Table 2.
Definitions of foot lesions as recorded during foot trimming of 144 dairy cows
| Digital dermatitis | Proliferative inflammation of the dorsal or plantar – palmar skin. Commonly found adjacent to the heels or less commonly in the proximal part of the interdigital space |
| Interdigital necrobacillosis | Acute necrotising inflammation of the interdigital skin and underlying tissues, with swelling above the coronary band and in the interdigital space |
| Interdigital dermatitis | Inflammation of the interdigital skin without extension to deeper tissues |
| Heel horn erosions | Pits and pockmarks, with parallel horizontal grooves on the bulb of the heel. Sometimes the horn is separated forming flaps |
| Sole haemorrhage | Haemorrhagic discoloration covering ≥ 50 % of the sole or a smaller area with deep intense colour |
| Sole ulcer | Circumscribed loss of the sole horn exposing the corium of the solar surface, located in the region of the sole-bulb junction, usually nearer the axial margin with or without additional affection of deeper structures of the claw |
| White line disease | Separation of the abaxial sole from the wall; disrupted continuity of white line with the presence of necrosis, organic material or an abscess |
| Double sole | Under run of the sole horn, two soles separated by a space |
| Toe ulcer | Focal area of necrosis or an abscess located at the tip of the claw, undermining the sole horn. Severe cases can be associated with distal phalangeal osteitis |
| Axial wall fissure | Deep fissure on the axial surface of the claw, parallel to the dorsal wall |
| Vertical wall fissure | Vertical fissure of the wall horn, usually located on the dorsal or dorso-lateral aspect of the claw |
| Horizontal wall fissure | Fissure of the wall horn, parallel to the coronary band |
| Long toe | Length of the dorsal aspect of the claw ≥ 8 cm and angle of the dorsal wall of the claw < 50° |
| Interdigital hyperplasia | Fibrous proliferation of the interdigital skin causing a mass that protrudes between the claws; which could be inflamed or not |