Ceva Animal Health, maker of Ketofen, has published a guide and accompanying videos for farmers which promote best practice in the management of cattle lameness.

The step-by-step guide offers guidelines to help farmers improve their herd's mobility.

It highlights the importance of implementing a robust and ongoing treatment plan to improve cow comfort and reduce lameness in the short-term, which will lead to increased production and herd welfare in the longer-term. 

The guide includes advice on reviewing a whole herd by an independent RoMS (Register of Mobility Scorers) accredited mobility scorer, seeking veterinary advice or contacting a mobility mentor (someone who has been trained to deliver the ADHB Healthy Feet Programme) if lesions are identified, treating within 48 hours of identification with a combination of trim, block, topical antimicrobial spray and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID), as appropriate, and the importance of ongoing treatment, prevention and monitoring every fortnight. 

The guide also includes tips for the successful use of NSAIDs, which include the importance of using a NSAID with a zero milk withhold.

There are four lameness management videos which were produced in collaboration with James Wilson BSc (Hons) PhD, a foot health consultant from Herd Health Consultancy and include contributions from Alex Burrows, professional foot trimmer and Chair of the National Association of Cattle Foot Trimmers (NACFT), Dave Bacon, a dairy farmer from Gleadthorpe Farm in Nottinghamshire, Shannon Trinder, assistant herdsperson at Gleadthorpe Farm and Harry Walby BVetMed MRCVS, veterinary surgeon and ruminant technical advisor at Ceva Animal Health. 

They cover the benefits of regular mobility scoring, prioritising mobility and lameness prevention in heifers and maintaining lameness management success with practical and effective lameness treatment and prevention programmes.

www.wavegoodbyetopain.co.uk/pdf/step-by-step-guide.pdf.
www.wavegoodbyetopain.co.uk/training-videos.html

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