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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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
2025
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120684/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120684/1/120684.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848868216119492608 |
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| author | Rashid, Fatini Dayana Mohd Roslan, Siti Nabilah Lit Kai, Jacky Tan Ahmad Tajuddin, Afida Ramanoon, Siti Zubaidah Othman, Azalea Hani Sadiq, Mohammed Babatunde |
| author_facet | Rashid, Fatini Dayana Mohd Roslan, Siti Nabilah Lit Kai, Jacky Tan Ahmad Tajuddin, Afida Ramanoon, Siti Zubaidah Othman, Azalea Hani Sadiq, Mohammed Babatunde |
| author_sort | Rashid, Fatini Dayana |
| building | UPM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| 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 (p > 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. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T14:48:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | upm-120684 |
| institution | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T14:48:52Z |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publisher | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | upm-1206842025-10-08T04:31:08Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120684/ Lameness and hoof disorders in sheep and goats from small ruminant farms in Selangor, Malaysia Rashid, Fatini Dayana Mohd Roslan, Siti Nabilah Lit Kai, Jacky Tan Ahmad Tajuddin, Afida Ramanoon, Siti Zubaidah Othman, Azalea Hani Sadiq, Mohammed Babatunde 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 (p > 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. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) 2025 Article PeerReviewed text en cc_by_4 http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120684/1/120684.pdf Rashid, Fatini Dayana and Mohd Roslan, Siti Nabilah and Lit Kai, Jacky Tan and Ahmad Tajuddin, Afida and Ramanoon, Siti Zubaidah and Othman, Azalea Hani and Sadiq, Mohammed Babatunde (2025) Lameness and hoof disorders in sheep and goats from small ruminant farms in Selangor, Malaysia. Animals, 15 (13). art. no. 1858. pp. 1-15. ISSN 2076-2615 https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/13/1858 10.3390/ani15131858 |
| spellingShingle | Rashid, Fatini Dayana Mohd Roslan, Siti Nabilah Lit Kai, Jacky Tan Ahmad Tajuddin, Afida Ramanoon, Siti Zubaidah Othman, Azalea Hani Sadiq, Mohammed Babatunde Lameness and hoof disorders in sheep and goats from small ruminant farms in Selangor, Malaysia |
| 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 |
| url | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120684/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120684/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120684/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120684/1/120684.pdf |