Feet First^®: Sow Lameness Prevention

When a sow is lame, it leads to lower feed intake (especially during lactation), decreased reproductive performance and ultimately early exit from the herd. The Feet First^® program, spear-headed by Zinpro Corp., focuses on swine welfare and helping improve the efficiency of pork production through the identification and prevention of lameness. 

The Feet First program’s recommended product, Availa^®Sow from Zinpro Performance Minerals^®, contains a unique combination of zinc, manganese and copper specifically formulated to help optimize foot health and reproductive performance of sows, gilts and boars.

Claw Lesion Identification

The most common claw lesions within a sow herd can vary based on several factors including management, nutrition and genetics. The lesions of greatest concern are those which penetrate the horn wall into the corium of the foot and cause an inflammatory response, since these types of lesions cause pain and locomotion problems. Learn how to identify the seven most common claw lesions in sows . 

Locomotion Scoring

The Feet First^® team has developed a locomotion scoring system that uses a simple 0 to 3 scale to assess the severity of lameness in sows.  The locomotion scoring system is based on the observation of sows standing and walking. It is intuitive and easy to learn and implement. Learn more about locomotion scoring sows.

Claw Trimming Fundamentals

Claw trimming has been shown to benefit sows that experience lameness caused by unequal weight bearing on overgrown toes and dew claws. In addition, correction of existing claw lesions may further benefit sow performance. Learn more about the four-step functional sow claw trimming guidelines developed by the Feet First^® team.

The Feet First^® Team

Feet First^®, from Zinpro, is an international collaboration of researchers, veterinarians and nutritionists whose mission is to further advance the swine industry through the identification and prevention of lameness. We invite you to take a few minutes and meet the Feet First team.