Farm Animals

Cattle Welfare: Digital Dermatitis Scoring

Digital dermatitis scoring systems enable consistent welfare assessment and treatment tracking for this painful and prevalent foot condition.

Key Facts

Scientific evidence guides best practice in this welfare area
Welfare improvements are achievable at reasonable cost
Public awareness and consumer choice drive positive welfare change
Every informed person strengthens the animal welfare movement

Welfare Considerations

Scoring DD lesions by stage using validated systems enables appropriate treatment selection, monitoring of healing, and benchmarking of herd-level DD control programme effectiveness across time and between farms.

What You Can Do

Learn more about this welfare topic from scientific sources
Support organisations working on this welfare issue
Make informed choices that support better welfare outcomes
Share knowledge about animal welfare with others