Effectiveness of HoofCare® in the treatment of digital dermatitis in dairy cows

ABSTRACT This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of topical HoofCare® in the treatment of digital dermatitis (DD) in dairy cows. Thirty-six high-yielding Holstein cows with DD in at least one limb were included and randomly divided into two groups, making 42 limbs. The alternating treatment group consisted of 21 limbs treated for three alternating days every 48h, and the continuous treatment group consisted of 21 limbs treated every 24h for five days. The cows underwent lameness examination, thermographic analysis, and qualitative and quantitative analysis of the lesions on D0 (time of identification of the lesion and prior to treatment), D4 (fourth day of treatment), and D10 (five days after the end of treatment). The data were compared between different time points and groups. There was no significant difference between the groups for the variables evaluated. However, both groups presented a reduction in the degree of lameness around the lesion, in the local temperature, and regression from the active to the inactive stage of the lesions. Thus, this short-term study demonstrates the suggestive efficacy of HoofCare® in treating DD and recommends conducting further long-term studies.