Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T12:37:53.311Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The use of in-depth interviews to understand the process of treating lame dairy cows from the farmers’ perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

SV Horseman ,
EJ Roe ,
JN Huxley ,
NJ Bell ,
CS Mason  and
HR Whay
SV Horseman*
Affiliation:
University of Bristol, School of Veterinary Sciences, Langford, Somerset BS40 5DU, UK
EJ Roe
Affiliation:
University of Southampton, University Road, Southampton, Hants SO17 1BJ, UK
JN Huxley
Affiliation:
University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, Leics LE12 5RD, UK
NJ Bell
Affiliation:
The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield, Herts AL9 7TA, UK
CS Mason
Affiliation:
Scotland's Rural College, St Mary's Industrial Estate, Dumfries DG1 1DX, UK
HR Whay
Affiliation:
University of Bristol, School of Veterinary Sciences, Langford, Somerset BS40 5DU, UK
*
* Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: Sue.Horseman@bristol.ac.uk
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Interventions aimed at improving animal welfare on farms may be more successful if greater attention is paid to the points of view of farmers. For example, understanding how different dairy farmers detect lame cows, decide to treat them, get them to the point of treatment, and how practical considerations that impact on this process may be important for reducing lameness on dairy farms. In-depth interviews with twelve dairy farmers were carried out to explore how this occurred on their farms. This in-depth approach allowed a number of factors influencing lameness treatment to be uncovered. The language used by farmers to describe lameness gave important insight into their perceptions of lameness and into the value they placed on prompt treatment. Farmers’ perceptions of lameness were found to affect the speed of treatment, with treatment of cows perceived to have impaired mobility or to be less severely lame sometimes delayed. Other priorities on the farm, skilled labour availability, farm infrastructure and farmers’ emotional responses to lameness treatment were all found to impact on whether or when a lame cow was treated. In order to encourage farmers to promptly treat all lame cows their perceptions of lameness and the benefits of prompt treatment must be addressed. The language used when communicating with farmers about lameness may be key to achieving this. The practical barriers, such as time and labour constraints, associated with the treatment process, must also be understood, taken into account and seen in the context of the farm management as a whole.

Keywords

animal welfaredairy cattlefarmerlamenessqualitativetreatment
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 23 , Issue 2 , May 2014 , pp. 157 - 165
Copyright
© 2014 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

References

Alawneh, JI, Laven, RA and Stevenson, MA 2012 Interval between detection of lameness by locomotion scoring and treatment for lameness: A survival analysis. The Veterinary Journal 193: 622–625. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2012.06.042CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beekhuis-Gibbon, L, Devitt, C, Whyte, P, O’Grady, L, More, SJ, Redmond, B, Quin, S and Doherty, ML 2011 A HACCP-based approach to mastitis control in dairy herds. Part 2: Implementation and evaluation. Irish Veterinary Journal 64: 12Google ScholarPubMed
Bell, NJ and Huxley, JN 2009 Locomotion, lameness and mobility in dairy cows. The Veterinary Record 164(23): 726. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/vr. 164.23.726CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Coffey, A and Atkinson, P 1996 Making Sense of Qualitative Data: Complementary Strategies. Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA, USAGoogle Scholar
DairyCo 2012a Mobility Score-Instructions. http://www.dairyco.org.uk/resources-library/technical-information/health-welfare/mobility-score-instructions.Google Scholar
DairyCo 2012b Lameness. http://www.dairyco.org.uk/technical-information/animal-health-welfare/lameness/Google Scholar
DairyCo 2013 Healthy Feet Programme. http://www.dairyco.org.uk/technical-services/healthy-feet-programme/Google Scholar
Horseman, SVF, Whay, HR, Huxley, JN, Bell, NJ and Mason, CD 2013 Current on-farm practice in the treatment of sole ulcer and white line disease associated with lameness in dairy cattle. The Veterinary Journal 197:461-467. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2013.02.027CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hubbard, C, Bourlakis, M and Garrod, G 2007 Pig in the middle: farmers and the delivery of farm animal welfare standards. British Food Journal 109: 919–930. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/00070700710835723Google Scholar
Kristensen, E and Enevoldsen, C 2008 A mixed methods inquiry: how dairy farmers perceive the value(s) of their involvement in an intensive dairy herd health management program. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica 50: 12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1751-0147-50-50Google Scholar
Leach, KA, Tisdall, DA, Bell, NJ, Main, DCJ and Green, LE 2012 The effects of early treatment for hindlimb lameness in dairy cows on four commercial UK farms. The Veterinary Journal 193: 626–632. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2012.06.043Google ScholarPubMed
Leach, KA, Whay, HR, Maggs, CM, Barker, ZE, Paul, ES, Bell, AK and Main, DCJ 2010a Working towards a reduction in cattle lameness: 1. Understanding barriers to lameness control on dairy farms. Research in Veterinary Science 89: 318–323. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2010.02.017CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leach, KA, Whay, HR, Maggs, CM, Barker, ZE, Paul, ES, Bell, AK and Main, DCJ 2010b Working towards a reduction in cattle lameness: 2. Understanding dairy farmers’ motivations. Research in Veterinary Science 89: 311–317. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2010.02.014Google Scholar
Lund, V, Coleman, G, Gunnarsson, S, Appleby, MC and Karkinen, K 2006 Animal welfare science: working at the interface between the natural and social sciences. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 97: 37–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2005.11.017Google Scholar
Sorge, U, Kelton, D, Lissemore, K, Godkin, A, Hendrick, S and Wells, S 2010 Attitudes of Canadian dairy farmers toward a voluntary Johne's disease control program. Journal of Dairy Science 93: 1491–1499. http://dx.doi.org/10.3168/jds.2009-2447CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Potterton, SL, Bell, NJ, Whay, HR, Berry, EA, Atkinson, OCD, Dean, RS, Main, DCJ and Huxley, JN 2012 A descriptive review of the peer and non-peer reviewed literature on the treatment and prevention of foot lameness in cattle published between 2000 and 2011. The Veterinary Journal 193: 612–616. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2012.06.040Google ScholarPubMed
Valeeva, NI, Lam, T and Hogeveen, H 2007 Motivation of dairy farmers to improve mastitis management. Journal of Dairy Science 90: 4466–4477. http://dx.doi.org/10.3168/jds.2007-0095Google ScholarPubMed
Whay, HR, Waterman, AE and Webster, AJF 1997 Associations between locomotion, claw lesions and nociceptive threshold in dairy heifers during the peri-partum period. Veterinary Journal 154: 155–161. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1090-0233(97)80053-6Google ScholarPubMed
Whay, HR, Main, DCJ, Green, LE and Webster, AJF 2003 Assessment of the welfare of dairy cattle using animal-based measurements: direct observations and investigation of farm records. Veterinary Record 153: 197–202. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/vr.153.7.197Google ScholarPubMed
Whay, HR, Webster, AJF and Waterman-Pearson, AE 2005 Role of ketoprofen in the modulation of hyperalgesia associated with lameness in dairy cattle. The Veterinary Record 157: 729–733CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed