The expression "No foot, no horse" could just as easily have been coined for cows. Feet and leg problems continue to be major causes of involuntary culling in dairy herds and impact both production and longevity. Foot problems in dairy cows have many causes. Infectious problems, such as hairy warts, are still with us and can be a nightmare on their own, as well as increasing the severity of other problems. Nutritional causes of laminitis are very important, especially an excess of starchy feeds and marginal fiber levels, but stress plays an important role too. First calf heifers, in particular, are susceptible to laminitis as a result of being introduced into a herd of dominant cows. The nature of the surface on which cows walk, and the amount of time cows can be kept off concrete can also be crucial elements in maintaining foot health.

Laminitis is inflammation of the sensitive tissues of the foot lying immediately under the horn of the hoof. It is recognizable by paring the sole of the foot and looking for yellow discoloration or blood spots in the sole, erosion of the heel, and sole abscesses, or under-running of the sole. In chronic cases there is unevenness and raised rings around the hoof wall, uneven growth of the hoof and elongation of the toe leading to "ski" or "skid" foot. The cause is mainly nutritional, especially rumen acidosis. The initial damage is made much worse by stress on the foot, caused by forced standing, non-resilient walking surfaces, such as concrete, and sudden movement, such as those which occur when a cow is subject to aggression by another, dominant, cow.

Here are some suggestions for maintaining foot health and preventing laminitis in the dairy herd:

• Provide access to dirt lot or pasture, particularly for the dry cows.
• Provide adequate free stall comfort. Incidence of laminitis is related to time spent standing.
• Limit time in milking parlor holding pen to 3 hours a day.
• Reduce stress by providing space at areas of maximum cow interaction especially round watering points, crossovers between alleys.
• Groove or texture slippery concrete. Knock down the rough projections on newly laid (green) concrete by dragging a concrete block over the surface.
• Trim feet twice a year.
• Exceed NRC requirements for ADF and NDF in the lactating cow ration.
• Limit non-fiber carbohydrate (NFC) to 38-39%.
• Provide buffers in the ration of early lactation cows. Sodium bicarbonate @ 0.75 -1.00% ration dry matter.
• 6-12% of the TMR on a weight basis should have a fiber length of greater than 1.5 inches. The long fiber increases chewing and cudding activity and the production of saliva. The bicarbonate in the saliva buffers the acid produced by rumen fermentation and protects against rumen acidosis.
• Do not over mix the TMR. Six minutes is adequate. Over-mixing destroys effective fiber.
• If feeding grain separately from forages, feed the fiber source first, divide the concentrate ration into 3-4 feedings, and do not give a concentrate feeding of greater than 8lbs at a time.
• Steam up cows moderately before calving to allow cows to adjust to the high energy lactating ration and thus control rumen acidosis. Increase concentrate dry matter to approx. 0.75% of body weight (maximum 10-12lbs) by calving time.