Polyurethane dressing, tetracycline and salicylic acid use for treatment of digital dermatitis in cattle

 

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Summary

Objective: The use of antibiotics is a proven approach for local and systemic treatment of digital dermatitis (DD). Even if they are administered only locally and at low dosage, their use should be restricted to an absolute minimum. The efficacy of a commercial polyurethane wound dressing in treating acute digital dermatitis was compared with topical treatment using a commercially available tetracycline spray and a salicylic acid paste. Materials and methods: A total of 105 cows in a dairy farm (with about 160 dairy cows) were included in the study, with 101 cows needing topical treatment for digital dermatitis on one or both hind feet. All animals underwent hoof trimming prior to the treatment. Affected feet (n = 152) were randomly assigned to one of three comparable treatment groups. Topical treatment was administered to all visible digital dermatitis lesions. Animals in the positive control groups were given a topical treatment of tetracycline (53 DD lesions in 49 cows) or salicylic acid (53 DD lesions in 50 cows) formulations, whose therapeutic effects were scientifically verified. Spray was applied once, at a usual dosage and without any bandage. Salicylic acid paste was fixed in place with a bandage for 5 days. In the test group (46 DD lesions in 45 cows), a polyurethane bandage was left in place for 10 days. Whereas, 47 feet (from 38 cows) without lesions or with lesions showing no pain were designated as group 0. Each lesion was evaluated at day 0 during trimming, and on day 10 and 36. The lesions were scored based on severity and size. Results: All groups showed a statistically significant improvement in the clinical appearance of the lesions at day 10. There were no significant differences in the findings between the second and the third evaluation (day 10 and day 36) either within a group or between the groups. Conclusion: The use of an alternative treatment regimen like a polyurethane wound dressing shows good clinical healing, it is as effective as the conventional methods, and unlike the conventional methods, does not require a latency period.

Zusammenfassung

Gegenstand und Ziel: Die lokale und systemische Antibiotikaapplikation ist eine vielfach erfolgreich angewendete Behandlungsmethode bei Dermatitis digitalis (DD), doch auch bei lokaler Anwendung und geringer Dosierung sollte der Einsatz von Antibiotika auf ein absolutes Minimum beschränkt werden. Zur Behandlung der akuten DD wurde die Effektivität einer kommerziell erhältlichen Polyurethan-Wundauflage mit der lokalen Anwendung eines tetrazyklinhaltigen Sprays und eines salizylsäurehaltigen Medikaments verglichen. Material und Methoden: Aus einem Milchviehbetrieb (mit über 160 Milchkühen) gingen 105 Tiere in die Studie ein, wobei 101 Kühe an einem oder beiden Hinterfüßen wegen DD behandelt werden mussten. Nach einer Klauenpflege wurden die sichtbaren Läsionen im Sinne der DD unter randomisierter Bildung von drei vergleichbaren Gruppen der versorgten Gliedmaßen (n = 152) lokal behandelt. Als positive Kontrolle dienten die Tiere, bei denen eine Therapie der DD mit den wissenschaftlich geprüften lokalen Therapeutika Tetrazyklinspray (53 Läsionen bei 49 Kühen) und Salizylsäurepaste (53 Läsionen bei 50 Kühen) erfolgte. Das Spray wurde, wie in der Praxis üblich, einmalig aufgetragen, die Salizylsäurepaste für 5 Tage mit einem Verband fixiert. In der Testgruppe wurde eine Polyurethan-Wundauflage (46 Läsionen bei 45 Kühen) für 10 Tage unter Verband genommen. 47 Füße ohne DD-Läsionen oder mit schmerzfreien Läsionen bildeten die Gruppe 0 (38 Kühe). Ein Scoring der Läsionen nach Schweregrad und Größe erfolgte an Tag 0 während der Klauenpflege sowie an Tag 10 und Tag 36. Ergebnisse: In allen Gruppen kam es zu statistisch signifikanten Verbesserungen des klinischen Erscheinungsbildes der Läsionen an Tag 10. Im weiteren Verlauf (zweite/dritte Untersuchung) gab es weder inner halb der Gruppen noch zwischen den drei Gruppen statistisch signifikante Unterschiede. Schlussfolgerung: Unter Anwendung der Polyurethan-Wundauflage ergaben sich gute klinische Heilungserfolge, die vergleichbar mit denen konventioneller Methoden sind, wobei im Gegensatz zu den konventionellen Methoden keine Wartezeit erforderlich ist.

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