Читать книгу Bovine Reproduction - Группа авторов - Страница 261

Lameness involving the femorotibial joint usually involves a traumatic episode such as a bullfight, breeding injury, or restraint accident. Suspected stifle injuries should be addressed immediately, and treatment should be aimed at decreasing inflammation and reducing the development of degenerative joint disease. Diagnostics often include observation of ambulation and weight bearing, amount of joint effusion present, joint laxity and the direction of laxity, radiographs, and ultrasound (which may not be possible in larger individuals) [13]. Arthrocentesis is used to rule out sepsis, and total cell count should be less than 2500 WBC/μl and protein less than 4.5 g/dl. Ideally, positive pressure joint lavage should be performed with a sterile isotonic fluid solution containing antibiotics and anti‐inflammatories [14]. Follow‐up therapies may include repeated lavage and regenerative medicine modalities such as plasma‐rich protein or stem cell therapy. Strict stall confinement is necessary for healing. Some injuries take up to six months to heal, and severe cranial cruciate or collateral ligament tears may require strict immobilization with a Thomas splint. These cases should be treated with long‐term non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Of course, such injuries carry a very guarded prognosis when considering pasture soundness and return to breeding. If only the medial meniscus is involved, arthroscopic surgery may be of benefit in valuable individuals [15].

Lameness associated with the shoulder or elbow joint is often caused by trauma and can have a significant impact on ambulation. Non‐weight‐bearing lameness usually equates to serious injury such as a fractured scapula or fracture of the olecranon. A lesser degree of lameness may be observed with subchondral cysts or ligamentous injuries to supportive structures. Intra‐articular anesthetics may temporarily improve lameness but rarely resolve all of the pain during examination. Treatment of these joints is usually relegated to the use of intra‐articular injections unless surgical repair is financially feasible, for example compression plating of a fractured olecranon.

The carpus is probably the least affected large joint in beef cattle. Most lameness associated with this joint occurs in bucking bulls. Degenerative joint disease is observed in older bucking stock due to chronic hyperextension of the carpus when the bull “goes vertical.” This condition responds fairly well for a time to intra‐articular injections of anti‐inflammatories and the administration of NSAIDs.