Hind Limb Skeletal Lesions in 12‐Month‐Old Bulls of Beef Breeds

In the present study, right hind limb bones from 46 12‐month‐old bulls with no clinical signs were examined to identify and describe lesions that could predispose the stifle and tarsal joints to osteoarthritis. The bulls came from a performance testing station and were slaughtered due to a low index at the end of the testing period 1996–97. Differences in frequency of lesions among breeds as well as the relationship between lesions and growth rate were evaluated. Forty‐five (97.8 %) of the 46 bulls had lesions in the joints and/or growth plates. Prevalence of lesions was 100 % in the Charolais (22/22), the Hereford (8/8), and the Limousin (4/4) breeds, and 85.7 % (6/7) in the Simmental breed. The stifle was affected in 37, the tarsus in 33, and the growth plates in 34, of the 46 bulls. Lesions found in the stifle joint were: osteochondrosis of the articular‐epiphyseal cartilage complex (AECC) (25), subchondral bone cyst of the distal femur (1), fragmentation of the medial intercondylar eminence of the tibia (20), cleft in the distal part of the patellar groove (28), and an avulsion fracture of the lateral condyle together with a partial tear of the cranial cruciate ligament (1). Le