Don’t miss the signs of claw lesions. Sows with claw lesions don’t always show visual signs of lameness, says Sarah Weiland, swine global research and technical services associate with Zinpro.
Evaluating claw health regularly can reveal important clues about what may be happening with the sow before more bigger problems develop.
“Lameness isn’t inevitable and it doesn’t have to be something that we as an industry just accept,” she says. “We know now that claw lesions are actually a clue that a sow doesn’t have what she needs to perform at her best.”
Weiland offers three clues to identify the root cause of claw health issues and make more informed decisions for your herd.
Clue 1: What type of lesions do you see?
Sow claws can present several different lesions, including white line lesions and heel overgrowth and erosion.
“White line lesions can become severe and contribute to lameness relatively quickly,” Weiland says. “Those situations often lead to culling because it’s such a severe lesion that the animal can’t maintain sound movement.”
But she says sows with heel overgrowth and erosion may remain in the herd longer, however the lesion can become severe on the bottom of the claw and contribute to pain, discomfort and inflammation.
Recognizing the type and severity of lesions is the first step to understand the severity of the issue.
Clue 2: What physical influences affect sow foot health?
Understanding the sow’s environmental conditions is an important part of determining why a lesion developed. Flooring, housing and injuries are just a few things that can contribute to claw damage.
“If you’re seeing the same type of lesions across multiple sows, look at what those animals have in common,” Weiland says. “Flooring, housing and other environmental factors can all help you start narrowing down what may be contributing to the problem.”
Examine affected sows’ housing. Consider which factors could cause injury or excess wear. Determine whether environmental conditions help explain the type or pattern of lesions being observed.
Clue 3: Does the sow have what she needs to recover?
Despite how the problem started, the sow needs nutritional resources to help maintain and repair claw tissues.
“The sow’s body is an amazing healing machine,” Weiland says. “Most lesions are things that the sow should be able to heal from. But when they don’t have what they need to allow that healing to happen, that’s when these lesions can go on for a long time and cause issues.”
Trace minerals are important building blocks for claw integrity, skin barrier function and tissue maintenance, say researchers at Louisiana State University.
“Trace minerals are in every sow diet,” Weiland says. “We understand trace mineral recommendations fairly well, but what muddies the water a bit is that not all minerals are as available and as efficiently used in the body.”
She says providing a highly bioavailable trace mineral source helps support claw integrity and tissue maintenance throughout the sow’s productive life.
Connecting the Clues
Lesion type, severity, prevalence, environment and nutrition should be considered together to build a more complete picture of what is happening in the herd, Weiland says.
“Claw lesions are evidence,” Weiland says. “The more producers and nutritionists understand what that evidence means, the better equipped they are to investigate the root cause and make informed nutrition and management decisions.”
