peet on pigs Almost 60 per cent of sows studied by Prairie Swine Centre researchers showed signs of lameness, and early intervention may be the answer
Lameness in sows is one of the most frequent reasons for culling and a major cause of lost performance, which has both economic and welfare consequences.
Prairie Swine Centre researchers Yolande Seddon and Jennifer Brown have been looking at whether early detection and prevention of lameness can improve overall herd health and productivity. The duo set out to record the prevalence of lameness and evaluate hoof condition in a large, commercial sow herd and to assess the effectiveness of preventive hoof trimming on reducing the occurrence and severity of lameness. They also looked at the effectiveness of an early intervention treatment, including analgesics, provision of rubber stall matting to aid recovery, and a corrective hoof trim.
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“Results to date show that from a survey of 3,286 sows, or 55 per cent of a 6,000-sow commercial herd, almost 60 per cent of sows showed signs of lameness in at least one leg, and a large percentage of sows had multiple hoof lesions,” said Seddon.
“Although this work is ongoing, preliminary data suggest that preventive hoof trimming reduces the occurrence and severity of lameness in gestation.”
The results so far indicate the true prevalence of lameness on farms is likely underestimated, she added.
Currently, there is a lack of knowledge of techniques to prevent or treat lameness, according to Seddon.
“While trimming is commonly used to maintain hoof condition in many hoofed species, including dairy cattle, sheep and horses, it is not commonly performed in pigs,” she said.
“This study examined the role that corrective hoof trimming has on foot health and lameness using the Feet First® chute. The chute was recently developed by (Minnesota-based) Zinpro Corporation and is designed to safely restrain and lift a sow, allowing examination of the sow’s hooves and completion of a corrective hoof trim.”
The first part of the study was to survey the prevalence, type and severity of lameness in the commercial herd. Four weeks into gestation, sows were removed from their stalls and lameness was assessed as sows walked along a solid concrete hallway. A trained technician observed the sows as they walked a distance of 20 feet, and sows were given a locomotion score in accordance with a scoring system developed by Zinpro.
Following the locomotion observation, each sow received a hoof assessment on all four feet. Hooves were scored for each lesion on a scale of 0 to 3 in accordance with Zinpro’s hoof lesion scoring guide (Table 1). A healthy hoof with no sign of lesions was given a score of 0.
Of the 3,286 sows surveyed, 40.9 per cent were not lame, 53.2 per cent were mildly lame (a score of 1), 5.7 per cent moderately lame (a score of 2), and 0.2 per cent severely lame (a score of 3).
“Together these results indicate that almost 60 per cent of the herd showed signs of lameness in at least one leg, which is considerably higher than has been reported in the literature,” said Seddon. “Although this study found an elevated incidence of lameness, there were very few severely lame animals, with only seven sows (0.2 per cent) having a locomotion score of 3.”
With the high number of sows showing mild lameness, the majority of cases may go largely unnoticed by stockpersons, being slight and difficult to pinpoint, she said. The mild nature of early lameness thus contributes to the general underreporting of the problem.
“Examining parity differences, between 42 and 59 per cent of sows in parities 0 to 3 were found to be lame,” Seddon said.
“This illustrates a significant problem, and risk, if young parity sows are showing lameness and therefore could be prematurely lost from the herd. Thus identifying effective treatments that can be implemented at this early stage may have a significant impact.”
In the second part of the trial, 200 non-lame sows were allocated to a control group which received no intervention, or a treatment group which received a corrective hoof trim. The goal of the hoof trimming was to restore good conformation to the hoof and to correct the sow’s weight distribution and balance.
“Preliminary results show that a greater number of the hoof-trimmed sows had remained sound, when examined at 13 weeks of gestation, five weeks after the trimming,” said Seddon. “This suggests that trimming may be beneficial for preventing the further development of lameness and for reducing the severity of lameness that does develop.”
Using a group of lame sows, the final part of the study investigated the effect of early intervention and treatment involving hoof trimming, housing on rubber flooring and giving two injections of an anti-inflammatory drug. Data collection and analysis has not been completed to date.
“This study indicates that the prevalence of lameness on the study farm is high,” said Seddon. “Observations of hoof condition indicate that hoof lesions, long dew claws and heel erosion are the most common problems.”
As producers move towards group-housing systems, she suggests that sow mobility will become more important and having options for prevention and treatment of lameness will be of increased benefit to producers.
