Provita has launched a new Digital Dermatitis (DD) app, which dairy farmers can download to their phone by simply filling out a form on the Provita website. The new app which is available for IOS and Android systems was launched at the recent UK Dairy Day, held in Telford, Shropshire.
“We got a tremendous response from farmers who attended the show,” confirmed Provita’s Tommy Armstrong.
“And we are expecting a strong demand for the app from dairy farmers in Northern Ireland over the coming months.
He continued:
“Digital Dermatitis is a very difficult disease to control, and it can be very hard to assess the levels of Digital Dermatitis on farms. With the prevalence of lameness now at a UK average of 37% (Cook, 2016), it is no longer something which can be ignored but rather a problem which farmers must continuously monitor.
“It is now growing in significance within dairy herds of all sizes and breed types. Even in New Zealand, where grazing systems predominate, Digital Dermatitis levels are rising dramatically and here in this country we are seeing the disease impacting on replacement dairy heifers as young as four months old.”
The customised Digital Dermatitis App allows farmers, vets and other professionals to monitor and control DD. It has been specifically designed and tested to be easily used in the parlour.
Input of information includes recording colour, size and appearance of lesions. The app will then will convert your observations and categorise them into early, acute, healing, chronic or chronic and acute DD lesions. Once all the details are entered, it is automatically submitted to Provita whose technical team design a farm specific hoofcare plan. Having this unique control plan means that Provita products will be used at the correct dilution rates, depth and frequency.
Farmers will be able to see the level of Digital Dermatitis on their farm before and after management changes. This means they can see exactly what is working for them, and monitor the progress long term.
Additionally hoof trimming events can be recorded by the veterinarian or farmer. Entry of the data is quick and accurate, and an instant report is generated which can be emailed or printed for discussion to allow for earlier intervention.
The Mobile App is free to farmers for the first report and free thereafter for farmers using Hoofsure Endurance. It can also be used in conjunction with our Hoofsure HELP service. For clients using or wishing to use the Hoofsure Endurance footbath solution a member of the Provita team, fully trained by industry experts, will carry out an on-farm digital dermatitis assessment using the new Provita Digital Dermatitis App.
Provita can provide a wide range of footbathing technologies to make the footbath filling and emptying process easy and convenient, including semi-automated filling systems. Farmers are also trained to ensure they use the Hoofsure Endurance solution at the correct depth and dilution rate.
For more information on the Digital Dermatitis App, call Tommy Armstrong on 07720101444. To fill in a form to receive the link for the app visit www.provita.co.uk/dd-app