The Role of the Veterinarian in Controlling Lameness in Pasture Managed Dairy Cows, in South America

The majority of dairy herds in South America are located in the subtropical regions of the continent. The systems of pasture management are comparable to those in Australia and New Zealand (Chersteton et al., 1989).There are many risk factors contributing to the etiology of lameness including; animal conformation, handling, environment, weather, and nutrition. In Uruguay and Argentina the majority of lameness cases are attributable to non-nutritional causes, especially trauma. There is evidence that ruminal malfunction occurs in these countries and that trace element deficiencies occur in certain regions. Riet (2001) has demonstrated that the presence of anti-nutritive factors in pasture can influence the incidence and severity of lameness in pastoral systems. Lesions associated with laminitis have been reported in Uruguay (Acuña 2002); (Ramos & Acuña 2004) and it has also been suggested that there is a relationship between laminitis and feeding high quality grass in ...