Digital amputation is a viable treatment option for dairy cows with complicated claw diseases on commercial large-scale dairy farms

This study describes a standardized orthopedic surgery protocol comprising the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to digital amputation in severely lame dairy cows with complicated claw disease, and assesses the postsurgical outcome. From March 2020 to April 2021, 43 cows (study cows) with complicated claw disease requiring orthopedic surgery in one limb were enrolled. All the cows originated from one large-scale dairy farm (3,278 German Holstein cows) with free-stall housing and slatted floors. Study cows underwent presurgical preparation, digital amputation, and postsurgical monitoring at the farm of origin. Lameness progression, wound healing, the occurrence of new claw disease, and reproductive performance were recorded after surgery. Additionally, culling data were analyzed and compared with those of herd mates that entered the herd during the same period but had no history of orthopedic surgery ( N = 2,667; control cows). Statistical analysis was performed using SAS 9.4 (SAS Institute 2016); a non-parametric rank-based method for lameness assessment and linear models for culling data were applied. The study cows survived an additional 127 days after digital amputation (median, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 251–401). Lameness improved within the first days after surgery. Of the 14 study cows pregnant at the time of surgery, 12 calved successfully. Wound healing complications, predominantly uncomplicated soft tissue lesions that resolved after one bandage change, occurred in 30% of study cows. Wound healing complications or severe traumatic lesions of the partner claw requiring immediate culling did not occur. New claw disease occurred in 56% of study cows. The productive lifespan of study cows was 851 days (median; 95% CI: 663–1,039), which was shorter than that of the control cows (median: 1,091 d; 95% CI: 1,068-1,114). However, more study cows were slaughtered ( p ̂ study = 0.86, p ̂ control = 0.74), resulting in fewer cases of euthanasia or unassisted deaths. The proportion of locomotor disorders was higher in culled study cows ( p ̂ study = 0.70) than in control cows ( p ̂ control = 0.22). Digital amputation is a viable and welfare-compliant treatment option for severely lame dairy cows with complicated claw disease, feasible even in large dairy farms without intensive individual care and separate housing during healing.