WO2015088454A1

WO2015088454A1 - Method of hoof trimming of ungulates by a liquid jet and a veterinary trimming assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2015088454A1
Application number: PCT/SK2014/050024
Authority: WO
Inventors: Zdenko Ing. KRAJNÝ
Original assignee: Aquaclean, Spol. S R.O.
Priority date: 2013-12-13
Filing date: 2014-12-08
Publication date: 2015-06-18
Also published as: DE212014000230U1

Abstract

A method of hoof trimming of ungulates by a liquid jet, characterised in a sequence of steps: • stabilizing of the ungulate's hoof in a clamping device and/or a cage; • cleaning the ungulate's hoof and claw by a pressure liquid; • and preferably also in physical diagnostics of the hoof and the claw with locating of the borderline between the hoof and claw, • outlining of the cutting plane in the borderline area between the hoof and the claw; • separating the claw from the hoof by means of a liquid jet of a veterinary trimming assembly in an air or liquid environment along the cutting plane by the action of the pressure liquid jet with the operating pressure of 1 ₂0 to 250 MPa and the pressure liquid flow rate of 4 to 15 l/min with the pressure liquid jet feed rate of 10 to 220 mm/min, wherein the thickness of the pressure liquid jet is 0.5 to 1.0 mm. The pressure liquid is water, or possibly water with an added abrasive and/or a disinfectant and/or a medicinal agent.

Description

Method of hoof trimming of ungulates by a liquid jet and a veterinary trimming assembly

Field of the invention

The invention relates to a method of hoof trimming of ungulates and in particular farm animals by means of a veterinary trimming assembly for liquid jet cutting. The invention falls within the field of veterinary equipment.

State of the art

Biomechanics of animal movement clearly show that forelimbs bear the weight of an animal much more flexibly than its hindlimbs. Forelimbs can also "handle" more load than the hindlimbs. The study of the movement of hindlimbs revealed that a large amount of weight is shifted from limb to limb, even when the animal is standing still. It would not cause any problem if the weight was transferred evenly to both claws (medial and lateral). However, the fact is that the lateral claw is stressed by weight more than the medial claw. If the size and weight-bearing surface of claws of an animal are compared (they must support 600 to 700 kg of live mass), the lateral claw is larger and straighter. The horny sole of the medial claw has a more acute angle and is more inclined providing less stability, especially if the animal is housed on a hard concrete surface, as is common in most of today's farms. The lateral claw must compensate for this disproportion by higher load and thus it wears more quickly than the medial claw. Living tissue responds to that by increased production of horn and as a result the lateral claw is overloaded. When walking the interior of the claw gets deformed. The weight of the animal (cow) is transferred by the coffin bone to the corium (living tissue) and then to the horny sole. There is a heal - so called digital cushion between the coffin bone and the corium which absorbs shocks during movement. Under normal circumstances, shocks are absorbed sufficiently allowing the animal to move comfortably, but if the horny sole is too thick, the digital cushion cannot absorb shocks adequately. The coffin bone thus often hits the corium so hardly that it damages blood capillaries resulting in bruising of the horny sole. If the claw is not trimmed, the defect continues to develop to a very serious horn formation defect creating a very painful wound. In less serious cases, the problematic wound (ulcer) can be addressed by relieving the load off the affected lateral claw by a so called "hoof block". Depending on the degree to which their hooves are neglected dairy cows milk production may be reduced by 5% to 50%. In the case of very painful consequences milk cows may loose as much as 1 kg of their weight a day. If further neglected, it leads to serious overall health issues, significant weight loss and milk production loss of affected cows, which eventually leads to forced putting out of the herd. A large number of dairy cows suffer from significant overgrowth of claw horn as early as six months after their last treatment, which is due to the fact that their production of horn is higher than the possibility of its natural abrading. Overgrown claws are a source of a wide range of painful diseases affecting not just claws. They are the immediate cause of many acute and chronic aseptic claw corium inflammations. Indirectly, they create conditions for Rusterholz ulcer formation, rot and curved hoof and cause loosening of the basal border. The whole situation can be successfully prevented by adequate trimming of the front of the horny wall to approximately 7.5 cm and especially by correct adjustment of the lateral claw thickness to ensure uniform loading of both claws. This approach is effective in preventing horny sole ulcers.

The way in which the trimming process is performed today does not comply with formulated farm animal welfare principles. Animals are stressed by the treatment with frequent occurrence of infections (cost of subsequent treatment), which is reflected in their productivity (lower milk yield, a need for early elimination from the herd, etc.) and thus the overall farming economy. The state of the art recognizes only manual hoof trimming methods using manual cutting tools or electric cutting and grinding tools. Also known is mechanical de-horning of ungulates as described in WO 9107259 A1. However, these manual and mechanical methods do not adequately recognize the borderline between the coffin bone with live soft tissue and the actual horny claw. The hoof diagnostics is based solely on visual assessment of the hoof condition. It's basically a highly subjective factor which often leads to damaging the soft tissue of the coffin bone. Such exposed soft tissue is susceptible to infection, the treatment of which is time-consuming and often leads to forced rejection to a slaughterhouse. Removal of pathogenic soft tissue and hard materials on or in a human body is a common surgical intervention. These interventions are usually performed using conventional cutting or disintegration tools such as. a scalpel, saw, chisel, and the like.

There are also known methods of superficial application and disintegration of tissues and hard materials by means of a pressurised gas medium with mixed in abrasive materials, as described e.g. in WO 2013164409 A1 with a pressure of 0.3 to 0.5 MPa, US 2,759,266 A, US 2002123020, which methods are used primarily in the dentistry.

Also known is a method of tissue and hard material disintegration by means of pressurised liquid medium with added abrasives, as described e.g. in EP 1676535 A1 , which method uses operating medium pressure of approximately 60 to 130 MPa.

Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union recognises animals as sentient beings and requires full regard be given to the welfare requirements of animals while formulating and enforcing some EU policies. Various aspects of farm animal welfare are covered by the horizontal Council Directive 98/58/EC of 20 July 1998 on the protection of animals kept for farming purposes (OJ L 221 , 8.8.1998, p. 23). The present Communication to the European Parliament, the Council and the Economic and Social Committee on the European Union Strategy for the Protection and Welfare of Animals 2012 - 2015 (Source: COM (2012) 6 final / 2, Brussels, 15.2.2012) builds on the experience gained through the 2006-2010 Action Plan to propose lines of EU action for the next four years taking advantage of the scientific and technological advances made to reconcile animal welfare with economic realities in implementing existing legal provisions. This strategy is a continuation of the action plan as recommended by most stakeholders consulted and by the European Parliament. Livestock farming in the EU represents an annual value of 149 billion euros and the annual rate of use of experimental animals is estimated at 930 million euros.

From the economic aspect, healthy claws have a significant economic effect. This effect may be direct, due to the animal loss, or indirect, due to reduced milk production. Based on a simple calculation taking into account the weight (10 000 kg/milk cow/year) and the disease incidence of 40%, the cost of the disease is 1.4 cents/kg. With the herd size of 150 cows losses represent more than 20 000 eur. Annual losses in the EU: 1.650.000.000 Eur (source: RESZLER, H.: Das A und O einer erfolgreichen funktionellen Klauenpflege. Available at: www.klauenpflege.de).

For persistent problems with current methods of hoof trimming of ungulates there is a public demand for improving or possibly completely eliminating adverse effects arising from the present hoof trimming process. There is a demand for a technology designed with animal welfare in mind. The result of this effort is the method of hoof trimming of ungulates and the corresponding equipment described in further detail below. The proposed method is designed to work with a veterinary trimming assembly for liquid jet cutting according to the present invention.

Subject matter of the invention

It was found that the said disadvantages are eliminated by the process of hoof trimming of ungulates and by the veterinary trimming assembly for liquid jet cutting according to the present invention. For purposes of this invention, it should be clear that the term 'ungulates' means hoofed animals from the group of farm and wild animals. In summary, the method of hoof trimming of ungulates according to the invention comprises the following sequence of steps:

- stabilizing of the ungulate's hoof in a clamping device and/or a cage;

- cleaning of the ungulate's hoof and the claw by a pressure liquid;

- physical diagnostics of the hoof and the claw and locating of the borderline between the hoof and the claw,

- outlining of the cutting plane in the borderline area between the hoof and the claw;

- separating of the claw from the hoof by means of a liquid jet in an air or liquid environment along the cutting plane by the action of the pressure liquid jet with the operating pressure of 120 to 250 MPa and the pressure liquid flow rate of 4 to 5 l/min with the pressure liquid jet feed rate of 10 to 220 mm/min, wherein the thickness of the pressure liquid jet is 0.5 to 1.0 mm. The method of hoof trimming of ungulates according to the present invention necessarily comprises at least three steps of the above sequence. It includes the initial step of stabilizing the lower part of the ungulate's leg with its hoof in a clamping device or a cage. The next step is to outline the cutting plane in the borderline area between the hoof and the claw. This step may be performed, for example, by a laser beam, or this step may be performed by a liquid jet with the pressure of less than 120 MPa. It is possible to use pressures of, for example, 20 to 60 MPa. Finally, there is the last step of separating the the claw from the hoof by a liquid jet. Added between the initial step and the step of outlining the cutting plane in the borderline area between the hoof and the claw may be the step of cleaning the claw and the hoof by a pressure liquid jet with the cleaning pressure substantially lower than 120 MPa. It is possible to use pressures of, for example, 5 to 10 MPa. In that case it is possible to add a disinfectant to the water. If ungulates' hooves are clean enough, this step may be omitted. Or, added between the initial step and the step of outlining the cutting plane in the borderline area between the hoof and the claw may be the step of physical hoof and claw diagnostics based, for instance, on ultrasonic, infrared, x-ray or whole range of electromagnetic waves and based on other suitable physical material diagnostic methods. A usable outcome of the physical diagnostics is locating of the borderline between the hoof and the claw. If the physical diagnostics is not carried out as described above, locating of the borderline between the hoof and the claw is carried out solely based on practical experience and visual assessment directly by the surgeon or their assistant.

Availability and capability of the equipment used in performing the method of hoof trimming of ungulates according to the present invention allows conducting of the physical hoof and claw diagnostics and locating the borderline between the hoof and the claw in a single step. Or it is possible to integrate the physical hoof and claw diagnostics, locating of the borderline between the hoof and the claw and outlining of the cutting plane in the borderline area between the hoof and the claw into a single joint step.

However, the invention also allows that out of five available steps only the three basic steps are used, or four steps are used, or all five steps are used. The medium of the liquid jet is preferably water or water with an abrasive, or optionally water containing analgesics, drugs, tranquillizers and other suitable medicinal agents.

The table below indicates, in thirteen measurements, specified parameters of the water jet cutting method: operating water pressure, nozzle applicator feed rate, a feed rate indicator and the actual water flow rate through the nozzle. The water jet cutting was conducted on hooves of cattle, where the claw parametres were characterized by the trimming thickness, cutting length and cutting depth. Derived of all these parameters is the resulting cutting time.

Table

^_Ά veterinary trimming assembly for liquid jet cutting was developed for the method of hoof trimming of ungulates by a liquid jet according to the present invention. The essence of the design of the veterinary trimming assembly lies in the fact that it comprises a pressure liquid source and connected to the pressure liquid source by a high-pressure hose is an applicator terminated by a nozzle. The applicator is movably fitted on a guiding device. The guiding device guides the applicator so that the pressure liquid ejected from the nozzle forms a cutting plane. The guiding device may be designed, for example, as a short guide bar, on which the applicator moves linearly over a short distance. However, the guiding device may also be designed, for example, as a trunnion housing, in which the applicator pivots through a small angle. The guiding device can also be positioned with respect to the stabilising clamping device or the cage that is either a part of the veterinary trimming assembly for liquid jet cutting or a complement thereof. For safety reasons the guiding device and/or the stabilising clamping device or the cage is fitted with a protective shield.

Advantages of the method of hoof trimming of ungulates using the veterinary trimming assembly for liquid jet cutting according to the present invention reside in the fact that the liquid jet technology has many advantages, some of which are unique to this technology alone. The tissue is not affected by heat, i.e. it's a so called cold cut, which does not overheat the limb, the animal is not exposed to pain (during the actual surgery, or pain caused by overgrown or otherwise damaged claws), nor stressed, which in turn affects its milk yield. Due to the minimal cutting force, full locking of the ungulate is not necessary - animal welfare is increased. It is also possible to fully automate the process resulting in lower labor intensity, without the necessity of heavy physical labour in providing care for the hooves of animals. It also ensures sterility of the entire process and high energy efficiency of approximately 85%. It is possible to carry out thorough cleaning of the surgical site prior to making the cut - if necessary, the damaged infected (painful) site can first be treated prior to conducting the procedure. Claw disinfection can be performed directly during the procedure - disinfectant can be added to the liquid. Claw care may be more intensive since it can be carried out more frequently than at present, when the treatment is done 2x a year, which is physically demanding and time-consuming. This will increase the welfare of animals. It is a time-saving technology compared to the present art of animal hoof care. The time required for one cut is approximately 12 sec to 2 min. It is also possible to use other working liquid containing also for example analgesics, drugs, tranquillizers, etc.. It's an environmentally friendly technology because it produces no additional waste or pollution as the working medium is water. The cut edges do not exhibit any thermal and mechanical deformation and the cutting process does not produce any dust, gases and vapours as is the case of mechanical cutting methods (burnt smell). One high-pressure pump can feed several water jet nozzles or abrasive jet nozzles working in parallel. The lifetime of a liquid nozzle is approximately 1000 hrs and the lifetime of an abrasive nozzle is approximately 500 hours. It is also possible to cut under the water surface. Cutting can be performed in all directions, outlines, shapes and angles. An exceptional operational reliability and ease of use is guaranteed. By changing the pressure one can switch, within a few seconds, between flushing, rinsing, cleaning and cutting of the material. It allows high flexibility, even in a complex cut geometry.

Brief description of the drawings

The method of hoof trimming of ungulates by means of a veterinary trimming assembly for liquid jet cutting according to the present invention will be further explained in the figure which shows the configuration of the part of the veterinary trimming assembly for hoof trimming and clamping of ungulate's leg and the direction of the pressure liquid jet.

It is understood that the individual embodiments of the present invention are shown by way of illustration only and not as limitations. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific embodiments of the technical design of the present invention. Such equivalents are intended to be encompassed by the following claims. Those skilled in the art would have no problem dimensioning such device and choosing suitable materials and design configurations, which is why these features were not designed in detail.

Description of the preferred embodiments

Example 1

This example discloses a process of hoof trimming of ungulates - cattle by means of the invention of a veterinary trimming assembly for liquid jet cutting in an air environment including all five steps of the method. This represents the cutting measurement number 6 in the attached table. The veterinary trimming assembly for liquid jet cutting comprises a source of a pressure liquid, not shown, and an applicator 2 terminated by a nozzle 3 with the pressure liquid jet thickness of 0.7 mm as shown in the figure. Before trimming the claw 4 from the hoof the ungulate's lower leg with its hoof is stabilised in the clamping device 1 and the claw 4 is cleaned by a jet 5 of the pressure liquid - water with the cleaning pressure of 7 MPa. Alternatively, a disinfectant may be added to the water. The hoof and claw is physically diagnosticated using ultrasonic waves of a suitable physical material diagnostics method and the borderline between the hoof and the claw is located. Next, the cutting plane is outlined using the pressure of 25 MPa. Alternatively, the outlining can be carried out by a laser. Only then the claw 4 is separated from the hoof along the cutting plane by the effect of the jet 5 of pressure liquid - water with the operating pressure of 220 MPa and the pressure liquid flow rate of 10.97 l/min. The feed rate of the pressure liquid jet 5 is 230 mm/min. Alternatively, an abrasive may be added to the water. The following results were achieved. A 10 mm thick trimming of the claw thickness was removed. The claw cut length was 46.8 mm and the claw cut depth was 42.9 mm. The cutting time was 12.2 sec. An alternative to the clamping device 1 is a cage the purpose of which is to stabilize the animal, i.e. to restrain at least its legs and hooves from moving.

Example 2

This example discloses a process of hoof trimming of ungulates - sheep by means of the invention of the veterinary trimming assembly for liquid jet cutting in an air environment including all five steps of the method. This represents the cutting measurement number 12 in the attached table. The veterinary trimming assembly for liquid jet cutting comprises a source of the pressure liquid, not shown, and an applicator 2 terminated by a nozzle 3 with the pressure liquid jet thickness of 0.5 mm as shown in the figure. Before trimming the claw 4 from the hoof the sheep's lower leg with its hoof is stabilised in the clamping device 1 and the claw 4 is cleaned by a jet 5 of the pressure liquid - water with the cleaning pressure of 2 MPa. Alternatively, a disinfectant may be added to the water. The hoof and claw is physically diagnosticated using ultrasonic or electromagnetic waves of a suitable physical material diagnostics method and the borderline between the hoof and the claw is located. Next, the cutting plane is outlined using the pressure of 12 MPa. Alternatively, the outlining can be carried out by a laser. Only then the claw 4 is separated from the hoof along the cutting plane by the effect of the jet 5 of the pressure liquid - water with the operating pressure of 120 MPa and the pressure liquid flow rate of 7.5 l/min. The feed rate of the pressure liquid jet 5 is 15 mm/min. Alternatively, an abrasive may be added to the water. The following results were achieved. A 8 mm thick trimming of the claw thickness was removed. The claw cut length was 32.8 mm and the claw cut depth was 18.9 mm. Cutting time was 13.0 sec.

Example 3

This example discloses a process of hoof trimming of ungulates - cattle by means of the invention of the veterinary trimming assembly for liquid jet cutting in a water environment including all five steps of the method. This represents the cutting measurement number 8 in the attached table. The veterinary trimming assembly for liquid jet cutting comprises a source of the pressure liquid, not shown, and an applicator 2 terminated by a nozzle 3 with the pressure liquid jet thickness of 0.8 mm as shown in the figure. Before trimming the claw 4 from the hoof the cattle's lower leg with its hoof is stabilised in the clamping device 1 and the claw 4 is cleaned by a jet 5 of pressure liquid - water with the cleaning pressure of 3 MPa. Alternatively, a disinfectant may be added to the water. Following to that the hoof and claw is physically diagnosticated using ultrasonic waves of a suitable physical material diagnostics method and the borderline between the hoof and the claw is located. Next, the cutting plane is outlined using the pressure of 60 MPa. Alternatively, the outlining can be carried out by a laser. Only then the claw 4 is separated from the hoof along the cutting plane by the effect of the jet 5 of the pressure liquid - water with the operating pressure of 50 MPa and the pressure liquid flow rate of 8.3 l/min. The feed rate of the pressure liquid jet 5 is 17 mm/min. Alternatively, an abrasive may be added to the water. The following results were achieved. A 12 mm thick trimming of the claw thickness was removed. The claw cut length was 33.3 mm and the claw cut depth was 21.9 mm. Cutting time was 120.24 sec.

Example 4

This example discloses a process of hoof trimming of ungulates - cattle by means of the invention, for example using the veterinary trimming assembly for liquid jet cutting in an air environment including only three steps of the method. This represents the cutting measurement number 6 in the attached table, as described in Example 1. The difference being that the cleaning step is eliminated, due to long dry environment. Also the step of physical diagnostics of the hoof and the claw is eliminated due to unavailability of diagnostic equipment. The borderline between the hoof and claw is located only visually by the surgeon, i.e. by non-technical means.

Example 5

This example discloses a process of hoof trimming of ungulates - cattle by means of the invention of the veterinary trimming assembly for liquid jet cutting in an air environment including only four steps of the method. This represents the cutting measurement number 6 in the attached table, as described in Example 1. The difference being that the step of physical diagnostics of the hoof and the claw is eliminated due to unavailability of diagnostic equipment. The borderline between the hoof and claw is located only visually by the surgeon, i.e. by non-technical means.

Industrial applicability

The method of hoof trimming of ungulates by means of a veterinary trimming assembly for liquid jet cutting according to the present invention is usable in veterinary practice. The object of the invention has a broad application, given the device's mobility, flexibility and variability directly on site - i.e. in agricultural farms keeping cattle, regardless of whether it is a dairy breed (such as Holstein cattle), combined breed ( such as Pinzgauer cattle) or beef cattle (such as Limousine cattle); in agricultural farms keeping sheep, goats or a mixed livestock; in breading stations of beef cattle, sheep and goats; in huts or breeding stations for even toed and odd- toed angulates; in zoos; with small-scale livestock farmers; in stations for breeding of protected stock.

Claims

1. A method of hoof trimming of ungulates by a liquid Jet characterised in the following sequence of steps, the essence of which lies in:

- stabilizing the ungulate's clawed hoof in a clamping device and/or a cage;

- separating the claw from the hoof by means of a liquid jet in an air or liquid environment along the cutting plane by the action of the pressure liquid jet with the operating pressure of 120 to 250 MPa and the pressure liquid flow rate of 4 to 15 l/min with the pressure liquid jet feed rate of 10 to 220 mm/min, wherein the thickness of the pressure liquid jet is 0.5 to 1.0 mm.

2. A method of hoof trimming of ungulates by a liquid jet according to Claim 1 characterised in that after the step of stabilizing the ungulate's clawed hoof follows the step of cleaning the hoof and the claw of the ungulate by a pressure liquid.

3. A method of hoof trimming of ungulates by a liquid jet according to Claim 2 characterised in that the pressure of the pressure liquid jet for hoof and claw cleaning is substantially lower than 120 MPa.

4. A method of hoof trimming of ungulates by a liquid jet according to at least one of Claims 1 to 3 characterised in that outlying the cutting plane in the area of the borderline between the hoof and claw is preceded by the step of physical hoof and claw diagnostics including locating of the borderline between the hoof and claw.

5. A method of hoof trimming of ungulates by a liquid jet according to at least one of Claims 1 and 4 characterised in that the physical hoof and claw diagnostics is x-ray or ultrasound based.

6. A method of hoof trimming of ungulates by a liquid jet according to Claim 1 characterised in that outlying of the cutting plane in the area of the borderline between the hoof and the claw is laser based.

7. A method of hoof trimming of ungulates by a liquid jet according to Claims 1 and 6 characterised in that the outlining pressure of the pressure liquid jet for outlying the cutting plane in the area of the borderline between the hoof and the claw is lower than 120 MPa.

8. A method of hoof trimming of ungulates by a liquid jet according to Claim 1 characterised in that the pressure liquid is water.

9. A method of hoof trimming of ungulates by a liquid jet according to Claim 1 characterised in that the pressure liquid is water with an abrasive.

10. A method of hoof trimming of ungulates by a liquid jet according to Claim 1 characterised in that the pressure liquid is water containing a disinfectant and/or a medicinal agent.

11.A method of hoof trimming of ungulates by a liquid jet according to at least one of Claims 1 to 9 characterised in that the separation of the claw from the hoof is performed by a liquid jet from a veterinary trimming assembly.

12. A veterinary trimming assembly for hoof trimming by a liquid jet characterized in that it comprises a pressure liquid source with an applicator (2) terminated by a nozzle (3), wherein the applicator (2) is movably fitted on a guiding device.

13. A veterinary trimming assembly for hoof trimming by a liquid jet according to Claim 12 characterized in that the guiding device is adjustable with respect to a stabilising clamping device (1) or a cage.

14. A veterinary trimming assembly for hoof trimming by a liquid jet according to at least one of Claims 12 and 13 characterized in that the guiding device is a liner bar guide or pivotable trunnion housing.

15. A veterinary trimming assembly for hoof trimming by a liquid jet according to Claims 12 to 14 characterized in that the guiding device is fitted with a protective shield.