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Scratch the surface: Histopathology of foot-pad dermatitis in turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

J Stracke ,
D Klotz ,
P Wohlsein ,
S Döhring ,
N Volkmann ,
N Kemper  and
B Spindler
J Stracke*
Affiliation:
Institute for Animal Hygiene, Animal Welfare and Farm Animal Behaviour, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, 30173 Hannover, Germany
D Klotz
Affiliation:
Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
P Wohlsein
Affiliation:
Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
S Döhring
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Landscape Architecture, University of Applied Sciences Osnabrück, Am Krümpel 31, 49090 Osnabrück, Germany
N Volkmann
Affiliation:
Institute for Animal Hygiene, Animal Welfare and Farm Animal Behaviour, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, 30173 Hannover, Germany
N Kemper
Affiliation:
Institute for Animal Hygiene, Animal Welfare and Farm Animal Behaviour, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, 30173 Hannover, Germany
B Spindler
Affiliation:
Institute for Animal Hygiene, Animal Welfare and Farm Animal Behaviour, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, 30173 Hannover, Germany
*
* Contact for correspondence: [email protected]
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Abstract

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Foot-pad dermatitis (FPD) is an important indicator of animal welfare in turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo). The present study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of a commonly used five-point visual score (VC), assessing FPD based on lesion size by implementing histopathological analysis. In 100 turkey feet (20 per scale scored by the VC), the size of both the foot-pad and the alteration were measured. Subsequently, a histopathological analysis was performed, examining the occurrence and severity grade of different parameters. The study addressed three main goals: (i) examining the reliability of the scoring system concerning the evaluated size of FPD; (ii) assessing histopathological parameters to analyse patterns, reflecting the categories of the scoring system; and (iii) finding threshold values to avoid the occurrence of ulcerations. The study found good observer reliabilities for the VC, but measuring the relative size of alterations resulted in divergent values according to the original specifications With regard to the histopathological parameters, no clear patterns were found in the respective VC scoring levels. However, ulcerations revealed a significant effect on the size of the alteration, showing a greater grade of severity with increasing lesion size. Regarding the occurrence of ulcerations, optimum threshold values could be identified even in very small lesions. This study helps contribute to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of FPD. It also raises the question as to whether, in light of animal welfare concerns, threshold values of visual systems should be adjusted to avoid ulcerations, considering the outcome of our histopathological assessment.

Keywords

animal welfarefoot-pad dermatitisFPDhistopathologyscoring systemsturkeys
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 29 , Issue 4 , November 2020 , pp. 419 - 432
Copyright
© 2020 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

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