Understanding the role of hormones associated with parturition in the development of lameness in dairy cattle

Fund

Student Grant

Grant

£3490

Year awarded

2019

Recipient

University of Liverpool

Species

Farm animals

Theme

N/A

Status

Complete

Investigator(s): Mollie Rudd

Supervisor(s): Professor Georgios Oikonomou

Claw horn disruption lesions (CHDL) are one of the most prevalent conditions associated with impaired mobility pain in dairy cattle worldwide. Despite the importance of CHDL, the reasons leading to their development have not yet been fully described. The anatomic structure of the foot, hormonal profiles, inflammation around calving, animal metabolism, and management practices have been thought to contribute. This research project, part of a larger Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) funded project, focused on the role relaxin (associated with parturition) may play in the development of CHDL.