Digital dermatitis (DD), known as hairy heel warts, strawberry foot rot, raspberry heel, Mortellaro’s disease and foot warts, has become the most common foot lesion on many dairy herds throughout North America. It seems there are as many prevention and treatment products for DD as there are names for the disease.

I’m sure you’ve run into lameness challenges in the past – or perhaps you’re currently facing some challenges? Or maybe they’re looming around the corner but you’re not aware of them yet.

Digital dermatitis (DD) is often referred to as “mastitis of the hoof.” When it comes to milk production, hoof care can be just as important as udder care. A lame cow won’t be able to stand on its feet, and when it can’t stand, it can’t get the proper nutrition. And we know proper nutrition is essential for maximum milk production.

Finding cows with a locomotion score of “3” could be the magic number that transforms lameness levels within a dairy herd, according to Neil Andrew, Northeast account manager with Zinpro Corporation.

Ben Sorrell lives in Galena, Missouri, traveling across the state and into northwest Arkansas and northeast Oklahoma as a professional hoof trimmer.

Over 80 hoof-trimming enthusiasts met in Tomah, Wisconsin, to network and learn more about their trade at a winter getaway on Feb. 18-19. The gathering was coordinated by trimmers Skip Blake from Wisconsin and Justin Addy from Minnesota, and included conversations around certification, lameness and professional development.

Decisions on the dairy should be based on increasing efficiency to improve the bottom line. As you weigh the costs and benefits of cooling your cows, the numbers quickly add up: Cooling wins every time.

Acknowledged as a leading cause of lameness in the dairy industry, digital dermatitis (DD) is a widespread problem present on the majority of U.S. dairies. Also known as hairy heel warts, this costly and highly contagious disease progresses quickly. If not caught in the early stages, DD can result in permanent hoof damage.

Technology provides tools to gather data, enabling dairy farmers to make immediate decisions based on real-time herd information. A producer panel discussed their individual uses of “wearable” technologies during the Precision Dairy Farming Conference and Expo, held May 30-June 1, in Lexington, Kentucky. The event was organized by the University of Kentucky and the University of Minnesota.

According to one study, activity and rumination monitors have the potential to accurately detect fresh cow diseases like ketosis, metritis, displaced abomasum and even mastitis days earlier than clinical signs can be detected.