A pilot study on the effects of preventive hoof trimming on acute stress and behavioral parameters in non-lame dairy cows

Objectives: This study investigated the effects of hoof trimming (HT) on locomotion scores, behavioral activities, cortisol levels, and milk yield in non-lame cows. Materials and Methods: A total of 20 healthy Australian Friesian Sahiwal cows with normal gait and without hoof lesions were randomly allocated to 2 groups: TRIM (n = 10) and Control (n = 10). All the feet of cows in the TRIM group were trimmed using the five-step Dutch method, while the control group underwent sham trimming by restraining the limbs. Blood samples were collected before and after HT (immediately and on days 0, 1, and 2) and analyzed for serum cortisol levels. The locomotion scores, time spent lying down, feeding, and standing were also recorded using installed video cameras. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: Cortisol levels were not different (p > 0.05) before HT but increased significantly (p < 0.05) in both groups immediately after HT. TRIM recorded a significantly higher cortisol level and time spent lying down on days 1 and 2 post-HT compared to the control group. No significant difference was detected in the locomotion scores, milk yield, and time spent standing and feeding between the groups at all time points. Conclusions: Preventive HT may elicit acute stress in dairy cows even in the absence of claw lesions. Ensuring cows are able to express their normal behaviors, particularly lying down, may assist in ameliorating the acute stress associated with HT.

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