Regular preventive foot bathing in dairy cattle controls digital dermatitis and maintains hoof health with significant welfare benefits.
Preventive foot bathing is a population-level welfare intervention that reduces the incidence of painful lameness across the entire herd. Regular exposure of hooves to disinfectant controls the bacterial load responsible for digital dermatitis, preventing lesion development before pain begins. Preventive programmes are more welfare-effective than reactive treatment of established lameness.