Diet factors and subclinical laminitis score in lactating cows of smallholder dairy farms in Thailand R. Pilachai a,b,n , J.Th. Schonewille a , C. Thamrongyoswittayakul b , S. Aiumlamai b , C. Wachirapakorn c , H. Everts a , W.H. Hendriks a,d a Animal Nutrition Division, Department of Farm Animal Health, Facultyof Veterinary, Medicine, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80151, 3508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands b Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand c Tropical Feed Resources Research and Development Center, Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand d Animal Nutrition Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands article info Article history: Received 18 September 2012 Received in revised form 24 April 2013 Accepted 25 April 2013 Keywords: Subclinical laminitis Nutritional risk factor Dairy cow abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the importance of dietary crude protein (CP) content, dietary neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content and feeding regime as well as other factors related to management and demographics on the occurrence of (subclinical) laminitis under practical Thai feeding conditions. Hemorrhage of the white line and the sole, sole ulcer and white-line fissure of all four claws of milking cows (n ¼119) on 25 farms (selected based on the occurrence of lameness) were macroscopically assessed to calculate the prevalence of subclinical laminitis (SCL) on each farm. Data were collected on farm characteristics, feed and feeding management, floor type and hoof care. Dry matter intake was assessed on each farm and feed ingredients collected and analyzed for dry matter (DM), CP and NDF. No significant differences were found for farm characteristics such as herd size, number of milking cows, parity and body condition scoring between farms with a low ( o25%) or a high prevalence ( 425%) of SCL. Percentages of DM and CP content of the rations did not differ, whereas mean NDF content in the ration was significantly higher in the low compared to the high prevalence farms. Multiple regression analysis of the data showed that a ration low in NDF content and/or in combination with the separate feeding of roughage and concentrate was associated with a high SCL prevalence. The results suggest that mixing concentrate with a substantial part of the roughage is an important strategy to prevent SCL in smallholder dairy farms under Thai feeding conditions. In addition, the dietary NDF content but not the dietary CP level is associated with SCL prevalence in dairy cows under Thai feeding conditions. & 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Lameness is a major health problem in the dairy indus- try worldwide (Greenough et al., 2007) including Thailand. An important cause of lameness is subclinical laminitis (SCL), which is characterized by claw lesions such as hemorrhages of the sole and the white line, and sole ulcers (Greenough and Vermunt, 1991). Subclinical lami- nitis is associated with low milk production, poor health and reduced reproductive performance (Nordlund et al., 2004), which negatively affect the economical return of dairy cows. Many predisposing factors are associated with the occurrence of (subclinical) laminitis in dairy cattle including farm management, housing, genetics, breeding, and nutrition (Ossent and Lischer, 1998; Vermunt and Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/livsci Livestock Science 1871-1413/$ - see front matter & 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2013.04.014 n Correspondence to: Faculty of Technology, Udon Thani Rajabhat University, 64 Thaharn road, Muang Udon Thani, Udon Thani 41000, Thailand. Tel./fax: +66 42221978. E-mail address: rittichai_pilachai@yahoo.com (R. Pilachai). Livestock Science 155 (2013) 197–204