digital dermatitis – Provita Animal Health

Provita Lameness Clinics

March 15, 2018 by Provita Animal Health

Provita are inviting farmers to the below locations where a technical advisor will be in store to give advice on lameness in dairy cattle & sheep and how Provita’s Hoofsure HELP service and products can help reduce lameness problems on farm. Provita will also be offering advice on their calving and lambing ranges. Please … Read more

Hoofsure Endurance reduces lameness for Armoy farmer

February 19, 2018 by Provita Animal Health

Arthur Hanna, who runs 130 Holstein Friesian cows in Armoy, Co Antrim, recently availed of Provita Hoofsure HELP service. Lameness is a major challenge in dairy herds across the globe. Infectious conditions are the biggest contributor towards lameness, with Digital Dermatitis (DD) the most commonly seen condition which can spread quickly throughout the entire herd if left unmanaged. This painful infection affects the skin around the hoof mainly at the back of the cleft between the claws and due claw. Lameness reduces mobility, comfort, feed intake, milk yield, fertility and ultimately gross margin. Milk yield can be reduced by at least 1 litre per cow per day.

Big reduction in Digital Dermatitis with the Hoofsure HELP service

September 26, 2016 by Provita Animal Health

“Regular footbathing is crucially important where the control of digital dermatitis is concerned,” confirmed Provita’s Tommy Armstrong.

“As a company we are committed to devising new strategies that will help dairy farmers to both control and treat the problem.”

Provita run a Hoofsure HELP programme for farmers who are using Hoofsure Endurance on their farm. A fully trained member of Provita staff will arrange a visit, score the cows’ feet using our new app and design a unique footbathing and spot spraying plan for the farm. This recommended hoofcare programme is designed specifically for farms with regular reviews and assessments to monitor progress and return on investment.

Developing a plan to prevent lameness

September 7, 2016 by Provita Animal Health

Lameness, a global problem:

‘We have a global lameness crisis in our dairy industry’ (Cook 2016). This statement was made during a keynote speech by Nigel Cook, at the recent World Buiatrics Congress in Dublin, Ireland. It was sentiment and focus of numerous speakers at the congress. Given the number of delegates who attended the lectures on lameness it is clear that the matter is high on the priority list of veterinarians and farmers alike.

NEW: Provita Digital Dermatitis App

September 7, 2016September 7, 2016 by Provita Animal Health

The customised Provita Mobile App allows farmers, vets and other professionals to measure and continuously manage digital dermatitis. It has been specifically designed and tested to be easily used in the parlour.

New Hoofsure HELP service from Provita

August 31, 2015 by admin

Research from DairyCo shows that lameness can be successfully reduced by up to 70% through effective footbathing. It can be assumed that with the average UK milk output per cow and average herd size having increased by approximately 20% and 30% respectively in the last 10 years alone, lameness levels and stress on cows feet will also rise (Dairy Co Datum 2014).

The role of the veterinarian in reducing lameness levels has been discussed at recent conferences such as at the Cattle Lameness Conference 2015 and International Lameness Conference 2013, in Bristol. It has been suggested that not only has the size and shape of farms altered but so have the roles and responsibilities of farm owners, workers as well as vets and other contractors (Alcock, 2015).

Footbath to prevent lameness

July 21, 2015July 21, 2015 by admin

The Provita stand at this year’s Sheep NI event was a focal point for discussion regarding a wide range of sheep management issues.
“It was tremendous to have so many flockowners coming up and discussing many management related issues which are of key interest to them at the present time,” confirmed Provita’s Tommy Armstrong.
“It was obvious that keeping hoof condition right remains a priority for sheep producers throughout Northern Ireland.
Tommy pointed out that Hoofsure Endurance, the unique footbath solution from Provita, is finding favour with leading sheep producers throughout Northern Ireland.

Successful control of lameness – focus of farm workshop

November 5, 2014 by admin

Farmers attending this week’s lameness demonstration, hosted by Provita, on the Ardboe farm of Seamus and Gerard Quinn were told that a zero tolerance approach to lameness has resulted in very low levels of lameness on the farm.

The day consisted of several practical demonstrations covering a rollover hooftrimming crush for farmers (Northern Engineering), an in-parlour explanation of the different stages of Digital Dermatitis and hooftrimming (Parklands Vet Group), footbathing of milking cows, dry cows and heifers (Provita) and mobility scoring (CAFRE).

New Research Studies Compares Footbath Solutions

July 17, 2014 by admin

Many dairy farmers use a range of different footbath solutions to help control lameness, often switching from one to the other with little difference in performance. Many solutions arrive on the market with the promise of treating all lameness problems but fail to live up to expectations. So how do farmers decide what will work against their lameness problems, especially the complex digital dermatitis problem? One option is to listen to other farmers. However as every farm is different often what works on one farm will frustratingly not work on another. Another option is to consider independent peer reviewed scientific evidence.