Table 3.

Non-infectious predisposing factors for the development of lesions in the limbs causing lameness in dairy cattle.

Predisposing Factor		References
Environmental	Poor sanitation in breeding environments. Excessive stocking density (ease of transmission). Environment conducive to injury. Poor stall construction (too short or too narrow; excessive slope). Heat stress. Incorrect herd management. Concrete floors. Wet floors. Improper hoof correction. Lack of hoof inspection. Keeping animals in draughts. Concomitant limb and hoof diseases. Season of the year.	[40,41,42]
Individual	Size of cow. Hoof pigmentation. Age of cow. Herd size.
Dietary	High-energy fodder. Insufficient fibre in diet. Excessive protein in diet. Mineral or vitamin deficiencies. Sudden changes in diet, especially in the post-partum period.
Concomitant diseases	Metabolic disorders, e.g., subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA), leading to laminitis and white-line ulcers.
Genetic	Inherited hoof structure. Breed predispositions, mainly in Holstein-Friesian cows.