Digital dermatitis (Mortellaro disease) is the most prevalent infectious lameness condition in dairy cattle, causing painful foot lesions affecting welfare, production, and longevity. Systematic management can dramatically reduce prevalence.
Digital dermatitis causes chronic pain that, unlike some conditions, cannot be ignored by affected animals. Cows with active lesions show visible reluctance to weight-bear on affected limbs, reduced feed intake, and reduced milk production - all welfare indicators consistent with pain. The infectious nature of digital dermatitis means that once established in a herd, it rapidly spreads through the contaminated slurry environment, affecting large proportions of animals simultaneously. The welfare burden at herd level is therefore enormous: a dairy herd with 50% digital dermatitis prevalence has half its cows experiencing foot pain of some degree. Control is achievable: regular footbathing with appropriate solutions, maintaining clean, dry lying and walking areas, and prompt individual treatment of affected cows can reduce prevalence to below 5% in well-managed herds. The economic case aligns with the welfare case: reduced lameness means better reproduction, longer productive life, and lower culling rates.