Study of Correlations between Pedal Bone Lesions Diagnosed through Radiographic Examine with Body Weight, Thoracic Circumference, Bone Mineral Densitometry, Clinical Chemistry, Osteocalcin, Ruminal PH and White Blood Cells of Nelore Bovine

Paulo Sergio de Oliveira Scudeller, and Lucy M. R. Muniz

  Abstract: The purpose of this study was to know the occurrence and type and degree of pathological bone changes in Nelore bovine females phalangies, species Bos indicus, without clinical signs diagnosed through radiographic. The 656 radiographs were got of 82 Nelore cows from Center National of Research of Beef Bovine, cnpgc-Embrapa, city Campo Grande-MS, Brazil. These animals were living on extensive system pasture of Brachiaria decumbens. The radiographic bone lesions were correlated with body weigth, thoracic circumference, bone mineral density, protein total serum, creatine phosphokinase, gama-glutamiltransferase, albumin, globulin, aspartate aminotransferase, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, counting of white blood cells and ruminal pH. The claws of fore and hind limbs of cows were radiographed in dorso-palmar, dorso-plantar and latero-medial views, and the bone metacarpus was radiographed in dorso-palmar view to evaluation densitometric. The bone lesions were exostosis, bone reabsorption, osteonecrosis, podotrocleosis, osteocondrosis in the distal phalanx, and periostitis in the proximal and intermedium phalangies. The statistical analyses with SAS did not occur correlation between samples obtained and pedal bone lesions (p < 0.05), only occurred correlation with age and pedal exostosis. There were 87.81% of cows with pedal bone exostosis, and 93.91% with bone reabsorption in the distal phalangies. The radiographic examine is an important recourse diagnosis to bovine subclinic laminitis, mainly for bovines that have pigmented claws.