Water footbath, automatic flushing, and disinfection to improve the health of bovine feet

• Published in: Journal of dairy science Vol. 97; no. 5; pp. 2835 - 2846
• Main Authors: Fjeldaas, T., Knappe-Poindecker, M., Bøe, K.E., Larssen, R.B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.05.2014
• Subjects: Animals; automatic flushing; Baths - methods; bovine infectious foot disease; Cattle - physiology; Cattle Diseases - prevention & control; Disinfectants - administration & dosage; disinfection; Disinfection - methods; Female; Foot Diseases - prevention & control; Foot Diseases - veterinary; Glutaral - administration & dosage; Hoof and Claw - physiology; Horns - physiology; Locomotion; Parity; Pregnancy; Walking; Water - administration & dosage; water footbath; water footbath; disinfection; automatic flushing; bovine infectious foot disease
• DOI: 10.3168/jds.2013-7531
• ISSN: 0022-0302

Disinfecting footbaths are used to treat and prevent interdigital dermatitis (ID) and heel horn erosion (HHE). However, many disinfectants are disadvantageous for the environment and, as an alternative, washing of the feet has been introduced. Our aim was to investigate the effect of water footbaths (trial 1), footbaths with CuSO4 (trial 2), automatic water flushing (trial 3), and water flushing followed by disinfection with a glutaraldehyde-based compound (trial 4) in 4 randomized controlled clinical trials performed in a freestall dairy herd of approximately 45 Norwegian Red cows. At trimming before and after each trial, hind foot diseases, hardness of the claw horn (in D-units), locomotion, and cleanliness of the claws were recorded. Before each trial, the cows were divided in comparable study and control groups, based on prevalence of ID and HHE, parity, and days in milk. Using a transponder-regulated gate, the study groups were led through a footbath (trials 1 and 2) or an automatic washer (trials 3 and 4), whereas the control groups were left untreated. Each trial lasted 3 mo and the curative effect in diseased cows and the preventive effect in cows with healthy feet on ID, HHE, and ID + HHE were analyzed. In trial 2, a preventive effect of CuSO4 on HHE compared with the untreated cows was observed. During trial 1, 100% (11/11) of the treated cows with ID got better and 22% (2/9) without ID became diseased, whereas 92% (11/12) of the treated cows with ID + HHE got better and 38% (3/8) without ID + HHE became diseased. During trial 2, 69% (9/13) of the treated cows with ID got better and 11% (1/9) without ID became diseased. During trial 4, 19% (3/16) of the untreated cows with ID + HHE got better and 71% (5/7) without ID + HHE became diseased. In trial 3, no significant effects on ID, HHE, or ID + HHE were revealed. In trial 2 (CuSO4), the treated cows’ claw horn was harder after the trial compared with the controls (D-unit difference: 13.25). In trial 3 (stationary water flushing) the treated cows’ claw horn was softer after the trial when compared with the controls (D-unit difference: −15.66). The CuSO4 footbaths were useful to prevent HHE and indicate that automatic stationary flushing with only water had no beneficial effect on ID or HHE. The claw horn of cows walking through CuSO4 became harder and the claw horn of cows that had their hind feet flushed with water became softer compared with the controls.