A survey of the on-farm treatment of sole ulcer and white line disease in dairy cattle

A telephone survey of UK dairy farmers was conducted to investigate current on-farm practice in the treatment of mild sole ulcer (SU)/sole bruising (SB), and white line disease (WLD), and the potential barriers associated with therapy. A total of 84 dairy farmers were questioned about the process of detecting and treating lame cows on their farm as well as about the specific treatments they applied. Farmers were also canvassed for their views on the efficacy of different potential treatments for mild SU/SB and WLD.In general, respondents discussed treatments for SU and WLD rather than specifically for mild SU/SB and WLD. Furthermore, when describing treatment methods, farmers rarely differentiated between SU and WLD. Trimming the affected claw with or without the additional use of orthopaedic blocks was the most commonly reported treatment method considered effective and practical by the majority of farmers. Antibiotics and/or analgesics were used by a small number of farmers, and some housed their most severely lame cows in straw pens. Lack of time, inadequate equipment and poor farm layout were identified by many survey respondents as barriers to the prompt and/or effective treatment of their lame animals.