Hello everyone! From the veterinary management team at ANKA Hoof Care, I am often asked why we insist so much on recording every detail on the tablet during our visits. The answer is simple: what is not measured cannot be managed or improved.
Today, I want to explain the vital importance of collecting bovine hoof health data and how our new Hoof Manager Analysis Report helps you interpret them to make strategic decisions for your herd.
1. Knowing the real incidence and the origin of the problem
The first step to improve is having an exact radiograph of where we stand. Our report is designed to avoid biases, by default comparing the current year-to-date (YTD) accumulated period with the same period of the previous year to bypass seasonality issues.
By collecting and categorizing data, we manage to understand herd dynamics:
- Healthy cow identification: The ideal goal is to achieve more than 80% of inspected cows being healthy and only requiring routine hoof trimming. Knowing the proportion of treated versus healthy cows gives us an indirect and clear indicator of lameness incidence.
- Classification by origin: We meticulously record whether the origin of the lesion is infectious (such as digital dermatitis or foul in the foot, where the goal is to be below 15% of the total), non-infectious (sole ulcers, white line disease, abscesses…), or high lameness (ideally below 3%).
- Focus on predominant conditions: Breaking down treatments by specific lesion is crucial to know what we are facing. We pay special attention to the triad formed by Sole Ulcer, White Line Disease, and Digital Dermatitis, as these three usually account for more than 60% of total lesions.
2. Evaluating the quality of follow-up for treated animals
Data do not only tell us about the hooves, but also about how we are managing the farm. A fundamental parameter, and perhaps the hardest to evaluate, is management quality through detection times.
- The value of the median: To evaluate this, we look at the median number of days elapsed between the first treatment and the second treatment/revision, avoiding the use of the average, as a single cow delayed by many days could distort reality.
- The 30-day goal: The closer the median is to 30 days, the better the follow-up. A median close to this value suggests that we are checking and treating animals frequently and opportunistically, a critical factor for their recovery and welfare.
3. Making strategic decisions on chronic animals
Historical records allow us to know if we are curing the cows or dragging along chronic problems.
- New vs. repeat cases: We analyze the proportion of first-time treatments (new cases) versus successive treatments on the same cow. Reducing new cases is our main goal, as it indicates a real drop in incidence.
- Culling management: The report generates a list of the top 10 chronic cows that have received the most treatments on the farm. This “TOP 10” is an indispensable tool to sit down with the farmer and decide, data in hand, whether we should stop inseminating or cull those animals.
4. Contextualizing seasonality
Finally, data allow us to visualize the evolution by quarters to detect peak incidence periods.
- Preventing peaks: Typically, lesions tend to accumulate in the third (Q3) and fourth quarter (Q4), coinciding with the end of summer heat stress.
- Crossing data: We compare the lesion curve with the preventive trimming line; this way, we know if a quarter has more recorded cases because the real incidence went up, or simply because we did a preventive sweep of the entire herd and hidden lameness surfaced.
Do you want to transform your farm’s data into profitability?
At ANKA, we are convinced that detailed information is the key to success. Analyzing and interpreting these data allows us to focus our efforts where they truly matter, improving the profitability of your farms and animal welfare.
But to achieve precise, safe, and efficient trimming, in addition to data, you need the right professional equipment. If you have doubts about how to interpret your reports or are thinking about optimizing daily work by acquiring one of our professional hoof trimming chutes, wait no longer. Click here to contact the ANKA team or write to us directly at podol@anka.com.
We will be delighted to advise you on taking your herd’s hoof health to the next level!
