lameness

“Billy experiences recurring foot problems — one of the most common causes of death for elephants in zoos — while Tina suffers from osteoarthritis, joint disease, and bouts of lameness.”

Foot and mouth disease is a highly infectious virus which causes blisters inside an animal's mouth and under their hooves, and can cause lameness and problems feeding.

For cattle, symptoms of the disease include blisters and sores on their feet, mouth and tongue, as well as lameness, fever and reluctance to feed.

State inspectors last year identified a blood donor with “undocumented lameness” that was subsequently removed from the donor pool and scheduled to see a vet.

The disease causes tongue and mucous membrane lesions, problems with swallowing, lameness and stiffness, affecting animal welfare and leading to a reduction in milk yields.