Further considerations

Within the last few years, after these trials, infectious hoof diseases, such as interdigital phlegmons and mild digital dermatitis, have become more domi-nant, warranting our attention. Some preliminary investigations conducted by the Finnish national cattle disease group have revealed the growing concern about infectious hoof diseases among vets (Preliminary unanalysed material of the Finnish Food Safety Authority, 2009). Random design studies on the prevalence of infectious hoof diseases and national recommendations to deter these diseases are needed.

Well-designed cold LH systems to prevent hoof lesions should be considered and investigated more thoroughly.

Development of lameness detection is ongoing. Technologists at the Univer-sity of Helsinki have continued to develop diff erent detection methods to identify lame cows.

7 Conclusions

The occurrence of laminitis-related lesions (haemorrhages, WLD and SU), which were described as lactational incidence risks in this study, are strongly aff ected by breed, farm type, parity and the number of times a cow’s hooves are trimmed during lactation. Lactational risk signifi cantly increased every trimming time, and may be underestimated if cows are trimmed only once.

Th e quality of trimming is also considered as one concern after this thesis, in order to improve hoof health by hoof-trimming.

In addition to number of trimming, breed and parity, which were dependent on each others in WLD all-cow TS model and in haemorrhages-models, were the most prominent risk factors for all lesions. Hard beddings in cubicles (compared with deep bedding or mats) were clearly a risk factor for all dis-eases in TS herds too, but neither high levels of milk yield nor feeding type were found to be risk factors.

Novel technologies, such as force plates, potentially answer the need for both early and work-saving detection on growing farms and the need of objective detection in the research fi eld. Th e older and more subjective LS system pro-vides a useful aid in fi nding and taking care of lame cows. Extensive training improves subjectivity and helps to inter-observer variation.

SU and WLD were important hoof diseases in Finland, which can, in addition to lameness, also cause clear APR in cows.

8 Acknowledgements

Financial support from Suomen Rehu, the Walter Ehrström Foundation, the Finnish Veterinary Foundation, Th e Research Foundation of Veterinary Med-icine in Finland and the Interrobo and Kartek projects is gratefully acknowl-edged.

Th esis years are usually a period of many challenges and achievements, with students looking forward to the future. Th ese years for me also contained numerous challenges, a large learning process and lot of adventure, but because of a personal life crisis it was period of change, shadowed by deep grief and sorrow. My thanks therefore contain appreciation, gratitude and warm feelings towards the people who helped me to complete this work, but at the same time, I want to thank everyone being in my life in that life-saving way. You not only made this research work possible, but also left your fi ngerprint on my heart. Perhaps this is something that people do not write about in the disserta-tion book, but still, I love you guys.

I warmly thank my supervisor Timo Soveri. I always wondered how you could trust and believe me so strongly after seeing all of the problems and life chang-es that I went through during thchang-ese years. I thank you for the help, trust and freedom that you always gave me.

I am indebted to Professor Ian R. Dohoo, who made possible all epidemio-logical parts of this thesis, supervised my two largest studies and off ered me the most interesting learning process to the epidemiological world. I cannot think about this work without bursting to tears of thankfulness and apprecia-tion, the help and support I got was nearly too much to handle. I will never forget you or beautiful Prince Edward Island with its Cavendish beach and red soil, and I thank God for you.

I sincerely thank the offi cial reviewers of this thesis, Christoph Mülling and Päivi Rajala-Shulz, for valuable comments and improvings and evaluation at the fi nal stage of this work. Th ank you also Satu Pyörälä for critical and excel-lent comments on this thesis at the last moment before reviewing process. You really helped me gain more order and insight into the text.

Th ank you Carol Ann Pelli for the linguistic revision of my manuscript. Because my poor English your work was important part of the thesis.

Th ank you Pirjo Järvelä for lay out of this thesis book. Th ank you also for your great patience and fl exibility during the last time-pressure. Th ank you also to Jere Pääkkönen for the most stylish cover illustration, it was a great pleasure to meet you Jere in Kuopio hoof conference.

Th anks are also due to Matti Pastell. Your patience, energy and technological ideas made our Suitia project not only possible, but also interesting and valuable.

I thank you also for your assistance; your humble attitude and friendship.

Th ank you Jouni Niemi and Pirkko Hämeenoja. Jouni, you are always the heart of Finnish hoof health, I thank you for taking me into the world of hoof prob-lems and hoof-trimmers and into your life. I also want to thank Pirkko, Jouni’s wife and also a colleque and a good friend. Without you two my whole life would have been a darker place as well.

Th ank you SSHY and especially to the trimmers of the Healthy Hooves project group: Harri Asikainen, Erkki Nivala, Mervi Niinimäki, Asko Klemola and Mara Aulio. I also thank all of the other hoof trimmers for great work and your contribution to the national database in Finland. Our national health system is indebted to you.

Th ank you Eero Korhonen. Without you Eero, as the hoof-trimmer, it would have been practically impossible to conduct Suitia part of this thesis. I would never have found anyone, who could have made the work so nice, peaceful and comfortable. You did work with a big heart and a “good hand” and saved some cows with good hoof-trimming.

Th ank you Suomen Rehu, especially Asko Haarasilta and Kari Hissa. I will al-ways remember Suomen Rehu with warm thoughts. Without this learning proc-ess, I could not have started this project and Finland would have not gotten its national hoof database. I also thank you for the large amount of money. During these valuable years at Suomen Rehu, Asko, you really paved my way by trusting me and I learned many ways to develop visionary thinking. Th ank you Kari for your patient eff orts in teaching this green veterinarian the secrets of feeding and healthy cows. I still keep you as a feeding-guru.

Th ank you Suitia farm, particularly Sakari Alasuutari, Daniel, Susanna and Kimmo. Working with all the Suitia staff was a positive experience and Sakari, you did a real work when You also halp by taking blood-samples. As with hoof trimmers, we worked hard and still had a good time together. Daniel, contrib-uted greatly to the pleasant atmosphere in Suitia; his sudden death in April 2006

left us in deep sorrow. I hope we will meet again some day, in eternity. Th ank you also Toomas Orro, Sanni Kallio, Frans Lahdenranta for helping me a lot in the lameness study and analyses in Suitia.

Th ank you Mari and Kalevi Heinonen. Mari, you are the one of the people I appreciate most. You saved my life numerous times and helped me to go on.

You stood by me and were a real friend outside the University; but you also gave good answers to problems and helped me write cover letters to articles. I will also remember Kalevi for an exceptionally encouraging conversation about the-sis writing and life tragedies in autumn 2004. Th is conversation helped me believe in the future.

Th ank you Henrik Strychn for your kindness, your brilliance and your patient.

Because of your great teaching, I learned something even with my poor English and that terrible lung disease. I am also grateful for the great advice I got from you by email when I was back in Finland and struggling with overdispersions and MlWin.

Th ank you Mika Uusimäki. Although we have had very diff erent stages in our friendship, I will never forget the way you supported me during lonely times and diffi cult moments in Canadian springtime. Th e foundation of all epidemi-ology in this book builds on that spring and I wonder if this “reddish blow-hat”

would have survived all exams and troubles without those numerous emails we both sent. I learned something very special about deep friendship and trust from you, something that I will always cherish.

Th ank you Hannu Saloniemi. Nearly all clinical theses dealing with dairy cows have something to do with you Hannu, and mine was no exception. I called or emailed you nearly every time when something “big” happened and always I got the encouragement that I needed.

Th ank the Genetic Department of the University of Helsinki, especially Minna Laakso, for valuable help and for providing me with important data on parity, breed and milk yield. Minna, you enabled an accurate analysis when you trans-formed all individual cow data from paper to Excel. Th e work was enormous and you did it well and relentlessly.

Th ank you Christian Schnier for all data analysis of the HH pilot year in 2002.

I am also indebted to you for my fi rst steps with Stata and epidemiology. I also thank you for your outstanding hospitality in England in 2005.

Th ank you Kristiina Hakkarainen for being such a good colleague and also a friend. I have enjoyed sharing a workroom and life beyond that room with you.

Th ank you AVC students, with special thanks to Kathryn, Peter, Signe, Charles, Ralph, Dieter and Annie.You should know what you meant to me, not only as AVC schoolmates but also as friends. Also without you I might not have survived for the Biostat fi nal exam and gained ANOVA tables.

Th ank you Riitta Niemi and Jussi Pirkkalaniemi. I want to thank you Riitta and Jussi for being in my life during these last years, for taking care of me and Valientte and for sharing many special moments as friends. Also you made it possible for me to go to Canada.

Th ank you to Maria, Kaisa and Magnus Andersson. When someone travels around the world, e.g. to study epidemiology or to work, and that someone owns horses and dogs, she needs incredible neighbours to help. Especially You, Maria, were always there, thank you!

Th ank you also to all of my other dear friends, who make life worth living and give special encouragement and prayers when needed; special thanks to Antti and Helena, Kyllikki, Nina, Marja, Saku, Susa, Satu, Pirjo, Lea, Maija, Maar-it, Markus and Mikko. Sometimes you really kept me alive!

Th ank you my dear father Rauno Kujala. You showed me the value of an hon-est and uncompromising way of life and taught me to appreciate work but also good relationships.

And, fi nally, I thank my Savior Jesus Christ, to whom I dedicate my life. He gave it all.

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In document Laminitis-related lesions and lameness detection in dairy cattle in Finland (sivua 51-66)