Formalin foot baths in the prevention of interdigital dermatitis in cattle
1982
Cornelisse, J.J. | Peterse, D.J. | Toussaint Raven, E. (Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht (Netherlands). Faculteit Diergeneeskunde, Vakgroep Zootechniek)
Formalin (=approximately 35% formaldehyde) foot baths are used with variable success to prevent interdigital dermatitis, eczema of the interdigital skin accompanied by secondary destruction of the bulb horn. Experimental studies were done in vivo and in vitro to determine the significance of the temperature and concentration of the formalin solution and the method of bathing (standing in a bath for 60 minutes or walking through a bath, in which case each foot is immersed twice in the solution). The results show that a low temperature of the bathing solution (10 deg C), which theoretically produces poor ddisinfection, does not necessarily imply inadequate isinfection in actual practice as the solution will adhere to the interdigital skin for about 30 minutes and very rapidly will acquire the temperature of the skin (20 deg-30 deg C). Therefore contact between the interdigital skin and grass, mud, dung and so on has to be prevented for the first 30 minutes after bathing. The more intensive contact between formalin and skin in a stationary foot bath offers advantages over the pass-through bath. When a 3% formalin solution in a pass-through baths fails to produce satisfactory results, a 5% solution may be used. This concentration will result in more effective disinfection; higher concentrations may cause skin lesions. Repeated daily disinfection does not produce further reduction of the bacterial flora on the interdigital skin to a significant degree. In addition to the disinfecting effect, the hardening effect on the interdigital skin may be of importance.
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