Horizontal and vertical histological sections were prepared from cores taken post mortem at the sole/bulb junction of the distal surface of the claw of Holstein-Friesian cattle. Immunohistochemistry was performed on the sections using the Vectastain Elite® (anti-mouse IgG) peroxidase ABC method (Vector Laboratories Ltd) using 3, 3′-diaminobenzidine as substrate and mouse-derived primary antibodies against collagen I (bovine); collagen VII (human), collagen IV (human) and fibronectin (human). The sections were counterstained with toluidine blue. Captured colour images were prepared and transformed for presentation into 256 shades of grey using Openlab software (Improvion Ltd). The staining of the tissue sections, on comparison with negative controls, produced typical evidence of expression of collagens I, IV and fibronectin distributed throughout the upper dermis and dermal papillae. In contrast, the collagen VII signal was localized at the dermal/epidermal junction consistent with its rôle in the fibril network that attaches the basement membrane to the dermis. Collagens and fibronectin are recognized to have important rôles in maintaining structural integrity and function in other tissues. Following this identification, their rôle in the development of lesions in the bovine claw will be investigated further.