A photometric method for recording hoof diseases in cattle, with special reference to haemorrhages of the sole.

: After cleaning and trimming, the sole surface and interdigital space of the hooves of cows are photographed in a standardized way. The colour slides are projected on to a screen and the haemorrhages of the sole (reflecting Pododermatitis aseptica diffusa) and the lesions of Dermatitis interdigitalis and Erosio ungulae are scored according to their severity and extent by 2 people who do not know the identity of the cows. In a repeatability test the correlation coefficients between 2 assessments of the haemorrhages in the sole ranged between 0.78 and 0.88 for assessments of the front hooves, the hind hooves and all the hooves together.