Sole haemorrhages in Danish bull calves: Prevalence and risk factors.
Authors: Thomsen Peter T, Hansen Isabella, Martin Henrik Læssøe, Kudahl Anne B
Journal: Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)
Summary
Sole haemorrhages represent a significant welfare and productivity concern in young cattle, yet their prevalence and drivers remain poorly characterised in European dairy herds. Danish researchers assessed 730 dairy-breed bull calves at slaughter, documenting sole haemorrhages through hoof trimming examinations and investigating associations with housing type, growth rate, and concurrent liver pathology. Three-quarters of the calves exhibited sole haemorrhages, with 16.3% experiencing severe lesioning; notably, animals housed on slatted concrete with cubicles demonstrated nearly 2.7 times greater odds of haemorrhaging compared to those on deep straw litter, and this risk approximately doubled for severe cases. Rapid growth—already a marker of metabolic stress in intensive systems—independently increased the odds of severe sole haemorrhages by 28% per 100g daily weight gain increment. These findings underscore the importance of flooring selection and growth management in reducing hoof pathology, whilst prompting practitioners to recognise sole haemorrhages as a systemic indicator of housing adequacy and metabolic burden rather than an isolated lesion.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Housing system significantly impacts hoof health in bull calves; consider deep litter straw bedding over slatted concrete with cubicles to reduce sole haemorrhage prevalence
- •Rapid growth rates may predispose to severe sole lesions; monitor weight gain and flooring management concurrently in intensive production systems
- •Sole haemorrhages are extremely common in this population (75%); hoof health screening should be a routine welfare assessment in bull calf operations
Key Findings
- •74.7% of Danish dairy breed bull calves had sole haemorrhages, with 16.3% presenting as severe cases
- •Calves on slatted concrete floors with cubicles had 2.69 times higher odds of sole haemorrhages compared to those on deep litter straw (P<0.001)
- •Severe sole haemorrhages odds increased by 28% for every 100g/day increase in daily weight gain (P=0.008)
- •Flooring type was the strongest modifiable risk factor, with slatted concrete increasing odds of severe sole haemorrhages by 2.07-fold (P<0.001)