Innovative tools to support the preventive and curative clawcare for dairy cows (CLAWCARE)

This project wants to improve the clawcare management on Flemish dairy farms: the treatment of lame cows as well as the periodic preventive claw care. This improvement will be achieved at several levels:- The development of self-learning imageprocessing software to locate the (invisible) problem areas or claw injuries in lame (or even not visibly lame) cows based on thermal images.- A thorough evaluation and adjustment of preventive claw care, including the achievement of an ideal pressure distribution within the claw and the ideal sole thickness. This evaluation is largely supported by the use of innovative hightech techniques such as an RS scan pressure mat and an ultrasonic scanner.- Finally, objective testing of claw-bathing products with a strong focus on Mortellaro will also be conducted and all information will be bundled and distributed via a knowledge center.

Keywords:klauwverzorging

Disciplines:Veterinary conservation medicine, preventive medicine and hygiene