Summary
This 34-month randomised controlled trial investigated whether routine administration of the NSAID ketoprofen during lameness treatment and at calving reduces the incidence and severity of lameness in multiparous dairy cattle. Four treatment groups were compared: hoof care alone; hoof care plus ketoprofen during lameness; hoof care plus ketoprofen at calving and lameness; and ketoprofen during lameness only without routine hoof care. The study hypothesises that anti-inflammatory treatment may interrupt the pathway from hoof horn lesions to recurrent lameness by reducing inflammation-driven pathological changes in hoof anatomy.
Regional applicability
This study was conducted in a single United Kingdom herd under normal farm conditions, making the findings directly applicable to UK dairy farming practice. The results will inform evidence-based lameness management and NSAID use protocols for multiparous dairy cattle in British dairy herds.
Key measures
Lameness scores (every 2 weeks), probability of lameness recurrence, culling rates, hoof horn lesion outcomes
Outcomes reported
The study measured the effects of ketoprofen administration during lameness treatment and at calving, combined with therapeutic hoof trimming and orthopedic blocks, on the probability of future lameness events and culling in multiparous dairy cattle over 34 months. Lameness was scored every 2 weeks by blinded technicians.
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