International Dairy Topics • Volume 16 Number 4 29

Udder cleft dermatitis (UCD) in dairycattle is a serious skin conditionmainly located at the front junction

of the udder and the abdomen and inbetween the front udder quarters.

by Gerwen Lammers, Carly Vulders and Robbert van Berkel,

Intracare BV, The Netherlands.www.intracare.nl

The affected skin has a moist and redappearance, may be covered with a crust,and this is often accompanied by a foulodour. In the global shift to more intensivefarming systems, udder cleft dermatitis is aworldwide growing problem. A farmertypically only detects the severe cases,making the incidence often higher than hethinks.

The disease leads to a decreased welfareand milk production, premature culling, andeven death of the animal. The Dutch AnimalHealth service reported that udder cleftdermatitis was present on 80% of 20randomly investigated dairy farms, with aprevalence ranging from 0-15%. They

reported an association with udder shape,production level, and the use of a footbath. However, the exact cause of thedisease is still under investigation.

Although the primary cause of the diseaseis still under investigation, the secondarycolonisation of the wound by opportunisticbacteria hamper the natural healing processof the compromised skin. It has beensuggested that the Treponeme bacteria thatcause digital dermatitis may play a role, butthis has been disproven by others.

Treatments, including sprays containingantibiotics or conventional zinc, aredisappointing. The use of antibiotics isfurther problematic because of thedevelopment of antibiotic resistance andthe risk of antibiotic residues in the milk.

The goal of this study was to investigatethe effect of a spray containing bactericidalcopper and skin regenerating zinc, both inchelated form, on the healing of severecases of udder cleft dermatitis.

Non-antibiotic spray

Intra Repiderma is a non-antibiotic aerosolspray that is based on copper and zinc, for

which no MRL value is applicable and thusno withdrawal period. Copper isbactericidal and stimulates the formation ofnew blood vessels, which is an importantfeature of the wound healing process.

Zinc supports the natural regenerativecapacity of the skin and stimulates the

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Chelated copper andzinc to combat uddercleft dermatitis

Easy treatment of udder cleft dermatitiswith a spray containing chelated copperand zinc.

Severe udder cleft dermatitis lesion before (left), after two weeks (middle), and two months (right) after intensive treatment with aspray containing chelated copper and zinc.

30 International Dairy Topics • Volume 16 Number 4

growth of epithelial cells that form the toplayer of the skin. The originally inorganicmolecules Cu2+ and Zn2+ are covered(chelated) with an organic layer thatprovides unique properties.In a recent randomised clinical trial on 231

severe DD lesions in dairy cows on sevendifferent farms it has been demonstratedthat Intra Repiderma has a cure rate of86.8%, and is with half as many treatments1.9 times more effective than antibioticspray. Because of these positive results of the

spray on bacteria-infected digital dermatitisskin lesions, additional pilot studies wereperformed on a couple of severe cases of

udder cleft dermatitis in Germany, TheNetherlands, and Canada.

Case studies in different countries

l Germany. In Germany the spray was evaluated on afarm located in the Leipzig area that wassuffering with a large numbers of affectedanimals. Spraying was performed once a week for

multiple weeks on 20 animals. The disease-specific odour significantly reduced afterthe first treatment. The appearance of the lesions also

improved and the treatment protocol

resulted in partial healing, but no completere-epithelialisation was observed. It was therefore concluded that a more

intensive treatment schedule was requiredfor this severe cases of udder cleftdermatitis.

l The Netherlands.In The Netherlands, four animals withsevere, chronic udder cleft dermatitis weretreated daily for two weeks. Three of thefour animals demonstrated completehealing, the size of the wound of the otheranimal had decreased by approximately80%.

l Canada. In Canada, one animal with an extremelysevere chronic case of udder cleftdermatitis was also treated daily with thespray. Due to the severity of the lesion thiswas for a duration of two months. Withintwo weeks, the area changed to a more dryand quiet appearance. After two months, the skin had almost

closed. No adverse effects were observedduring any of these tests.

Practical considerations for use

Before the first spraying, it was found to bevery important to carefully clean thewound with water and afterwards dry itwith a piece of paper. Then start with covering the affected area

and the surrounding tissue by spraying oncein the morning and once in the evening,followed by spraying once a day. Copper and zinc are exempted from

residue studies, but do not use the milkwhen spraying in close proximity to theteats, because of the presence of strongcolouring agents.

Conclusion

Cases of udder cleft dermatitis only changeat a very slow rate. Natural recovery ispossible, but was found to be three timesless likely for severe than for mild lesions.The cases treated in this report fell in the

worst category, since farmers are typicallyonly willing to test new treatment optionson chronic cases that do not have anyhealing options left.The primary cause of UCD still requires

further investigation, but the positiveresults obtained on these severe casesjustify the further investigation of zinc tostimulate skin regeneration and copper toeliminate secondary wound infections incases of udder cleft dermatitis. Intra Repiderma is an effective and safe

alternative for antibiotic spray for thetreatment of udder cleft dermatitis. n

References are availablefrom the author on request

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