Livestock

Digital Dermatitis Prevention in Cattle: Evidence and Practice

Evidence-based guide to preventing bovine digital dermatitis -- the most common cause of lameness in dairy cows.

Key Facts

Digital dermatitis (Mortellaro disease) is the leading cause of infectious lameness in dairy cattle worldwide
It is caused by a complex of Treponema bacteria requiring specific conditions to proliferate
Lesions appear as raw circular painful ulcers at the back of the heel -- often with characteristic hair-like projections
Affected cows show severe lameness that causes pain with every step
The disease is contagious between cattle through contaminated slurry and shared walkways
Footbathing with copper sulphate or formalin solution is the primary prevention tool
Individual treatment with topical oxytetracycline spray is highly effective when applied promptly
Herd-level control requires a combination of footbath management, housing hygiene, and individual treatment

Welfare Significance

Digital dermatitis causes intense pain with every step the cow takes. The welfare impact is immediate, severe, and entirely preventable with good hygiene and footbath management. Herds with high digital dermatitis prevalence have high chronic pain burdens that are often underestimated because lame cows adapt their gait rather than stopping walking entirely.

What You Can Do

Implement a twice-weekly footbath programme using copper sulphate or licensed formalin solution
Maintain clean dry passageways -- slurry accumulation dramatically increases transmission risk
Train stockpeople to detect digital dermatitis at its earliest stage using locomotion scoring
Treat identified cases within 24 hours with topical oxytetracycline spray