Treatment duration and milk production in dairy cattle with foot diseases

Abstract

The objective of this study was to describe the treatment of foot diseases - heel erosion (HE), sole ulcer (SU), digital dermatitis (DD) and white line disease (WLD) - and evaluate the effect of treatment on milk production in dairy cows. The study was conducted using 57 Holstein dairy cows from a commercial dairy farm in Aydin, Turkey. The duration of treatment was determined, and milk production traits were obtained from daily computer records at four stages: beginning day of milk production (BMP), peak milk production before diagnosis day (PMP), beginning of treatment milk production, concurrently diagnosis day milk production (BTMP) and after-treatment milk production (ATMP). Bandages with antibiotic were applied for treatment of each foot disease and were changed weekly. The longest treatment period was observed in WLD, followed by SU, DD and HE. Significant increase in milk production was obtained in all groups after diagnosis and treatment of foot diseases in the study. The results suggest that treatment of foot diseases in dairy cattle has a positive impact on milk production if PMP is considered as the baseline for BTMP and ATMP in each disease group.