Hoofsure Endurance

Big reduction in Digital Dermatitis with the Hoofsure HELP service

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“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.  

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Foot bathing after every milking reduces lameness problems by 50%

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The combined approach of foot bathing after every milking and the inclusion of Provita’s Hoofsure Endurance as the foot bathing solution, has allowed Ballymoney dairy farmer Brian Knipe and his father Alfie to reduce the levels of lameness within his 100 strong cow dairy herd by almost 50%.

“I am delighted with the results obtained by putting an increased emphasis on foot bathing,” Brian confirmed.

“I had known for some time that increasing the frequency of foot bathing would be required if we were ever to get on top of the problem. The challenge was working out the best way to make this happen without putting additional stress on me and the other people working on the farm.”

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Sale season in full swing at Springhill Texels

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Last Saturday marked the beginning of the Texel pedigree sale season in Northern Ireland with the breed’s ‘Premier’ event taking place in Ballymena. The Foster family, from Ardstraw in Co Tyrone, are owners of the renowned Springhill flock with a history stretching back thirty two years.

“We had a good day in Ballymena,” confirmed Graham Foster. “A ram lamb sold to 2,500gns with a shearling ram making 1,400gns in the ring,” confirmed Graham Foster.

“We are also taking part in Scotland’s Premier Texel Sale at Lanark. This is the first time in twenty years that we have taken sheep to that event.”

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New Hoofsure HELP service from Provita

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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). 

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Clinically proven alternative to copper sulphate and formaldehyde

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Latest Research

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.

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Foot bathing after every milking reduces lameness problems by 50%

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The combined approach of foot bathing after every milking and the inclusion of Provita’s Hoofsure Endurance in the foot bathing solution has allowed Ballymoney dairy farmer Brian Knipe and his father Alfie to reduce the levels of lameness within his 100 strong cow dairy herd by almost 50%.”

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