Digital dermatitis (Mortellaro's disease) is the most common cause of lameness in dairy cattle globally. Effective management directly reduces a major source of chronic pain in the dairy industry.
Digital dermatitis causes chronic pain affecting millions of dairy cattle globally. Lame cows demonstrate altered behaviour, reduced social interaction, and measurable physiological stress indicators. The widespread prevalence of digital dermatitis in many dairy herds represents a systemic welfare failure that is preventable with appropriate management. Regular foot inspection, prompt individual treatment, population-level footbathing, and housing hygiene improvements are all effective and affordable interventions. Reducing the prevalence of lameness in dairy herds is one of the most achievable large-scale welfare improvements available to the dairy industry.