What Causes Digital Dermatitis?
Digital dermatitis is primarily caused by bacteria from the Treponema genus, a group of spirochetes. These long, thin organisms with hair-like filaments penetrate the outer skin of the hoof, burrow into the deeper skin layers, and multiply within the tissue.
Early-stage infections cause acute, intense pain because the bacteria are actively invading living tissue. As the infection becomes chronic, the lesion changes character but remains a reservoir of bacteria that can reinfect the same animal or spread to others.
The disease was first described in 1974 by Italian researchers Cheli and Mortellaro, which is where the name Mortellaro's disease comes from. It has been in dairy barns ever since.
How Are DD Lesions Classified?
The M-stage classification, first published by Dr. Döpfer and colleagues in the Netherlands in 1997, is the standard framework for describing digital dermatitis. The "M" stands for Mortellaro. Five stages describe the full progression of the disease. Researchers later added a sixth class, M4.1: a chronic M4 lesion with a small new active spot, a sign the infection is flaring up again.
M0: Healthy Photo: healthy hoof skin, no lesionNo Lesion
Normal digital skin. Most common in calves and pre-partum heifers. Increasingly rare in adult dairy cows.
How Does Digital Dermatitis Spread Between Cows?
Spread happens through contact with DD bacteria in manure and contaminated environments. Any surface that carries infected material from one hoof to another is a risk.
Footbaths are a particular concern. A poorly managed footbath stops being a prevention tool and becomes a transmission vector. If the solution is not refreshed and the bath is heavily contaminated, cows walk through it and pick up bacteria rather than killing them.
Feedlots have also seen increasing DD cases. These farms often purchase cows from auction sales, and cattle are transported on liners where close contact makes spreading easy. Purchased cattle are a real route of entry for DD into a clean herd.
DD bacteria have also been found in elk and sheep, though the primary concern in dairy hoof care is cattle.
DD lesions at the heel are distinct from foot rot, which causes swelling between the toes and a foul smell. DD can also develop on top of an open interdigital corn lesion. If finding DD in several cows, also look for interdigital dermatitis. Both conditions are often found in the same herd.
Where on the Hoof Is DD Found?
The most common location is the skin at the back of the heel, between the heel bulbs. It also occurs in the interdigital space between the two claws, and along the coronary band at the front of the hoof. Treponema bacteria have also been found in association with sole ulcers and toe necrosis, though the heel bulb region is where the disease classically starts.
How to Treat Digital Dermatitis in Cattle
This disease is relatively easy to treat when caught early. For years, tetracycline-based products such as Tetra 1000 mixed with iodine cream were the standard treatment. Since 2006, Diamond Hoof Care has treated digital dermatitis without antibiotics using Intra Hoof-fit Gel.
Diamond Hoof Care has treated digital dermatitis without antibiotics for 20 years, long before antimicrobial stewardship became a regulatory priority in Canadian dairy.
How the studies define "cure": in Holzhauer et al., an M2 lesion that moved to healed (M0) or non-painful chronic (M4) by Day 28. In Lammers et al., an M2 lesion that moved to any other stage by Day 7; 23 of the 25 treated lesions reached the M3 scab stage and 2 reached M4.
The Treatment Protocol
For a detailed walkthrough including what to watch for at Day 3, see how to best treat strawberry foot in cattle. For the research behind the gel, see what is the proven treatment for digital dermatitis.
Video: Non-Antibiotic Treatment Explained
Dr. Menno Holzhauer from the Dutch Animal Health Service and Pieter Kloosterman, trainer at the Hoof Trimming Training Center, explain the use of non-antibiotic products.
The Treatment We Use: Intra Hoof-fit Gel
Intra Hoof-fit Gel
The first and only non-antibiotic topical medication for digital dermatitis treatment registered with a DIN in Canada. Developed by Intracare BV (Netherlands) and exclusively distributed in Canada by Diamond Hoof Care Ltd. since 2006.
View ProductFrequently Asked Questions About Digital Dermatitis
What are the stages of digital dermatitis in cattle?
DD is classified using five M-stages first published by Döpfer and colleagues in 1997. M0 is healthy skin with no lesion. M1 is a small, early red or gray defect under 2 cm. M2 is the active, painful ulcerative stage, over 2 cm and highly contagious. M3 is the healing stage after treatment, where a firm scab forms. M4 is the chronic stage: thickened or proliferative tissue that can reactivate into M2.
How is digital dermatitis treated without antibiotics?
Dry the hoof skin with a cloth, never water. Brush Intra Hoof-fit Gel directly onto the lesion. Wrap severe cases and leave the wrap for 3 to 4 days. At Day 3, remove the wrap and brush the gel on again, without a wrap, where the lesion is still active. Check again at Day 7: a small number of cows need one more application. This antibiotic-free protocol has been in use since 2006.
For a full step-by-step guide, see how to best treat strawberry foot in cattle.
Can digital dermatitis spread between cows?
Yes. DD spreads through contact with infected manure and contaminated surfaces. A footbath that is not refreshed regularly can become an infection source instead of a prevention tool. Purchased cattle and cattle transported on liners from auction sales are a common entry point for DD into a herd. Research shows M4 lesions account for about 88% of digital dermatitis transmission in a herd. Not because M4 is more infectious, but because feet spend most of their infectious time in the chronic M4 stage, often unnoticed (Biemans et al., 2018).
What does digital dermatitis look like?
An active M2 lesion looks like a raw strawberry: red, moist, painful, and often surrounded by a fringe of long hairs. This is why the disease is also called hairy warts. Chronic M4 lesions are grayish and proliferative, with a roughened wart-like surface. Early M1 lesions are small, under 2 cm, and easy to miss without regular inspection.
How long does digital dermatitis take to heal?
In the Canadian trial (Lammers et al. 2016), every M2 lesion treated with Intra Hoof-fit Gel had left the active stage by Day 7, most of them to the M3 scab stage. A typical acute case is effectively treated within 7 days. Chronic M4 lesions take longer, are harder to resolve fully, and can reactivate into M2 if the herd reservoir is not managed. Healing time depends on stage caught, application accuracy, and whether the underlying conditions have been corrected.
Why is it called digital dermatitis?
"Digital" refers to the digits, the two claws of a cow's foot. "Dermatitis" means inflammation of the skin. So digital dermatitis is an infection of the skin around the claws, not of the hoof horn itself. That is also why it responds to a topical treatment brushed onto the skin.
How to Prevent Digital Dermatitis
A clean, dry environment with good ventilation is the foundation. Managing DD prevention means managing the conditions that let Treponema bacteria survive and spread.
If possible, reduce the risk of buying the disease into a herd. Ask where cattle come from and whether the herd of origin has active DD.
Hoof hygiene is part of that environment. Intra Hoof Sol Spray and Hoof Sol Bath are registered with Health Canada as Veterinary Health Products (VHP) that promote healthy hooves and healthy skin. Many farms build a weekly hoof spraying session or a regular footbath into their herd routine.
Copper sulfate and formalin were common footbath ingredients for years. Farmer safety, environmental impact, and questions about efficacy are reasons to choose registered alternatives.
A side-by-side chart of digital dermatitis, foot rot, interdigital dermatitis, and other common cattle hoof diseases, so you can sort one from another at the chute before you reach for a treatment.
Download Free ChartResearch Cited on This Page
- Döpfer D. et al. (1997). Histological and bacteriological evaluation of digital dermatitis in cattle, with special reference to spirochaetes and Campylobacter faecalis. Veterinary Record 140(24): 620-623.
- Holzhauer M. et al. (2011). Curative effect of topical treatment of digital dermatitis with a gel containing activated copper and zinc chelate. Veterinary Record 169(21): 555. PubMed
- Lammers G., Sabau E., van Berkel R., van der Vegt H., Vulders C., Vis K. (2016). A randomized controlled trial of 50 M2 digital dermatitis lesions with a non-antibiotic gel containing chelated copper and zinc.
- Biemans F. et al. (2018). Digital Dermatitis in dairy cattle: the contribution of different disease classes to transmission. Epidemics 23: 76-84. ScienceDirect
