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Bovine laminitis
Bovine laminitis is an inflammation of the tissues inside the hoof that connect the finger bone to the horn wall. These tissues become fragile, the bone is no longer suspended correctly and the horn produced afterwards is of poor quality. I...
What is it?
Bovine laminitis is an inflammation of the tissues inside the hoof that connect the finger bone to the horn wall. These tissues become fragile, the bone is no longer suspended correctly and the horn produced afterwards is of poor quality.
In cows, the most common form is discreet: the animal does not limp clearly, but its horn is damaged and, a few weeks later, sole ulcers, sores and cracks appear. This is why it is often described as the disease that prepares other lamenesses.
It is closely linked to feeding and herd management, in particular to rapid dietary transitions around calving.
Key point
Acute laminitis is very painful. An animal that no longer wants to get up must be seen urgently: lying down for a long time leads to other complications which may be irreversible.
Commonly observed signs
These signs are neither exhaustive nor specific. Only a veterinarian can establish a diagnosis.
Related signs — each one links to its page:
In the acute form, several animals from the same flock become stiff and painful at the same time, often within a few days of a ration change.
Cautious and shortened gait, animal that tramples, holds its back arched or shifts its weight onto the heels.
Claws warm to the touch, sensitive to pressure.
Decreased appetite, drop in milk production.
In the most severe cases, the animal remains lying down and gets up with great difficulty: it is an emergency.
In the discreet form, the most common, there is no visible lameness: there is the yellowed horn, the red spots in the sole, the horizontal lines and cracks on the wall, then, weeks later, the ulcers and the blemishes which betray the past episode.
Eventually, the hooves widen and become deformed, taking on a slipper-like appearance.
When to consult without delay
This list does not replace veterinary advice. It gathers situations that justify a prompt consultation.
Causes and risk factors
The main cause in dairy cows is rumen acidosis: a ration too rich in rapidly fermentable starch, too poor in effective fiber, or introduced too suddenly. Acidification of the rumen releases substances that disrupt blood circulation in the foot.
Abrupt dietary transitions, particularly from dry to productive rations, are the most common trigger.
Calving itself weakens the cushioning structures of the foot.
Excessive standing time on hard ground, due to lack of comfortable sleeping space, mechanically aggravates the lesions.
Certain general illnesses with severe inflammation, such as metritis or severe mastitis, can also affect the circulation of the foot.
Rations with a high proportion of concentrates, distribution in separate meals rather than mixed rations, insufficient fiber or too finely chopped.
Food transition too rapid before and after calving.
First lactation: heifers, whose feet have never been used in this way, are particularly exposed.
Overcrowding, uncomfortable cubicles, hard floors, prolonged waiting in the milking parlor.
Lack of regular trimming.
Thermal stress and periods of high heat, which modify eating behavior: animals eat less often and in larger quantities, which promotes acidosis.
Diagnosis and care
Diagnosis is the veterinarian's responsibility, based on clinical examination and laboratory tests. Care is decided case by case.
When faced with several stiff or lame animals in the same group, the veterinarian systematically looks for a dietary cause: composition of the ration, method of distribution, regularity of the transition, quantity of fiber actually consumed.
He examines the raised and trimmed feet for characteristic signs in the horn, and rules out other causes of lameness.
Monitoring of dung, rumination and the condition of the animals completes the analysis of the herd: laminitis is a collective problem, it is diagnosed at the scale of the flock rather than that of an individual cow.
Dietary advice is an integral part of the treatment: without correction of the diet, the same lesions will return during the next lactation.
Treatment
In the acute form, the veterinarian prescribes an anti-inflammatory to relieve significant pain and takes care of the triggering cause.
The ration is immediately reviewed: reduction of concentrates, addition of roughage, gradual return to a balanced distribution. This correction is done with the support of the veterinarian or food advisor.
Affected animals are placed on a soft, dry and well-mulched area, a short distance from water and the trough: the hard ground maintains the pain.
Trimming is carried out once the painful phase has passed, to rebalance the hooves; lesions that appear later, ulcers in particular, are treated for themselves.
There is no treatment that instantly repairs the horn: it grows back slowly, which explains why the consequences are seen for months.
Treatment depends on the cause and the animal's condition: it must be determined by a veterinarian. No self-medication.
Prevention
Prevention is almost entirely dietary and is based on progressiveness: any change in ration must be spread over several days, and the transition to the lactation ration must be prepared before calving.
Ensure a sufficient quantity of effective fiber, that is to say, fodder long enough to induce rumination, and avoid excess starch.
Favor a mixed ration and a regular presence of food at the trough rather than large, spaced meals.
Monitor rumination and the appearance of droppings: these are early and obvious indicators of an imbalance.
Provide sleeping comfort: one place per animal, dry litter, adapted cubicles. The more a cow is lying down, the less strain is placed on its feet.
Regularly trim the entire herd, and particularly care for heifers at first calving.
During periods of high heat, maintain permanent access to fresh water and distribute at cooler times to maintain regularity of ingestion.
Possible complications
Appearance, several weeks after the episode, of sole ulcers, bruises and cracks in the wall: these are the most frequent and costly consequences.
Long-lasting deformation of the hooves, which become wide and flat, with chronic lameness.
Tilting of the finger bone in severe forms, with permanent after-effects.
Drop in production, reproduction difficulties and anticipated reforms.
In a herd, the repetition of episodes establishes a high and lasting level of lameness, difficult to bring down.
When to see a veterinarian
Several animals from the same flock become stiff or lame at the same time, especially after a change of food.
You notice warm and sensitive hooves.
A cow refuses to move or remains lying down: call immediately.
The dung becomes liquid and rumination decreases in the flock.
Newly calved heifers limp in the weeks following their first birth.
Sole ulcers appear in several cows a few weeks after a feeding incident.
Prognosis
A mild episode, quickly corrected in terms of nutrition, results in a horn of poorer quality for a few months, then a return to normal.
Severe forms leave deformed hooves and lameness which recur throughout the animal's career.
At the herd level, the prognosis depends entirely on the correction of the ration and the comfort of sleeping: it is a breeding problem before being a foot problem.
Frequently asked questions
Is it the same disease as horse laminitis?
The mechanism in the foot is comparable, but in cows the disease mainly takes a discreet form: it does not always lead to immediate lameness, and it is the ulcers and horn lesions that appear several weeks later which reveal it. The causes and actions to take differ: equine laminitis is the subject of a separate sheet.
My cows are not lame, can I rule out laminitis?
No. The most common form in dairy farming is not visible in the gait. It can be read in the horn at the time of trimming: yellowed horn, red spots in the sole, horizontal lines on the wall. This is precisely why annual trimming has diagnostic value.
How long does it take to change a ration safely?
The principle is to spread any changes over several days and introduce the concentrates gradually, preparing the lactation ration before calving. The exact duration depends on the ration and the herd: have it defined by your veterinarian or your feeding advisor.
Why are heifers most affected?
Because everything happens at the same time for them: first calving, sudden transition to a rich ration, entry into a herd where they are pushed around and remain standing, and feet which have never supported this load. Giving them a gentle transition and a quiet sleeping place really changes things.
References
EFSA — Autorité européenne de sécurité des aliments
Content reviewed by the TunisieVet editorial team · Updated 09 August 2026
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