Foot Disease in Cattle in the Tropical Regions of Brazil

There are many types of foot disease in Brazil due to the different kinds of herd management and different environmental conditions. Independently of the type of management, the importance of foot disease has increased, due to the intensification of breeding and genetic improvements. We have better-producing animals, but at the same time more susceptible to diseases. In intensive systems, foot problems are very similar to those found in developed countries with a predominance of digital and interdigital dermatitis, laminitis and their secondary effects. The more commonly used breeds in these type of systems are Holstein and other types of dairy breeds, and very rarely are bos indicus, which are more resistant to foot diseases, used in crossbreeding. There’s not a general rule for the other types of systems in Brazil, it depends greatly ...