Innovative tools to improve preventive and curative claw care in dairy cattle

This project investigated claw care on dairy farms. On the one hand, it was investigated whether the currently applied method of claw care is still valid under current conditions, and on the other hand, whether innovative tools such as the use of a heat camera can be used to improve the detection of claw disorders. In addition, the use of disinfectants in claw baths was also investigated.

From the numerous herd visits and interactions with professionals that we experienced during the project, we have learned that the approach to hoof health on our Flemish dairy farms can be significantly improved. Instead of treating all cows twice a year, a systematic approach with regular farm visits and a thoughtful selection of animals for care is much more effective. The foundation of this care continues to be the Dutch 5-step method as described by Toussaint-Raven. Other 'hoof trimming methods' currently being used in some countries often derive from this, with certain unique emphases. In this project, we also established a basis for selecting cows that required additional care using a thermal camera. Computer vision (yolov8) models were developed and trained over 36 farm visits, divided into 80% of the dataset (828 photos) and validated with the remaining 20% (208 photos). The last 6 farm visits were used as a Test dataset (186 photos). The segmentation model achieved a 97% accuracy on the test dataset for distinguishing between the left, right, front, and hind hooves, and an 86% accuracy for detecting dewclaws. The second model achieved a 66% accuracy for classifying curative or preventive hoof care. The third model achieved a 77% accuracy for the classification of Digital Dermatitis. However, it failed to distinguish between the different M-stages of Digital Dermatitis. Under laboratory conditions, the effectiveness of various disinfectants against Treponemes was tested, and it was examined to what extent the effectiveness of these products decreased after contact with manure. Treponemes are the bacteria associated with Digital Dermatitis, the main cause of lameness in our dairy farms. In consultation with the supervisory group members, a list of active substances was compiled for further testing. These products were then tested in various concentrations, while also examining how their effectiveness decreased upon contact with manure. For example, it was shown that substances like acetic acid, peracetic acid, sodium bicarbonate, and propylene glycol were effective against Treponema bryantii, which was used as a reference strain, but that their effectiveness was largely nullified after contact with manure. Finally, stabilized hydrogen peroxide was proposed as an innovative disinfectant with potential for further testing as a usable disinfectant for foot baths on cattle farms.