Dataset Information

The Development of a Hoof Conformation Assessment for Use in Dairy Goats.

ABSTRACT: The assessment of hoof conformation is important due to its recognized relationship with the biomechanical functionality of the hoof. Hoof conformation can be assessed using objective measures or subjective scores. However, to date, there are limited data using either method in dairy goats. Therefore, the aims were to (1) develop a reliable method of assessing hoof conformation in dairy goats, and (2) compare two aspects of a subjective assessment against corresponding objective measures as a means of validation. A total of 1035 goats contributed photographs across 16 commercial dairy goat farms. Photographs were taken of the left front and left hind hoof in the lateral and dorsal aspect at five assessments across the goats' first two lactations. Hoof conformation was assessed using five subjective scores (toe length, heel shape, fetlock shape, claw splay, and claw shape) and two objective measures (toe length ratio and claw splay distance). Following the training of two observers, high levels of inter and intra-reliability were achieved for both the subjective scores (>0.8 weighted kappa) and objective measures (>0.8 Lin's concordance correlation coefficient). Two aspects of the subjectively assessed ordinal scores were compared with the objective measures with high levels of accuracy (>0.8). This suggests that the subjective scores may be a suitable alternative to more time-consuming objective measures when assessment is completed using photographs.

SUBMITTER: Deeming LE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6912638 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The Development of a Hoof Conformation Assessment for Use in Dairy Goats.

Deeming Laura E LE Beausoleil Ngaio J NJ Stafford Kevin J KJ Webster James R JR Staincliffe Maryann M Zobel Gosia G

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI 20191114 11

The assessment of hoof conformation is important due to its recognized relationship with the biomechanical functionality of the hoof. Hoof conformation can be assessed using objective measures or subjective scores. However, to date, there are limited data using either method in dairy goats. Therefore, the aims were to (1) develop a reliable method of assessing hoof conformation in dairy goats, and (2) compare two aspects of a subjective assessment against corresponding objective measures as a me ...[more]

PMID: 31739587

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Project description:Background: The objectives of this study were to, (1) investigate the impact of the Dutch five-step hoof trimming (HT) technique on time to lameness and hoof lesion prevalence in grazing (GR) and non-grazing (NGR) dairy cows, and (2) determine the association between potential benefits of HT and animal-based welfare measures during lactation. A total of 520 non-lame cows without hoof lesions from 5 dairy farms (GR = 2, NGR = 3) were enrolled at early (within 30 days in milk; DIM) and late lactation (above 200 DIM), and randomly allocated to either trimmed (HGR or HNGR) or control groups (CON-GR and CON-NGR). Locomotion scores, body condition, hock condition, leg hygiene, and hoof health were assessed at monthly intervals until the following 270 days in milk. The data were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, multivariable Cox, and logistic regression models. The overall incidence rate of lameness was 36.2 cases/100 cows/month, with corresponding rates of 27.4, 31.9, 48.4, and 45.8 cases/100 cows/month in HGR, HNGR, CON-GR, and CON-NGR, respectively. Time to first lameness event was significantly higher in HGR (mean ± S.E; 8.12 ± 0.15) compared to CON-GR (7.36 ± 0.26), and in HNGR (8.05 ± 0.16) compared to CON-NGR (7.39 ± 0.23). The prevalence of hoof lesions in the enrolled cows was 36.9%, with a higher occurrence in CON-GR (48.8%) than HGR (23.2%), and in CON-NGR (52.6%) compared to HNGR (32.2%). The majority of hoof lesions were non-infectious in grazing (HGR vs. CON-GR; 21.3 vs. 33.3%) and non-grazing herds (HNGR vs. CON-NGR; 25.0 vs. 40.4%). The risk of lameness was higher in underconditioned cows (Hazard ratio; HR = 3.1, 95% CI 1.2-7.4), presence of hoof lesion (HR = 33.1, 95% CI 17.6-62.5), and there was variation between farms. Aside HT, lower parity (OR = 0.4, 95% CI 0.2-0.8), normal hock condition (OR = 0.06; 95% 0.01-0.29), and absence of overgrown hoof (OR = 0.4; 95% 0.2-0.7) were protective against non-infectious hoof lesions. Functional HT is beneficial as a lameness preventive strategy during lactation; however, ensuring older cows are in good body condition and free from hock injuries are equally important.

Project description:BackgroundThe mammary gland is a unique organ for milk synthesis, secretion and storage, and it undergoes cyclical processes of development, differentiation, lactation and degeneration. At different developmental periods, the biological processes governing mammary gland physiology and internal environmental homeostasis depend on a complex network of genes and regulatory factors. Emerging evidence indicates that lncRNAs have arbitrarily critical functions in regulating gene expression in many organisms; however, the systematic characteristics, expression, and regulatory roles of lncRNAs in the mammary gland tissues of dairy goats have not been determined.ResultIn the present study, we profiled long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) expression in the mammary gland tissues of Laoshan dairy goats (Capra hircus) from different lactation periods at the whole-genome level, to identify, characterize and explore the regulatory functions of lncRNAs. A total of 37,249 transcripts were obtained, of which 2381 lncRNAs and 37,249 mRNAs were identified, 22,488 transcripts, including 800 noncoding transcripts and 21,688 coding transcripts, differed significantly (p ≤ 0.01) among the different lactation stages. The results of lncRNA-RNA interaction analysis showed that six known lncRNAs belonging to four families were identified as the precursors of 67 known microRNAs; 1478 and 573 mRNAs were predicted as hypothetical cis-regulation elements and antisense mRNAs, respectively. GO annotation and KEGG analysis indicated that the coexpressed mRNAs were largely enriched in biological processes related to such activities as metabolism, immune activation, and stress,., and most genes were involved in pathways related to such phenomena as inflammation, cancer, signal transduction, and metabolism.ConclusionsOur results clearly indicated that lncRNAs involved in responses to stimuli, multiorganism processes, development, reproductive processes and growth, are closely related to mammary gland development and lactation.

Dataset Information

The Development of a Hoof Conformation Assessment for Use in Dairy Goats.

Publications

The Development of a Hoof Conformation Assessment for Use in Dairy Goats.

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