Farm Animals

Cattle Digital Dermatitis Advanced Treatment

Digital dermatitis (DD) is the leading infectious cause of lameness in dairy cattle, requiring systematic treatment approaches to protect welfare at herd level.

Key Facts

DD affects up to 70% of cattle in some herds without systematic control
The condition is caused by a complex of Treponema bacteria requiring specific treatment
Lesions cause severe pain - affected cattle show characteristic foot lifting and gait abnormalities
The Mortellaro disease scoring system (M0-M4) guides treatment decisions and herd monitoring
Copper sulphate or oxytetracycline footbathing forms the backbone of herd-level control

Welfare Considerations

Active DD lesions (M2 stage) cause acute pain, significantly reducing weight-bearing and causing lameness that affects feeding behaviour, milk yield, and overall welfare. Advanced treatment protocols combining individual lesion treatment with herd-level footbathing and dry cow prevention have dramatically improved outcomes in well-managed herds.

What You Can Do

Support farms with systematic DD monitoring and scoring programmes
Advocate for lameness detection technology that identifies affected cattle early
Learn about the Five Domains welfare impact of lameness on cattle
Choose dairy products from farms with independently verified low lameness prevalence