Sole Thickness in Jersey and Cross Bred Dairy Breeds

Introduction 
Conventions for assessing sole thickness (ST) and dorsal wall length (DWL) as part of the Dutch Five Step Method (DFSM) has been reviewed and challenged (Tsuka et al. 2014, Mahendran & Bell 2015, Archer et al. 2015, Manning et al. 2016). 

Although 78.5% of the Great Britain herd >24 months is comprised of Holstein Friesians, Friesians and Holsteins, 15.7% is cross bred dairy breeds (BCMS 2018). Increasing numbers of dairy breeds other than Holstein Friesians, and cross breeds are expected in the future (Britt et al. 2018). With 273 million milking cows worldwide in 2016, with 1.8 million in the UK (FAO 2018, BCMS 2018) more clarity on guidance for sole thickness and claw length estimation is needed for all cattle breeds, including non-Holstein Friesians. There is a distinct gap in the research regarding foot trimming for other dairy breeds, especially cross bred animals, we report initial findings for ST and DWL in Jersey and dairy cross breeds. 

Materials and Methods
Ethical approval reference URN 2016 1507 by the Clinical Research and Ethical Review Board (Royal Veterinary College). 

Three dairy farms in Southwest England were involved in a cross-sectional study. Inclusion criteria: recordable DWL and ST on hind claws, any dairy breed except for pure bred Holstein, Holstein-Friesian, and Friesians. A NPTC Level 3 qualified foot trimmer inspected and/or trimmed all the hind feet prior to data collection. DWL was measured on the medial hind claw, as the lateral claw is trimmed to match the length of this claw under common interpretation of the DFSM. Location of landmarks were from the point at which the horn becomes unyielding to digital pressure at the top of the claw capsule, along the dorsal ridge of the claw and near the coronary band. This will location will be referred to DWL hard horn (DWLHH). The alternative DWL landmark often used by other research will be referred to as DWL coronary band (DWLCB). As the lateral claw is trimmed to match the medial hind claw and often deemed to have the thinner sole of the two claws, ST was measured at the apex of the third phalanx using ultrasound in the lateral hind claw. ST ultrasound technique was validated in a previous study by the author (Reilly et al. 2017).  […]