Identifying cow - level factors and farm characteristics associated with locomotion scores in dairy cows using cumulative link mixed models.

Lameness is a tremendous problem in intensively managed dairy herds all over the world. It has been associated with considerable adverse effects on animal welfare and economic viability. The majority of studies have evaluated factors associated with gait disturbance by categorising cows into lame and non-lame.

Factors Associated With Lameness in Tie Stall Housed Dairy Cows in South Germany.

Lameness remains a major concern for animal welfare and productivity in modern dairy production. Even though a trend toward loose housing systems exists and the public expects livestock to be kept under conditions where freedom of movement and the expression of natural behavior are ensured, restrictive housing systems continue to be the predominant type of housing in some regions. Factors associated with lameness were evaluated by application of multiple logistic regression modeling on data of 1,006 dairy cows from 56 tie stall farms in Bavaria, South Germany.

[Inappropriate lactation syndrome in a Holstein heifer].

The present case describes an unusual lactation of a 15-month-old,unbred Holstein-Friesian heifer, which had four swollen, ampouleshaped udder quarters with milk secretion. Examination of the heifer using rectal palpation and transrectal ultrasonography revealed enlargement of the right ovary and partial replacement of original tissue by multiple cysts of variable size. Treatment of the assumed follicularcystic ovary disease was unsuccessful.