Digital dermatitis (Mortellaro disease) is the most common cause of infectious lameness in dairy cattle globally and is a major welfare and productivity concern requiring active herd management.
Active digital dermatitis lesions cause acute severe pain that significantly impairs mobility, feeding and lying behaviour. Chronic lesions cause persistent sub-acute pain with lasting welfare impacts. Welfare priorities include regular foot bathing to reduce bacterial load, prompt individual treatment of identified lesions with topical oxytetracycline and bandaging, foot trimming to improve lesion access, and reducing slurry contamination in passageways.