing lameness before it becomes an added burden. Ultimately, our goal is to ensure cows are able to put their best hoof forward as we begin the new year.