Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 27, 2026
Dermoscopy Aids in the Diagnosis of Discoid Lupus Erythematosus
Published on: May 16, 2025
Can digital dermatitis be detected in the milking parlor without washing cows' feet?
Victor H S Oliveira1, Jan T Sørensen1, Peter T Thomsen1
1Department of Animal Science, Aarhus University, Blichers Allé 20, PO, box 50, 8830 Tjele, Denmark.
Abstract:
Scoring digital dermatitis (DD) in the milking parlor after washing the hind feet of cows has been recommended. However, farmers might be reluctant to perform this washing due to compromised udder hygiene. The objective of this study was to evaluate if DD prevalence can be determined without the washing procedure. A total of 4510 cows from 22 dairy herds were scored for DD in the milking parlor without and with washing their hind feet. In all DD infected herds, DD prevalence was higher when scored with washing. The two methods were highly correlated (r=0.987, P<0.001). Scoring with washing resulted in a median of 32% more detected DD cases with a large variation between herds. Overall, DD measurements without washing the feet of cows should be interpreted with caution.
