In vitro biomechanical properties of sole tissues: Comparison between healthy and ulcerated bovine claws.

Sole ulcers are reportedly one of the most prevalent diseases associated with lameness in dairy cattle, significantly affecting animal welfare and farm profitability. The degree to which sole soft tissues, healthy or ulcerated, are able to maintain their structure and function when subjected to compressive forces remains unknown. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to assess sole tissue biomechanics in healthy and ulcerated claws and to describe correlated histology. Cylindrical samples were harvested from zones 4 and 6, as described by the international foot map, from hind lateral healthy (n = 12) and ulcerated bovine claws (n = 8; animals n = 12). Tissue biomechanics and morphology were evaluated via compressive tests and hematoxylin-eosin-phloxine-saffron staining, respectively. A 2-sample t-test was used to compare zones' mechanical properties between healthy and ulcerated tissues, and the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test was used to measure the effect of claw zone on histology. The fibril modulus (E

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