Pathomorphological Findings of White Line Disease with Digital and Inner Organ Infections in Culling Dairy Cows

The aim of this study was to investigate pathomorphological findings of white line disease in culling lame cows, with special reference to the lesions and their distribution. The most prominent pathomorphologic findings of the claw with white line disease included extensor process entheseophyte (75.0%), flexor tuberisity entheseophyte (37.5%) and abaxial margin bone absorption (68.7%). Six out of the total of WLD3 cases had osteolysis of flexor tuberisity (66.7%). In WLD3 cases, three out of the total of 9 cases showed septic osteoarthritis in distal inter-phalangeal joint (33.3%). Ankylosis was observed only in one case between P3 bone and distal sesamoid bone. One of case with WLD2 showed severe bone sequestration of P3 bone. Laminitis may have affected virtually this case at some previous time. Routine trimming and scoring of locomotion seems to provide suitable parameters for early diagnosis and prevention of premature culling in dairy cows.