Development of an equation to screen for solar hemorrhages from digital cushion ultrasound texture analysis in veal calves at slaughter.
Authors: Fabbri Giorgia, Magrin Luisa, Gottardo Flaviana, Armato Leonardo, Contiero Barbara, Gianesella Matteo, Fiore Enrico
Journal: Frontiers in veterinary science
Summary
Solar haemorrhages represent a significant welfare concern in cattle production, yet rapid, non-invasive detection methods remain limited for on-farm screening and intervention. Researchers collected 88 hind feet from 44 Holstein veal calves at slaughter, performing real-time ultrasound imaging of the digital cushion alongside detailed claw examination and pathological classification; texture analysis software processed 279 ultrasound parameters, which were then filtered using discriminant analysis to identify the strongest predictive variables for haemorrhage presence. The resulting diagnostic equation, derived from just 9 key ultrasound texture variables, demonstrated good sensitivity and specificity for distinguishing healthy from haemorrhaged sole tissue, offering a quantifiable threshold (≤0.5 or >0.5) for consistent classification. For equine and bovine practitioners, this work suggests substantial potential for portable ultrasound-based texture analysis to become a practical herd-health monitoring tool, enabling early detection of housing-related claw pathology before clinical lameness develops and supporting evidence-based welfare interventions at farm level. Whilst developed in calves, the methodology may be transferable to adult cattle and warrants validation in live animals to establish its utility for routine on-farm assessment.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Ultrasound texture analysis of the digital cushion offers a non-invasive method to detect solar hemorrhages early, enabling intervention before clinical signs become severe
- •This screening tool could be deployed at farm level to identify housing and management problems driving claw disease, supporting preventive rather than reactive approaches
- •The equation provides an objective, standardized assessment that reduces reliance on subjective hoof-trimmer evaluation and improves consistency of diagnosis across operations
Key Findings
- •Stepwise discriminant analysis identified 9 variables from 279 ultrasound texture parameters as predictors of solar hemorrhages in veal calf claws
- •A binary prediction equation was developed using ultrasound texture analysis with >0.5 threshold indicating presence of solar hemorrhages
- •ROC analysis and precision-recall curve validation demonstrated good potential for detecting sole hemorrhages using the proposed ultrasound-based equation