Are There any Possibilities to Eliminate Digital Dermatitis from Dairy Herd?

Digital dermatitis (PDD) is one of the most common diseases and causes of high economical, welfare and technological problems in intense dairy production. In large Holstein Frisian high milk producing herds there is almost no possibilities not to find certain percent of cows with PDD in different stages. If the prevalence of the disease is lower than 10% we mostly have problems only with individual cows. If prevalence rises above 10%, we have problems with herd productivity, reproduction rate, health status and culling rate. Therefore absence of PDD in the herd would be of enormous value.
We managed herd with 280 dairy cows and 50 heifers with starting prevalence of PDD of 37,79%. Average milk production was 7356 kg. On the farm they use systemic corrective trimming once every year between end of pasture period till begin of the winter period, when cows were not anymore let loose outside of the stable. Because of high prevalence of PDD we change the everyday praxis of foot bathing solution with Cu sulphate and introduce another system in February 2007. Results of this change were even worse health condition of the ...