Postmortem findings in lame cattle which underwent on farm emergency slaughter in Norway

Abstract

According to on-farm emergency slaughter (OFES) veterinary certificates almost half of OFES cases in Norway are the result of locomotory disorders. However, beyond certification the diagnosis of these cases is unconfirmed. The aim of this study was to describe the gross lesions found at PME of cattle that underwent OFES for disorders of locomotion. During 2023, OFES cases entering two slaughterhouses underwent a regular PME and the pathological findings recorded. Complementary data were obtained from the veterinary certificate and Norwegian Food Safety Authority’s record system. In total, 492 cases met the study’s inclusion criteria. Descriptive statistics were generated, and logistic regression analyses were performed to examine relationship of sex, breed, production form and age with the post-mortem diagnosis. Gross lesions found at PME were categorized. The most common categories were soft tissue trauma (24 %), fracture (23 %), joint pathology (23 %), and joint dislocation (18 %). Most joint pathology cases involved the hock joint with males having a higher risk than females. Multivariable analysis found that joint dislocations (93 % hip dislocations) were associated with older, female Holstein cows. The high number of trauma cases was to be expected as suffering an accident is a prerequisite for the animal being eligible for OFES. However, the high number of spinal fractures, hip dislocations in female cattle, as well as hock lesions in bulls should be investigated further to find ways to prevent these painful lesions.