Spotting Lameness Using Mobility Scoring

Dairy cows maintaining good mobility and foot health is essential to their welfare and overall productivity. On average in the UK, there are thought to be anywhere from 50 to 70 cases of lameness per 100 cows per year, leading to approximately 20% – 30% of a herd being affected at any one time.

On-farm approaches for detecting lameness (such as observing cows during herding, as they enter the parlour, or during routine bulling inspections) identify roughly 25% of cases. Cows have evolved to hide the majority of the early indicators of lameness.

Often, cows will have painful foot sores for several weeks before presenting visible lameness. Dry matter intake, fertility, milk yield, and longevity will all suffer as a result of the delay.
The moment that you notice a cow is exhibiting any indications of lameness while milking, the condition has generally progressed to the point where her performance has been severely harmed for many weeks.

Controlling Lameness With Mobility Scoring

Lameness manifests itself in several ways. Depending on the conditions underfoot, indications might wax and fade. Although certain indicators of lameness are obvious in standing cows, the best time to notice them is when they are walking (crossed forelimbs, weight shifting and arched back).
In the early stages of lameness, most cows will only display one or two minor indications, with more indicators arising as the condition worsens.

The Most Common Lameness Indicators:

• Showing signs of uneven weight-bearing or uneven strides in the form of a limp. In this case, the dewclaws will not drop down to the ground on one of the cow’s limbs compared to the other limbs.
• The cow takes shorter strides or appears to walk on its “tip-toes”.
• The cow has an arched back as they walk, showing signs of a weight adjustment from the standing position.
• Arched back (arch increasing as the cow moves from standing position).
• The head nods as a painful limb bear any weight as the cow walks and the head carriage is lowered.
• Foot placement is abnormal such as the feet being wider apart or more narrow than normal, or the heel or toe always being first.
• Abnormal leg swing during movement. This can be either wider or more narrow than normal.
• Standing body posture is unsymmetrical as the cow tries to adjust its weight.
• A speed reduction when walking or a complete reluctance for the cow to move. The latter is a severe sign.
• Feet not tracking up properly causing the hind feet to not fall in place correctly as it normally would just be left of the forefoot.

AHDB Dairy has put together a simple and effective Mobility Scoring system which is a great way to spot lameness and begin treatment early.

The best way to get an accurate mobility score is to have a level, non-slip and clean walkway, ideally concrete. View the cows from the side at first to be able to get a clear look at them behind the cow as they walk past. During this time the cow should be allowed to make around 6 to 10 uninterrupted steps so you can best assess which mobility score to give it.

You should then record the ID of each cow that scores 2 or 3 on the mobility scale so you can begin treatment of the onset lameness, taking note of which limb appears to be affected to help speed the process. Also, keep a tally of the cows that only register as a 0 or 1 so you can easily calculate the percentage of cows that require treatment.

The ideal time to do this is to watch the cows as they move between the parlour and feed passage, or when they move through a gate that leads into a collecting yard.

How To Give An Accurate Score

Score 0 – The cow walks with a good rhythm with its weight-bearing equally on all feet and its back resting flat.
Score 1 – The cow appears to have uneven steps, either rhythmically or in terms of weight-bearing, or the strides are shortened. Affected limbs will not be immediately identifiable in this case.
Score 2 – A limb is immediately identifiable as not being able to bear weight properly or noticeable shortened strides. In the latter, you will notice the cow has an arched back.
Score 3 – The inability to keep up with the rest of the healthy herd and at a brisk human pace, and also showing signs of Score 2.

Using The Mobility Scores

The herd should be screened every 1 – 2 weeks so that you can generate a concise list of the cows that require lameness treatment or hoof trimming, to be carried out by either your farm staff, a professional cattle foot trimmer or your local veterinarian. Sole bruising or an ulcer on the Sole will only become visible after at least 6 weeks though, something that’s important to remember.

It’s also quite normal to discover what appears to be at first sight an innocuous lesion on cows that have a mobility score of 2. These can include outer hind claw overgrowth, sole overgrowth, toe overgrowth and even mild bruising on the foot surface.

Lameness costs a total of approximately £178 per cow. 25% of the cost is down to reduced milk yield, a further 25% is attributed to having a prolonged calving interval, and a further 25% of the cost can be attributed to premature culling. It’s easy to see why early detection and treatment is important.

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