Lameness and Hoof Disorders in Sheep and Goats from Small Ruminant Farms in Selangor, Malaysia
Hoof disorders in small ruminants pose significant challenges to animal welfare and farm productivity. This study presents the first attempt to determine the prevalence of lameness and hoof disorders and their associated risk factors in goat and sheep farms in Selangor, Malaysia. Locomotion scores w...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| author | Fatini Dayana Binti Rashid Siti Nabilah Binti Mohd Roslan Jacky Tan Lit Kai Afida binti Ahmad Tajuddin Siti Zubaidah Ramanoon Azalea Hani Othman Mohammed Babatunde Sadiq |
| author_facet | Fatini Dayana Binti Rashid Siti Nabilah Binti Mohd Roslan Jacky Tan Lit Kai Afida binti Ahmad Tajuddin Siti Zubaidah Ramanoon Azalea Hani Othman Mohammed Babatunde Sadiq |
| author_sort | Fatini Dayana Binti Rashid |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Hoof disorders in small ruminants pose significant challenges to animal welfare and farm productivity. This study presents the first attempt to determine the prevalence of lameness and hoof disorders and their associated risk factors in goat and sheep farms in Selangor, Malaysia. Locomotion scores were collected from 226 animals (126 sheep and 100 goats) across 10 farms. A hoof examination was conducted, and hoof lesions were identified through detailed photographic evaluation. On-farm assessments and interviews were conducted to gather information on management practices from the farms. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and logistic regression models. The prevalence of lameness was 42.8% (95% CI 34.2 to 51.9) in sheep and 23.0% (95% CI 16.3–38.4) in goats. Significant variation (<i>p</i> > 0.05) in lameness prevalence was observed across farms, ranging from 26.7% to 61.5% in sheep and 7.7% to 30.8% in goat farms. The majority of lameness and hoof lesions were observed in the hindlimbs of both species. The prevalence of hoof disorders was 91.3% (95% CI 84.6–95.4) in sheep and 43.0% in goats (95% CI 21.4–58.0). The predominant hoof disorders were overgrown wall horn, white line disease, sole bruise, and wall fissures. No hoof affections of infectious origin were observed in the sampled animals. Risk factors for lameness and hoof lesions in sheep included pregnancy, semi-intensive management, and breeds other than Damara. Higher odds of lameness were observed in exotic goat breeds and those with overgrown wall horns. In conclusion, this study revealed a high prevalence of lameness and hoof disorders in goat and sheep farms, highlighting the need to address these important welfare and economic issues. While the identified risk factors could be considered for the management of hoof disorders in small ruminant farms, a larger sample size that is representative of the sheep and goat population is recommended for more generalizable results. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
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| spelling | doaj-art-1172e2acb5ec4e7ea4a7f7242e2834cc2025-08-20T03:28:32ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-06-011513185810.3390/ani15131858Lameness and Hoof Disorders in Sheep and Goats from Small Ruminant Farms in Selangor, MalaysiaFatini Dayana Binti Rashid0Siti Nabilah Binti Mohd Roslan1Jacky Tan Lit Kai2Afida binti Ahmad Tajuddin3Siti Zubaidah Ramanoon4Azalea Hani Othman5Mohammed Babatunde Sadiq6Department of Farm and Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, MalaysiaDepartment of Farm and Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, MalaysiaDepartment of Farm and Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, MalaysiaDepartment of Farm and Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, MalaysiaDepartment of Farm and Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, MalaysiaDepartment of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, MalaysiaDepartment of Farm and Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, MalaysiaHoof disorders in small ruminants pose significant challenges to animal welfare and farm productivity. This study presents the first attempt to determine the prevalence of lameness and hoof disorders and their associated risk factors in goat and sheep farms in Selangor, Malaysia. Locomotion scores were collected from 226 animals (126 sheep and 100 goats) across 10 farms. A hoof examination was conducted, and hoof lesions were identified through detailed photographic evaluation. On-farm assessments and interviews were conducted to gather information on management practices from the farms. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and logistic regression models. The prevalence of lameness was 42.8% (95% CI 34.2 to 51.9) in sheep and 23.0% (95% CI 16.3–38.4) in goats. Significant variation (<i>p</i> > 0.05) in lameness prevalence was observed across farms, ranging from 26.7% to 61.5% in sheep and 7.7% to 30.8% in goat farms. The majority of lameness and hoof lesions were observed in the hindlimbs of both species. The prevalence of hoof disorders was 91.3% (95% CI 84.6–95.4) in sheep and 43.0% in goats (95% CI 21.4–58.0). The predominant hoof disorders were overgrown wall horn, white line disease, sole bruise, and wall fissures. No hoof affections of infectious origin were observed in the sampled animals. Risk factors for lameness and hoof lesions in sheep included pregnancy, semi-intensive management, and breeds other than Damara. Higher odds of lameness were observed in exotic goat breeds and those with overgrown wall horns. In conclusion, this study revealed a high prevalence of lameness and hoof disorders in goat and sheep farms, highlighting the need to address these important welfare and economic issues. While the identified risk factors could be considered for the management of hoof disorders in small ruminant farms, a larger sample size that is representative of the sheep and goat population is recommended for more generalizable results.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/13/1858small ruminantslamenesshoof disordersanimal welfarerisk factors |
| spellingShingle | Fatini Dayana Binti Rashid Siti Nabilah Binti Mohd Roslan Jacky Tan Lit Kai Afida binti Ahmad Tajuddin Siti Zubaidah Ramanoon Azalea Hani Othman Mohammed Babatunde Sadiq Lameness and Hoof Disorders in Sheep and Goats from Small Ruminant Farms in Selangor, Malaysia Animals small ruminants lameness hoof disorders animal welfare risk factors |
| title | Lameness and Hoof Disorders in Sheep and Goats from Small Ruminant Farms in Selangor, Malaysia |
| title_full | Lameness and Hoof Disorders in Sheep and Goats from Small Ruminant Farms in Selangor, Malaysia |
| title_fullStr | Lameness and Hoof Disorders in Sheep and Goats from Small Ruminant Farms in Selangor, Malaysia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Lameness and Hoof Disorders in Sheep and Goats from Small Ruminant Farms in Selangor, Malaysia |
| title_short | Lameness and Hoof Disorders in Sheep and Goats from Small Ruminant Farms in Selangor, Malaysia |
| title_sort | lameness and hoof disorders in sheep and goats from small ruminant farms in selangor malaysia |
| topic | small ruminants lameness hoof disorders animal welfare risk factors |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/13/1858 |
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