There will be more lame cows this winter, reckons Somerset-based foot trimmer Steve Paul. Cows that didn't have enough shade and spent too long standing in the sun, or that suffered a drop in forage intakes, are most at risk, he says:

"Anything that causes a cow stress is eventually seen in their feet. On my visits to dairy herds in Spain, laminitis after heat stress is a common problem."

The lack of grazing and a drop in forage intakes will have caused acidosis in some herds, which, in turn, will lead to laminitis and sole ulcers, adds Kingshay's Rob Mintern.

Source: fwi.co.uk