Today, however, is a different story. Rarely does a conversation between a farm owner and the hoof trimmer take place, and responsibility has shifted much more to the managers, herdspersons, and farm employees.
Shifts in perspective
The current model has moved to farm owners taking care of employees and paying the bills, while the employees take over the responsibilities of the “farmer.” This isn’t a bad thing; it’s just different. The only issue here, especially in the case of lameness, is that many of the financial or management decisions that need to be made are tied to an emotional connection experienced when working on a sore hoof or watching a cow struggle to walk as she is moved to the barn to get milked. In turn, I continue to question if the owner paying the bills has forgotten that emotional experience. What parameters can they base the financial decision to fix it on?
I have experienced the awareness and demands of the public about such situations, which are made known (in full effect, mind you) via social media. The once-accepted reality of a cow suffering from lameness is simply no longer palatable to the consumer. To bring these ideas together, dissociation of ownership to the emotional connection with the animal itself is probably going to create a perceived “hardness” to the now publicly known and talked about animal welfare issue resonating in our agriculture arena. I think our industry is ready for a new approach to lameness.
Good and bad attention
With my Facebook page, “The Hoof Cowboy,” or on other hoof trimming social media sites, the focus is often on highlighting hoof treatments. We dig out rocks, open up pus pockets, carve around ulcers, and block the healthy claw so we can show cows walking away better than they walked in. But the comment always appears, “Who wasn’t taking care of that cow in the first place?”
When we in the industry see those comments, we immediately defend our position. We say things such as, “We are taking care of the cow” or “Why do you think she is in the trimming chute?” or “They probably have no clue what is happening, sitting on the couch scrutinizing us . . . eat your food and be more thankful!”
Meanwhile on the sidelines, completely invisible to the public, some farm owners may question why employees aren’t noticing cows that need help sooner, and employees question why owners aren’t spending more money to use footbaths, trim hooves, or feed the cows better.
Defining solutions
When we evaluate hoof care, we ultimately have two options. We can try to prevent issues before they happen, or we can treat them. Should we spend more money on footbaths or should we spend more time treating and wrapping the heel warts as we notice new cows starting to limp? When we look for cows that need to be trimmed, are we looking for long overgrown and lame cows or are we looking to find the cows that we can make more comfortable with a slight maintenance trim? When we are dealing with ulcers, are we okay blocking and treating cows or are we finding ways to eliminate the problem?
As a hoof trimmer, heel warts are simple to treat. We debride, wrap, and usually that cow is good to go. When trying to improve cow comfort with hoof trimming, if I’m working with a farm that will support me, we will trim hooves more frequently — and we can accomplish this goal. But what about ulcers? The problems that will ruin a perfectly good cow are much more difficult to treat and heal. The road to recovery from an ulcer is always variable and the outcome has the potential to, once again, shine the animal welfare spotlight not only on the farm and the hoof trimmer, but also on the dairy industry as a whole.
From my perspective, the solutions aren’t that complicated, and the benefits extend farther beyond just lameness prevention.
Stress is at the center
All animals are designed to be healthy, yet all animals are subject to stress. What I see as a hoof trimmer is that stress is triggered by so many things, and in my opinion, it is the root of most of the problems that I deal with. Most easily identified are rowdy milking crews that yell, hurry, and pressure the cows. But what about everything else? Are the beds comfortable? Is the flooring dirty or slippery? Are dominant cows bullying submissive cows? Is the diet allowing each individual cow to get too much or too little? Is feed available or not available? Most often these stressors add up, causing something to go wrong. And last, but definitely not least, is there anything that can be done to help cows deal with stress?
I remember reading a paper in the Journal of Dairy Science by James E. Nocek titled, “Bovine acidosis: Implications on laminitis,” back in the early 2000s. During that time, acidosis-related hoof problems were a nightmare. There were times that I would spend days blocking, carving out, and opening up severe lesions, watching cow after cow leave my chute . . . broken. For me, this study created a foundation for what I think of as “the biological approach” to hoof health. I’m talking about acidosis, heat stress, and every other stress that we can manage when we combine nutrition with biology.
Fast forward to today, and I am consistently coming across new research promoting the idea that by adding certain biological supplements to the diet, immune function can be improved and the impacts of stress can be reduced. The technology is available in feed-specific strains of bacteria that produce compounds sent to neurotransmitters that block signals and reduce stress in animals.
I continually read through research and have found that there are bacteria or compounds that from the fermentation process, the diet, and even daily activities in a cow’s environment can cause stress. At the same time, there are bacteria and compounds that can alleviate stress — just like in our crops. Similar to when the corn silage going in the pit is too wet, dry, or stressed, we add silage inoculant. Even when the silage looks perfect going into the pit, adding silage inoculant is supposed to improve the fermentation process and the silage quality. I have the hardest time understanding why improving silage fermentation with a biological additive is so widely accepted, while similar types of products used to improve rumen fermentation are still referred to as “foo-foo powder”? And when I see ulcers and hemorrhaging from the metabolically caused problems in hooves, I just shake my head.
All factors that cause cows stress, need to be addressed. In my opinion, biological additives need to be looked at a little more closely, to identify the effects it may have on the cow.
When Iowa State University’s Lance Baumgard talked about the effects of heat stress on dairy cows, which we know impacts hoof health, is it only heat stress or does the list of these other stressors have similar effects? Ultimately, is there a need on our dairy farms to have not only a nutritionist working alongside us, but also a biological adviser that understands the connection between the cow and other microorganisms. After all, these micoorganism are working hard around the clock to keep her healthy.
We love what we do
In my world, it’s a big “yes.” As I wrote this article, I wondered if this was all okay to say. Finally, I sent it to a friend and asked him for some feedback. He has a 4,000-cow dairy, and although he might be intimidating, he is the quintessential example of a farmer. Honestly, his critique brought tears to my eyes. He said it was the reality, but added one more thing: “When we are dealing with a cow, we are dealing with life. And that’s sacred. It’s our responsibility to nurture that life.” That statement speaks volumes to the personal standards that exist in our industry.
I’m so grateful for the opportunity to work on farms that love their animals and understand the intricacies of providing them care. When I see employees calmly moving cows to and from the milking parlor, when I see cows comfortably lying down, and when these biological technologies are incorporated into the diet, I get to spend my days happily performing simple maintenance trims, which I love. In the end, I want our industry to know that we have a big opportunity to improve animal welfare and show the scrutinizing eyes of the public that we do care.
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