Lameness is one of the most significant welfare problems in dairy cattle, causing prolonged pain for millions of cows. Prevention through management and early detection is far more effective than treatment.
Lameness in dairy cows represents one of the most common and most neglected welfare problems in animal agriculture. A lame cow is in constant pain, yet the gradual onset of many conditions means that what begins as mild discomfort is often not treated until severely compromised gait forces intervention. The pain of sole ulcers and digital dermatitis is significant — cows with these conditions show reduced feed intake, decreased milk production, and altered behavioural time budgets. The economic cost to farmers (reduced production, treatment costs, early culling) aligns with the welfare case for prevention. Farms with regular hoof trimming, good flooring, adequate lying time, and trained staff who can identify early lameness have dramatically lower prevalence than those without these basic management practices.