Legoland offers opportunity to connect with hoof enthusiasts

The 2nd International Hoof Trimmers Conference took place in the unique setting of Legoland in Denmark (Figure 1), organised by KVK Hydra Klov.

More than 220 trimmers, researchers, vets and other farm industry professionals attended the event – more than double that of the inaugural conference. Offering a wide-ranging programme, with both theory and practical elements, it was a great opportunity to meet others working within the hoof health industry, and share knowledge and experience.

Regulation of foot trimming: an EU project

The conference started with professors Christer Bergsten from Sweden and Terje Fjeldaas of Norway outlining an EU-funded programme for the certification of foot trimmers. As in the UK, there was previously no formal certification process for trimmers in their countries; however, for EU funding to be awarded for hoof health projects, use of a certified trimmer was required.

Introduced in 2016, the certification programme involved theoretical and practical exams, with assessment of functional and therapeutic trimming. Health and safety of the cow, trimmer and those assisting the trimmer were assessed, along with attention to biosecurity.

While the Swedish Claw Trimmers Association is responsible for the certification, training and assessments were carried out by Swedish and Norwegian universities. The aim is every trimmer follows the quality-assured claw care protocol (Panel 1) and, on practical assessment, scores at least 3 out of 5 to be approved (Panel 2). At the time of the conference, 86 trimmers had enrolled on the certification process and 76 had passed.

2. Correct diagnosis of claw lesions and abnormal claw conformation, according to the Nordic claw atlas.

3. Adequate treatments and competence to give some advice on environment, management and breeding precautions to improve claw health.

4. Keeping records of claw lesions, abnormal conformation, locomotion and treatments, and to report to the cow database.

5. Working according to biosecurity recommendations to reduce spreading of infectious diseases.

6. Safe handling of animals to avoid injury or challenge animal welfare before, during or after claw trimming.

7. Safe working environment and use of available protection tools, and not to take any risk to injure yourself or other personnel.

Practical workshops

The first afternoon was filled with workshops on various topics, from farmer communication to biosecurity and disinfection. I had been asked to present a practical workshop titled “Non-healing lesions: fact or fiction”. Over the course of the afternoon, four back-to-back workshops were attended by trimmers from around the world. Plenty of discussion was heard on how we should – and perhaps, more importantly, how we shouldn’t – be treating these lesions. However, the consensus is unless treated, they will be non-healing.

Legislation differs around the world and it is clear in some countries no regulation exists, under a veterinary surgeons’ act or similar, when it comes to the level of intervention a trimmer is able to do. While the majority agreed severe claw horn lesions benefited from local anaesthesia when treated, a commonly raised issue was the practicalities of working with a vet to do this were challenging.

After a great afternoon of discussions and hands-on trimming of lesions on cadaver feet (Figure 2) it was clear a wide number of methods were used in the treatment of lame cows. Blocking still remains a key component for many; however, relatively few trimmers had discussed the benefits of administering NSAIDs alongside blocking with their clients, despite research showing the benefits in early cases of lameness. The biggest barrier for their wider use was cost – in some instances, trimmers may see more than 40 lame cows at a time. Improved vet/trimmer communication and a team approach to not only preventing lame cows, but also treating them, is essential to move forward so best practice is implemented on farm.

Trimming around the world

One of the highlights of the conference was hearing about what a normal working day entailed from several trimmers around the world. Jørn Anderson from Sweden is a trimmer with 36 years’ experience and assistant manager of the Norwegian Hoof Trimmers Association. He began by explaining he predominantly works with smaller herds, with the largest herd consisting of 70 cows and the smallest just 7. He trims across 85 herds, which are mostly housed in tie stalls with cows brought to him individually on a halter. Visiting herds every six months, he trims around 3,500 cows a year and travels between 25 miles and 125 miles to each farm – a total of 20,000 miles a year.

He reported hoof health to be very good in his region of Sweden, with just 20 blocks and one bandage used in the past year, and with white line disease being the predominant lesion. In Norway it is compulsory for cows to graze for a minimum of eight weeks per year and he finds, as a result, hoof health is better in the autumn compared to the spring.

We then moved over the Atlantic to Victor Daniels, a trimmer from Ontario, Canada. Although he trims more than 20,000 cows a year, he is also actively involved in research, training and consultancy. Dealing with herds ranging from 35 to 600 cows, most of his visits involve whole herd trims at regular intervals. When it comes to trimming he finds many farmers are taking too much horn off in the wrong areas, but too afraid to remove horn where more trimming is required, especially when it comes to trimming out lesions.

Digital dermatitis is the main lesion Mr Daniels finds when trimming and, following the outcome of research, is reducing the number of bandages he uses for treatment purposes – instead opting for a oxytetracycline paste. Due to milk residue concerns, legislation in North America now restricts the availability of oxytetracycline and so trimmers are only able to obtain it annually under prescription from a vet. As well as reducing the risk of antibiotic residues due to restrictions on oxytetracycline availability, national strategies are also being introduced to reduce the prevalence of lesions in the long term, with targets of less than 10% of cows diagnosed with a sole ulcer and less than 15% having digital dermatitis.

Kaj Andersen brought this section to a close describing his life as trimmer in Denmark. As president of the Danish Hoof Trimmers Association, and with more than 32 years’ experience, Mr Andersen said his aim was now to do a good job rather than focus on the number of cows he’d trimmed. Trimming more than 20,000 cows a year, he attends 50 farms with an average herd size of 170 cows. He works with three men per crush to ensure good cow flow and throughput while not impacting on the quality of trimming. As with many countries, digital dermatitis is the predominant lesion seen, with sole ulcers also playing a large role in lameness.

2. Considerable mistakes that cannot easily be corrected, such as uneven weight distribution.

3. Several mistakes that can be corrected, such as not enough trimming or poor shaping of sole.

4. Mostly correct trimming, a few small mistakes that can easily be corrected.

5. Outstanding, correctly performed trimming.

Mr Andersen also gave a little more insight into the training programmes for trimmers in Denmark. After an initial two weeks’ training at “trimming school”, students were expected to spend a further six months trimming alongside a graduate, followed by a further two weeks at school and another six months’ training. After this year-long training they spent two further weeks at finishing school before taking the assessment. This comprehensive training programme allows for continual mentoring throughout the training process with regular rechecking and refining of skills.

Different countries, different methods

The conference was brought to a close with another afternoon of practical workshops focusing on the different trimming methods used in different countries – the Dutch, (German) Dutch, Danish and white line atlas methods. The optimal method for trimming always sparks a lot of debate; however, until we have more research in this area, we are not able to bring the most important opinion to the discussion – that of the cow.

A lot of “grey” literature and anecdotal evidence regarding trimming methods exists. However, in the absence of randomised controlled trials, there is always the opportunity for personal bias and preference to influence technique. Research in this area is underway, both in North America and in the UK, to provide an evidence base to these discussions in the future.

Summary

The 2nd International Hoof Trimmers Conference was packed with research, hands-on practicals and discussions – all among a lot of Lego. The conference provided a great opportunity for vets, researchers and trimmers to discuss ideas, practicalities and carve the future direction of the industry. Research in the area of lameness is increasing and it is likely by the time the 3rd International Hoof Trimmers Conference comes around in 2018, many of the lingering questions of the last conference will be answered.