The Veterinary Record 162:41-46 (2008)
© 2008 British Veterinary Association
Effects of different intervention strategies on the incidence of papillomatous digital dermatitis in dairy cows
M. Holzhauer, DVM, ECBHM1,
D. Döpfer, DVM, PhD2,
J. de Boer, BSc1 and
G. van Schaik, MSc, PhD1
1 GD Ltd, PO Box 9, 7400 AA, Deventer, The
Netherlands
2 Quantitative Veterinary Epidemiology Group, Division of Infectious Diseases,
Animal Sciences Group of Wageningen UR, PO Box 65, 8200
AB Lelystad, The Netherlands
The effects of four different intervention strategies on the incidence
of severe lesions of digital dermatitis in an experimental dairy herd were
compared with the effects of a control strategy consisting of walking the cows
twice through a footbath containing 4 per cent formaldehyde on one day a week
for 24 weeks. The four alternative strategies were the same treatment every
other week; standing for 30 minutes in a footbath containing a 2 per cent
multicompound solution on days 0, 7, 28 and 90 after having had their hooves
cleaned indirectly with a medium pressure spray of water; walking twice
through the multicompound solution on one day a week for 24 weeks; and,
walking twice through a footbath containing 3 per cent sodium carbonate on one
day a week for 24 weeks. The cows' hooves were inspected every three weeks by
one trained claw trimmer who graded the lesions of digital dermatitis. None of
the alternative strategies significantly reduced either the number or severity
of the lesions in comparison with the control strategy. In the groups treated
by the third and fourth strategies there were outbreaks of digital dermatitis
in which more than 30 per cent of the cows suffered the most severe type of
lesion, and there was a continuously high rate of new infections in the group
treated by the fourth strategy.
Copyright © 2008 British Veterinary Association
