Farm Animals

Cattle Digital Dermatitis Welfare and Treatment

The welfare significance of digital dermatitis (Mortellaro disease) in dairy cattle and evidence-based treatment approaches.

Key Facts

Digital dermatitis is now one of the most prevalent lameness causes in dairy cows
The condition causes severe pain particularly during the active ulcerative stage
Topical antibiotic treatment is effective but requires identification and prompt application
Footbathing with copper sulphate or formalin provides herd-level prevention
Once endemic in a herd, digital dermatitis is very difficult to eradicate

Welfare Considerations

Digital dermatitis causes significant acute and chronic pain. Its high prevalence in dairy herds means large numbers of cows are living with preventable lameness. Systematic footbathing and prompt treatment of identified cases are basic welfare obligations.

What You Can Do

Advocate for digital dermatitis recording in dairy lameness monitoring programs
Support routine footbathing protocols as a welfare standard in dairy assurance
Choose dairy products from farms with documented lameness prevention programs