Lameness is one of the most challenging problems in the dairy industry. Control is impeded because farmers often underestimate the number of lame cows. The objectives of this study were to assess German farmers' awareness of lameness in their herds and to determine the associations between farmers' awareness and their management practices, farm characteristics as well as with farmers' education, personality traits and attitudes. As a part of a large cross-sectional study, veterinarians visited farms in three structurally different regions of Germany: north (n= 253), east (n= 252), and south (n= 260). The cows (n= 84,998) were scored for locomotion and farmers were asked to estimate the number of cows that were lame or did not walk soundly. The ratio of farmers' estimated prevalence and the veterinarians' observed prevalence (Farmer's Detection Index; FDI) was calculated. The median lameness prevalence assessed by the veterinarians was 23.1, 39.1, and 23.2%, and the median prevalence of lame cows estimated by the farmers was 9.5, 9.5, and 7.1% in the north, east, and south, respectively. On average, farmers were conscious of only 45.3% (north), 24.0% (east), and 30.0% (south) of their lame cows. Farmers managing their herds according to organic principles had a higher FDI than farmers who managed their herds conventionally. Surprisingly, no significant associations between FDI and factors concerning claw health management could be detected. Therefore, increased awareness did not seem to be necessarily linked to improved management. Moreover, the FDI was not significantly associated with farmers' education or herd size. In the south, more extraverted farmers had a lower FDI. Those farmers who totally agreed with the statement, “I am satisfied with my herd's health,” had a lower FDI than farmers who disagreed or were undecided. Moreover, farmers who disagreed or were undecided with the statement, “It affects me to see a cow in pain” had a higher FDI than those farmers who agreed to the statement. The results indicate that poor awareness of lameness was linked to the farmers' attitude and personality. Therefore, new approaches concerning the consultation regarding lameness control, such as the use of Motivational Interviewing, might be useful in the future.

Since communication skills contribute significantly to professional success among veterinarians, there is a particular focus on developing communication classes in veterinary curricula. At Freie Universität Berlin, an e-learning course covering the basics of communication and a practical communication course based on role plays with and without simulation persons have been established. The outcome of these communication courses on the assessment of the relevance of several veterinary competencies and on the self-assessment of communication skills using the SE-12 questionnaire was investigated. For this purpose, students were surveyed before and after the e-learning course as well as before and after the practical course. Veterinarians were also surveyed on the relevance of veterinary competencies. The relevance of communicative competencies for professional success was rated significantly higher by the students after completing the practical course than by the other students and the veterinarians. Self-assessment of communication skills showed little increase after the e-learning course, but a significant increase after the practical course. Thus, an effective outcome of the communication classes was observed mainly after the practical course. However, the effect of the e-learning course cannot be ruled out since the students participating in the practical course have also completed the e-learning course beforehand.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the associations between milk recording data, body condition score (BCS), housing factors, management factors and lameness in free stall-housed dairy cows in 3 structurally different regions in Germany. These regions substantially vary regarding herd size, breeds, access to pasture, farm management (family run/company owned), and percentage of organic farms. The data used was collected in a large cross-sectional study from 2016 to 2019. A total number of 58,144 cows from 651 farms in 3 regions of Germany (North (N), East (E) and South (S)) was scored for locomotion and body condition. Additionally, data on milk yield, milk composition, breed, age, as well as information on housing and management were retrieved. One mixed-logistic regression model was fitted per region to evaluate the association of the data with the target variable "lame" and to allow for a comprehensive reflection across different kinds of farming types. In all regions, undercondition (BCS lower than recommended for the lactation stage; N: odds ratio (OR) 2.15; CI 1.96 - 2.34, E: OR 2.66; CI 2.45 - 2.88, S OR 2.45; CI 2.01 - 2.98) and mid-lactation stage (102 - 204 d in milk (DIM); N: OR 1.15; CI 1.05 - 1.27, E: OR 1.24; CI 1.17 - 1.32, S: OR 1.38; CI 1.18 - 1.62) were associated with higher odds for lameness, while overcondition (BCS higher than recommended for the lactation stage; N: OR 0.51; CI 0.44 - 0.60, E: OR 0.51; CI 0.48 - 0.54, S: OR 0.65; CI 0.54 - 0.77) and parity of 1 or 2 was associated with lower odds (parity 1: N: OR 0.32; CI 0.29 - 0.35, E: OR 0.19; CI 0.18 - 0.20, S: OR 0.28; CI 0.24 - 0.33 / parity 2: N: OR 0.51; CI 0.47 - 0.46, E: OR 0.41; CI 0.39 - 0.44, S: OR 0.49; CI 0.42 - 0.57), irrespective of the regional production characteristics. Low energy corrected milk yield (ECM) was associated with higher odds for lameness in S and N (N: OR 1.16; CI 1.05 - 1.27, S: OR 1.43; CI 1.22 - 1.69). Further factors such as pasture access for cows (N: OR 0.64; CI 0.50 - 0.82 and S: OR 0.65; CI 0.47 - 0.88), milk protein content (high milk protein content: N: OR 1.34; CI 1.18 - 1.52 and E: OR 1.17; CI 1.08 - 1.28); low milk protein content: N: OR 0.79; CI 0.71 - 0.88, E: OR 0.84; CI 0.79 - 0.90), and breed (lower odds for "other" (other breeds than German Simmental (SIM) and Holstein Frisian (H)) in E (OR 0.47, CI 0.42 - 0.53) and lower odds both for H and "other" in S (H: OR 0.62; CI 0.43 - 0.90, other: OR 0.46; CI 0.34 - 0.62)) were associated with lameness in 2 regions, respectively. The risk of ketosis (ROK; higher odds in N: OR 1.11, CI 1.01 - 1.22) and somatic cell count (SCC; higher odds in E: increased (>39.9 cells x 1,000/ml): OR 1.10; CI 1.03 - 1.17; high (>198.5 cells x 1,000/ml): OR 1.08; CI 1.01 - 1.06) altered the odds for lameness in 1 region, respectively. Cows from organic farms had lower odds for lameness in all 3 regions (N: OR 0.18; CI 0.11 - 0.32, E: OR 0.39; CI 0.28 - 0.56, S: OR 0.45; CI 0.29 - 0.68). As the dairy production systems differed substantially between the different regions, the results of this study can be viewed as representative for a wide variety of loose-housed dairy systems in Europe and North America. The consistent association between low BCS and lameness in all regions aligns with the previous literature. Our study also suggest that risk factors for lameness partly can differ between geographically regions, potentially due to differences in which dairy production system that is predominantly used and that region-specific characteristics should be taken into account in comparable future projects.

Calf loss continues to be a considerable problem on German dairy farms. Untrained personnel or the lack of best practice routines are potential reasons. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) may increase process consistency and can improve animal health and animal welfare. We developed SOPs for 8 important tasks in calf care and provided them online to interested dairy farmers and their employees. Five questionnaires were embedded to collect data on demographics, use, perception, and feasibility of SOPs. Main objectives of the study were to investigate 1) if there is a gap between the existence of SOPs and the wish for SOPs, 2) if participants (n = 301) consider ready-made SOPs as feasible for their farm and 3) suitable to train new personnel, and 4) if they state their confidence in task execution higher after the courses. We experienced a strong discrepancy between the existence (13.1%) and the wish for SOPs (69.4%). Most the participants rated ready-made SOPs as feasible for their farm (66.5%). Eighty-five percent fully agreed or agreed to the statement that SOPs are a suitable tool for training new employees. Interestingly, 64.2% of employees mentioned, that they wanted to be involved in the creation of SOPs specific to their farm. The SOP based e-learning courses increased the confidence in performing tasks in calf care, especially concerning the tasks which were less often performed tasks such as tube feeding, emergency care and testing of colostrum quality.

Exotic animals traded and kept as pets can transmit a variety of diseases to humans and other animals, and vice versa. Therefore, it is essential for pet owners, particularly vulnerable groups, to be informed about associated risks. Veterinarians play a crucial role in informing pet owners about health risks associated with zoonotic pathogens and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and should, therefore, have good communication skills to effectively transfer information to pet owners. Thus, exotic pet owners in Germany were surveyed on animal husbandry, veterinary consultation and risk communication. To evaluate the perception of communication, a self-developed questionnaire was used to derive a communication score. The perception of veterinarian communication received a high average score showing a high level of satisfaction. The duration of the veterinarian–client relationship was associated with better communication perception, and the frequency of communication on zoonoses and AMR was associated with the presence of a permanent veterinarian. However, the results indicated that the frequency of disseminated information on zoonoses and/or AMR from veterinarians was lower than desired by the pet owners. Therefore, more educational material on zoonoses and AMR should be made available, and the awareness concerning risk communication should be increased by further education and training at universities.

Introduction: Although university education in Germany is without tuition fees, the parental educational background influences the decision to study as well as the choice of subjects, and is linked to challenges that students face during the course of study. However, little is known about these aspects in veterinary medicine. In this study, the differences between the first-generation students (FGS) and continuing-generation students (CGS) in veterinary medicine, as well as the challenges (study entrance, financial situation, concerns about the future), are examined in order to identify any need for supportive action.Methods: The results of this study are based on a survey that was open to all German veterinary students in Spring 2023.Results: Responses from 1,525 students were analyzed (response rate 24%). A considerable proportion of veterinary students (40%) in Germany are FGS. They are more likely to rate their financial situation as poor (20%) or very poor (7%) than CGS (poor: 10%, very poor: 3%). Even though FGS and CGS work for income alongside their studies in similar proportions (FGS: 71%; CGS: 67%), the motivation was different: CGS are more likely to work in order to earn extra money (CGS: 68%; FGS: 49%) and FGS because other sources of income are insufficient (FGS: 34%; CGS: 12%). A similar proportion of FGS and CGS frequently or consistently considers dropping out of university (FGS: 10%; CGS: 11%). However, in FSG this is more often due to financial reasons (FGS: 28%, CGS: 16%). Almost all students have a high school-based university entrance qualification (97%). Final school grades of CGS were better on average than those of FGS. More FGS than CGS had already completed vocational training prior to their studies (FGS: 47%, CGS: 30%).Discussion: In conclusion, FGS and CGS differ in their own educational background and the financial challenges in veterinary education. It is therefore important to create an awareness of challenges related to the social background of veterinary students. Moreover, support services to counteract challenges of FGS (and CGS) are needed. There is a need for further research concerning the associations between parental educational background and academic and professional success in veterinary medicine.