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Letters
Letters Rib fractures in slaughter cattle
by the cow dropping onto her front hoof as she adopted the lying position, but rejected this hypothesis on the basis that there were no gross external lesions (eg, no hair loss over the chest wall to suggest external trauma). Maddox (1986) found a relationship between mid-shaft rib fractures of ribs 2 to 4 and body condition score, especially in older cows. There is, therefore, clear evidence of rib fracture being a common condition and being related to lameness and body condition. The suggestion by Mr Paton that rib fracture may also arise from
WE read the letter from Robert Paton (VR, August 2, 2014, vol 175, pp 123-124) with interest, as one of us (RB) recently spent two days in an abattoir (investigating rumen magnets) and, like Mr Paton, was also surprised at the number of barren cows with healed rib fractures, both mid-shaft and at the costochondral junctions. There was not, unfortunately, an opportunity to carry out a full count of the fractures to compare the prevalence with that observed by Mr Paton, but both types of rib fracture must be indicators of adverse welfare and, as such, we need a better understanding the causes and of preventive strategies. Mr Paton suggests that the rib swellings could be attributed to pressure from FIG 1: Radiograph showing fractures of both the costochondral joints and the cartilaginous ribs at ribs 7 to the olecranon of the elbow 9. Many cases are detectable by palpation only onto the costochondral junction of the rib. In an pressure via the olecranon in group-housed study of around 2000 cows from 13 dairy calves is interesting. It would be of value herds in the Gloucester area, we found a to examine a group of replacement heifers prevalence of palpable rib swellings at the for rib swellings over time (ie, from calves costochondral junction of ribs 7 to 9 (Fig into adult cows) and relate this to periods 1) ranging between farms from 3.6 to 26.8 of lameness and low body condition score. per cent, with 15.8 per cent affected overall This would be an ideal project for a college (Blowey and others 2011, Boyling 2011). farm. A second study (Witchell 2013) found a similar prevalence. Unlike Mr Paton, in Roger Blowey, Wood Veterinary Group, this study we did not find any that were 125 Bristol Road, Gloucester GL2 4NB significantly painful to manual pressure, but e-mail: [email protected] others have reported to RB that occasional Nick Bell, Royal Veterinary College, cases have elicited pain. Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, Of the 2000 cows it was possible Hertfordshire AL9 7TA to mobility score 343. From this group, only 5 per cent of mobility score 0 cows had a palpable rib swelling, whereas References BLOWEY, R. W., BELL, N. & BOYLING, E. (2011) 47.2 per cent of mobility score 3 cows The presence of palpable rib swellings and association had a palpable rib swelling (P
Letters
Letters Rib fractures in slaughter cattle
by the cow dropping onto her front hoof as she adopted the lying position, but rejected this hypothesis on the basis that there were no gross external lesions (eg, no hair loss over the chest wall to suggest external trauma). Maddox (1986) found a relationship between mid-shaft rib fractures of ribs 2 to 4 and body condition score, especially in older cows. There is, therefore, clear evidence of rib fracture being a common condition and being related to lameness and body condition. The suggestion by Mr Paton that rib fracture may also arise from
WE read the letter from Robert Paton (VR, August 2, 2014, vol 175, pp 123-124) with interest, as one of us (RB) recently spent two days in an abattoir (investigating rumen magnets) and, like Mr Paton, was also surprised at the number of barren cows with healed rib fractures, both mid-shaft and at the costochondral junctions. There was not, unfortunately, an opportunity to carry out a full count of the fractures to compare the prevalence with that observed by Mr Paton, but both types of rib fracture must be indicators of adverse welfare and, as such, we need a better understanding the causes and of preventive strategies. Mr Paton suggests that the rib swellings could be attributed to pressure from FIG 1: Radiograph showing fractures of both the costochondral joints and the cartilaginous ribs at ribs 7 to the olecranon of the elbow 9. Many cases are detectable by palpation only onto the costochondral junction of the rib. In an pressure via the olecranon in group-housed study of around 2000 cows from 13 dairy calves is interesting. It would be of value herds in the Gloucester area, we found a to examine a group of replacement heifers prevalence of palpable rib swellings at the for rib swellings over time (ie, from calves costochondral junction of ribs 7 to 9 (Fig into adult cows) and relate this to periods 1) ranging between farms from 3.6 to 26.8 of lameness and low body condition score. per cent, with 15.8 per cent affected overall This would be an ideal project for a college (Blowey and others 2011, Boyling 2011). farm. A second study (Witchell 2013) found a similar prevalence. Unlike Mr Paton, in Roger Blowey, Wood Veterinary Group, this study we did not find any that were 125 Bristol Road, Gloucester GL2 4NB significantly painful to manual pressure, but e-mail: [email protected] others have reported to RB that occasional Nick Bell, Royal Veterinary College, cases have elicited pain. Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, Of the 2000 cows it was possible Hertfordshire AL9 7TA to mobility score 343. From this group, only 5 per cent of mobility score 0 cows had a palpable rib swelling, whereas References BLOWEY, R. W., BELL, N. & BOYLING, E. (2011) 47.2 per cent of mobility score 3 cows The presence of palpable rib swellings and association had a palpable rib swelling (P
