A study about determining the changes in the structural characteristics of the digital cushion in heifer and multipar dairy cows: A preliminary report

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A Study About Determining the Changes in the Structural

Characteristics of the Digital Cushion in Heifer and Multipar Dairy

Cows: A Preliminary Report

Celal İZCİ *

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Muharrem EROL * Ebru GÖKŞAHİN *

* Selcuk Univercity, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Surgery, TR-42075 Selcuklu, Konya - TURKEY

Makale Kodu (Article Code): KVFD-2010-3083

Summary

Claw horn lesions are crucial problems for dairy cows and causes serious financial losses. The changes in the structure of digital cushion are considered to be the trigger for such lesions. The purpose of this study is to determine these changes in heifer and multipar dairy cows. The structural changes in the digital cushion were determined by ultrasonography and gas chromatography. As a result, it can be mentioned that thickness of the digital cushion can be measured by ultrasonography and, also digital cushions of heifers have a lower percentage of fat than cows have and a higher rate of saturated fatty acid in their digital cushion. It can be asserted that these changes of digital cushion increase the traumatic effects inside the claw which may cause sole ulcer and white line disease.

Keywords: Dairy cow, Digital cushion, Lameness, Claw horn lesion

Düve ve Süt İneklerinde Ökçe Yastığının Yapısal Özelliklerindeki

Değişikliklerin Belirlenmesi: Ön Çalışma Raporu

Özet

Süt ineklerinde boynuz tırnak lezyonları önemli bir problemdir ve ciddi ekonomik kayıplara yol açar. Bunların oluşumunda ökçe yastığının yapısındaki değişikliklerin etkili olduğu düşünülür. Bu çalışmada; düve ve süt ineklerinde ökçe yastığının yapısal özelliklerindeki değişikliklerinin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Ökçe yastığının yapısındaki değişiklikler ultrasonografik ve gaz kromatografi yöntemi ile belirlendi. Ökçe yastığının kalınlığı ultrasonografik olarak ölçülebilir. Düvelerin ökçe yastığının yağ oranı sığırlardan daha düşük olup, doymuş yağ asitleri oranı daha yüksektir. Oluşan değişikliklerin tırnak içi travmatik etkiyi artırarak taban ülseri ve beyaz çizgi hastalığının oluşumunda etkili olabileceği söylenebilir.

Anahtar sözcükler: Süt ineği, Ökçe yastığı, Topallık, Boynuz tırnak lezyonu

INTRODUCTION

Claw horn lesions are crucial problems for dairy cows pressure acts on claws during the fi rst gestation period as and causes serious financial losses especially for highly a result of an upsurge of the weight of udder and fetus 11_.

producti ve animals 1-3_{. As it is the case for sole ulcer and}

Most of the body weight of a cow is carried by the white line disease, many claw lesions occur as a result of

supportive apparatus called “digital cushion” 12_{. Digital}

traumas that affect the corium inside the horn capsule 4-7_.

It is proven by epidemiological studies that heifers cushion is a complex structure that absorbs the pressure which give birth for the fi rst time have a higher rate of under the distal phalanx. It is constituted by loose claw lesions than cows which give birth twice or three connective tissue and different amounts of fatty tissue. times 8-10_{. It is emphasized, that unbalanced mechanic It consists of three segmental parts named axial, medial/}

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A Study About Determining ...

central and abaxial (Fig. 1) 12-15_{. Any corruption of the}

absorbing characteristic of digital cushion predisposes the sensitive corium under the distal phalanx against injuries. Factors like standing and walking on hard flooring surfaces, diatery fatty acid composition and unwillingness of the animals to lie down raises predisposition. For this reason, digital cushion is considered as an important etiological factor to generate claw horn lesions and lameness 10,12,15,16_{. The purpose of this study is to}

determine the periodical changes of digital cushion’s structure in heifers and dairy cows.

Fig 1. Appearance of the segmental parts (axial, medial/central and abaxial) of the digital cushion “(Sarel van Amstel& Jan Shearer 18₎

Şekil 1. Ökçe yastığı’nın segmental parçalarının (aksiyal, medial / sentral ve abaksiyal) görünümü

MATERIAL and METHODS

This study was performed according to the ethical board approved by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Selcuk, Konya, Turkey (Approval No: 2010/043).

Research material included fore and hind feet claws of 4 Holstein heifers and 6 cows which gave birth 1, 2, 3 times or more in each case. All were slaughtered in an abattoir in Konya. Claws were harvested immediately after slaughter, routine hoof trimming was performed and at the junction of the heel and sole digital cushion thicknesses were determined ultrasonographically with a curved array dual-frequency probe set at 7.5 MHz

(Fig. 2).

Later on, the claw horn of the sole was dissected carefully, solar corium and digital cushion segments were exposed (Fig. 3A-B). Tissue samples were obtained

from digital cushion segments. Lipid extraction was made in tissue samples according to the Folch17 _method

and their fatty acid composition was determined by gas chromatography (HP6890, Agilent Technologies, USA) with an automatic injector. Peaks in chromatograms were obtained with three repetitions and their percentage areas’ arithmetic means and standard deviati ons were calculated.

RESULTS

It was determined that, according to the ultra­ sonographic evaluations of the heifer’s front right lateral and medial claws had approximately 0.85±0.04 cm and

Fig 2. Determination of the digital cushion thickness by ultrasound

Şekil 2. Ökçe yastığı’nın kalınlığının ultra­ sonografik olarak belirlenmesi

0.87±0.04 cm digital cushion thickness, respectively. Right hind lateral and medial claws had approximately 0.73±0.08 cm and 0.81±0.01 cm digital cushion thickness, respectively. In an old cow (approximately 12 years old) front left lateral and medial claws both had digital cushion thicknesses of approximately 0.65±0.04 cm and 0.65±0.04 cm. Gas chromatography analysis showed that heifers and cows that gave birth more than 3 times had a lower unsaturated fatty acid rate than the other cows (Fig. 4).

Fig 3.A-B. Appearence of the digital cushion’s segments after the sole dissection

Şekil 3.A-B. Tabanın diseksiyonundan sonra ökçe yastığı segmentlerinin görünümü

segment had been longer than the other ones. For heifers and other cows it may be stated that data obtained from the study of digital cushion thickness of the lateral and medial claws of fore and hind feet is parallel to literature data 10_.

Thickness of the digital cushion can be measured by ultrasonography 10,19_{. In this study, the thickness of the}

digital cushion was measured ultrasonographically from the junction of the heel and sole where a typical sole

Fig 4. The result of gas chromatography analysis. (SFA: Saturated Fatty Acid, M: Monounsaturated Fatty Acid, P: Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid) Şekil 4. Gaz kromatografi analiz sonuçları. (SFA: Doymuş Yağ Asidi, M: Doymamış Yağ Asidi, P: Aşırı Doymamış Yağ Asidi)

DISCUSSION

It is not wrong to claim that there is not much known about the structure of the digital cushion dairy cows have. It is known that each digital cushion has three cylindrical parallel segments (axial, medial and abaxial) containing connective tissue capsules filled by fatty tissue. Among these segments, axial one is the longest (Fig. 1-3.AB) 6,12,15,18_{. The macroscopic appearance of a}

heifer’s digital cushion is whiter than that of cows which gave birth 2 or 3 times. It was determined that the axial

ulcer is located. Digital cushions of heifers have a lower percentage of fat than those of cows. Heifers also have a higher rate of saturated fatty acid in their digital cushion. After first birth and lactation the percentage of unsaturated fatty acids increases. In this study gas chromatography analysis showed that heifers’ digital cushion fatty acid rates are lower than of the cows which gave birth 2-3 ti mes. Physiologic and metabolic changes occur during gestation and birth period which decreases strength of connective tissues 20-22_{. As a result of aging,}

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A Study About Determining ...

the third lactation fat rates decrease, also 14_{. In this}

study it was found that cows that gave birth more than three times had higher saturated fatty acid rates than the other cows. These results support the previous studies 10,12,14,15 _{that state traumas and contusions on}

the connective ti ssues inside the claw have an effect on the development of sole ulcer and white line disease. According to these findings, it can be emphasized that thickness of the digital cushion can be measured by ultrasonography and, also digital cushions of heifers have a lower percentage of fat than cows have and a higher rate of saturated fatty acid in their digital cushion. It can be asserted that these periodical changes of digital cushion increase traumati c effects inside the claw which may cause sole ulcer and white line disease.

In conclusion, decreasing digital cushion thickness and structural changes with the effect of factors like stand and walk on hard flooring surfaces and unwillingness to lie down increase traumati c effect inside the claw and predisposes to claw horn lesions such as sole ulcer and white line disease. Based on this, it can be suggested that taking precautions to protect digital cushion’s content and structural characteristics may be a new approach to decrease claw horn lesions.

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