Pilot study to assess moisture content of dressings with different cattle foot bandaging techniques

The style and duration of foot bandaging vary considerably in investigations of digital dermatitis treatment. Bandages are used to maintain topical treatments on the lesion, and keep lesions clean and dry. However, if applied incorrectly or for too long, there could be a risk of injury and worsening of lesions. Seven-day bandages were reported to improve cure rate compared with no bandage in a recent German trial (Klawitter et al., 2017). However, the bandage method is more complicated than traditional bandage techniques and could become wet and deleterious to recovery under UK conditions, which typically involve regular foot baths and periods at grass. Hoof bandage guidance in the UK is often stated as an application for no more than 2 days (if a bandage is applied at all). It is also acknowledged that bandage application and removal must be quick and easy to reflect what is practical for trimmers and producers in the field. 

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if there is any difference in the moisture content of gauze dressings and skin health in cows receiving four different foot bandage styles applied over a 2 day versus 7-day duration. This pilot study aimed to generate informative qualitative observations as to the most appropriate bandaging style to use for future trials. 

Materials and methods 
A single dairy farm in the South of the UK was recruited in October 2018. The farm had 270 HF cows, housed at grass during the day, and in deep sand bedded cubicles at night. The farm used 4% formalin footbathing twice weekly for all milking cows, including those enrolled in the trial (footbathed on day 1 and day 5). Eight cows were enrolled onto the study, all with signs of visible non-regressing digital dermatitis lesions on one of their hind feet.