Pododermal Angiogenesis - New Aspects of Development and Function of the Bovine Claw

The pododermal microvascularisation has been postulated to play a key role in both the physiological function of the bovine claw and in the pathogenesis of claw diseases, particularly of the laminitis-associated claw diseases. However, studies dealing with the pododermal vasculature on cellular or molecular level are scarce, and results from research on the pathogenesis of equine laminitis or structure and function of the equine hoof, respectively, were often transferred uncritically to the bovine claw without taking into account the differences in stance and weight-bearing between both species. Systematic studies on the weight-bearing system of the claw (Räber, 2000; Westerfeld, 2003) and on the bovine pododermal angioarchitecture (Vermunt and Leach, 1992; Hirschberg ...