ARCHIVE FILE
This article was published in 1962
See the original document
INSTITUTE OF INSPECTORS OF STOCK OF N.S.W. YEAR BOOK.
Arthritis in Cattle
D. H. MUMFORD, B.V.Sc., District Veterinary Officer, Dubbo
Cases of various forms of arthritis in cattle have been recorded in the literature from time to time but these have been restricted usually to aged cattle, particularly cows which have been through the stress of a series of lactations.
Accordingly it is thought to be of considerable interest to record an "outbreak" of arthritis in young bulls on a Hereford stud in western New South Wales.
The property is situated near the Lachlan River and is watered by an offshoot of this river. The country comprises a mixture of red and black soils growing Trefoil, Barley Grass, Chloris spp. and Stips spp. It is recognised as being excellent sheep and cattle country.
Both Hereford stud and herd cattle are run on the property but, to date, only the stud cattle have been affected and, moreover, only the bulls.
HISTORY
About 1956 a stud bull developed hip lameness as a calf and no further cases were noted until the Spring of 1959 when the condition was noted again in young bulls and in the following twelve months 6 young bulls out of 16 in the one to two years age group became affected.
Cases occurred in young calves still on their mothers, in young bulls on natural pasture with and without supplementary feed and in those which had been hand fed. The ration used for hand feeding was taken from C.S.I.R.O. recommendations and had proper Ca:P ratio.
Although most of the cases in the young bulls are by the one sire, the complaint has been recognised in other breeding lines which apparently would eliminate any genetic effect although information is being sought on the extended pedigrees of the affected animals, and at the moment the possibility of the genetic effect has not been completely eliminated.
SYMPTOMS
The complaint is first evidenced by disinclination to move an affected hind leg. One or both legs may be affected. The animal favours the affected leg which is not moved freely during progression but the toe is dragged.
The hip joint appears to be the one mainly affected and at examination of long standing cases, cursory inspection reveals what appears to be some enlargement of the joint, but on close inspection this apparent enlargement is found to be due to atrophy of the surrounding muscle groups. The muscular atrophy is very noticeable when only one hindquarter is affected. No crepitation is detectable when the animal moves.
At rest the affected limb is carried under the body and when both limbs are affected the animal stands with both feet well under the abdomen, in the manner of a horse suffering from scute laminitis.
POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION
A young bull aged 14 months, which was affected in both hips, was destroyed and on post-mortem examination extensive lesions of arthritis were found in both hind limbs.
The hip joints were very badly affected and the Tarsal joints to a much lesser degree. Strangely enough, the stifle joints were normal although this joint is one of the main joints affected in cases of arthritis in older cattle.
Lesions were more in the nature of severe erosion of joint surfaces rather than massive build-up of exostoses as is usually the case.
Both hip joints were found to be severely affected by deep erosions in the acetabulum. The acetabular fossa was greatly enlarged with a honeycomb appearance. The articular surface had eroded right through in two small areas and the articular cartilage was completely eroded except for a narrow bridge across the centre.
The head of the femur showed erosions of the cartilage extending to the underlying cancellated bone. A few very small exostoses were present on the ventral lip of the articular surface.
Both tarsal joints were also affected, particularly in the central tarsal bones where there appeared to be severe erosions extending on to the articular surface from the non-articular depression.
LABORATORY EXAMINATION OF SPECIMENS
No significant organisms were cultured from pipettes of joint fluid.
Blood and sera from affected and apparently healthy animals gave normal ranges for calcium, phosphorus and magnesium.
Analysis of bone ash showed appreciably lower amounts of calcium and phosphorus from the acetabulum and head of the femur but not at the shank of the femur.
DISCUSSION
No cause has yet been found for the condition, although genetic factors have not been completely eliminated. The condition is reported as a matter of interest in that such a severe "outbreak" of arthritis could be recorded in cattle so young; that it is restricted to young bulls and that it developed under a wide variety of feeding conditions.