Bovine Laminitis: Hoof Welfare and Prevention

Key Facts

• Laminitis is a systemic metabolic disruption affecting hoof blood supply, not just a claw disease
• Sub-clinical laminitis affects 50-80% of dairy cows during the transition period without obvious signs
• Clinical manifestations appear weeks later as sole ulcers, white line disease, and hemorrhages
• Risk factors include over-conditioned cows, high-starch diets, poor DCAD management, and excessive standing
• Prevention through transition cow management is far more effective than treating resulting claw lesions

Welfare Considerations

Bovine laminitis is the metabolic root cause of most dairy cow lameness. The insidious nature of sub-clinical laminitis means prevention must occur before any visible welfare problem appears. By the time a cow is lame from a sole ulcer, she has experienced weeks of metabolic stress and sub-clinical hoof blood flow disruption. Welfare-centered management addresses the upstream cause through appropriate body condition at calving, controlled close-up diets, rubber flooring, and maximizing lying time to reduce concrete exposure.

What You Can Do

• Target transition cow body condition score at 3.0-3.25 at calving to minimize laminitis risk
• Feed a controlled, balanced close-up diet in the 3 weeks before calving to prevent metabolic acidosis
• Install rubber flooring in all high-traffic and waiting areas to reduce concrete exposure
• Ensure cows spend less than 3 hours per day standing at the feed fence
• Implement twice-yearly hoof trimming to manage claw lesions from sub-clinical laminitis events