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Lameness strikes all animals
M
ost animals on a
smallholding will be
lame at some time
or other, especially the
animals that live to a good
age such as horses, ponies,
donkeys, dairy cows, goats
and sheep.
Lameness must be treated,
otherwise the affected animal
will not be able to get about
to graze effectively, it may be
bullied and it will lose weight.
And because lameness is
often associated with pain, it's
usually an animal welfare
problem ~ another good
reason for dealing with it right
away.
A lame animal limps or does
not walk normally. Lameness
includes any abnormality
which causes an animal to
change the way that it walks,
and can be caused by a range
of foot and leg conditions,
themselves caused by disease,
injury during exercise, poor
management or environmental factors.
There A
are many possible
causes of lameness, but for
many types the earlier
treatment is given, the more
likely it is to result in a
permanent cure.
Most lameness or uneven gait
is caused by pain ~ a
reluctance to bear weight on
a limb because it's painful.
The pain might be in the foot,
in a joint, or one of the
supporting bones or in the
muscles.
Recognising which leg is
affected can be very tricky
when the lameness is mild.
It is often easiest to tell when
the animal is trotting.
The lame animal will usually
nod (ie, lower its head more
heavily) on every second
stride at the trot.
K Front leg lameness
If a front leg is sore, the
animal will nod more heavily
when the sound leg is on the
ground. For example if it's
the right (off) fore that is sore,
and the animal is trotting, it
will nod more heavily when
its left (near) fore is on the
ground.
Continued on page 38
A medicated footbath can be used to promote cleanliness and healing.
36
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