By John Brindle
This cross-sectional study aimed to assess what management practices veterinarians recommended for down dairy cows in Ontario, Canada, while identifying factors influencing producers’ adoption of optimal care protocols to improve welfare for these animals. An online survey about veterinary involvement in down cow management was conducted between February and May 2021, distributed by email through the Ontario Association of Bovine Practitioners (OABP). The survey encompassed 75 questions, 38 of which pertained to down cow management. Descriptive statistics were computed using Python (v3.8.8, python.org). A total of 48 Ontario bovine veterinarians responded (26.8% response rate). Gender distribution was even (50%), and the majority of respondents were between 30 to 39 years old. Most veterinarians suggested housing down cattle in individual pens (40.7%), followed by pasture (29.6%), special pens for three or fewer animals (26%), and special pens for four or more animals (3.7%). Regarding spacing allowance for a down cow, many veterinarians suggested 120 to 250 sq ft (53.3%) per cow, followed by providing a minimum of 100 sq ft (30.0%), 300 or more square feet (10%), or having ‘space to lunge’ (6.7%). Recommendations for moving down cows included using a sled (62.5%), stone boat (56.3%), front-end loader bucket (45.8%), wheeled cart (20.8%), and hip-lifter (2.1%). For lifting down cows, recommendations including using multi-band slings (56.3%), hip lifters (43.8%), flotation tanks (25.0%), single belly slings (14.6%), ropes (4.2%), daisy lifters (2.1%), and hip lifters with additional straps (2.1%). The varied recommendations for housing and space need for down cows highlights the need for more research in this area to determine best management practices to improve welfare for managing down dairy cattle.
