Evaluation of the use of ketoprofen for the treatment of digital dermatitis in dairy cattle: A randomised, positive controlled, clinical trial

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the benefits of administering ketoprofen to cows suffering from active digital dermatitis (DD). Methods: 158 cows presented with active DD (M1, M2 or M4.1 stage) were randomly allocated to either the control or the treatment group. All cows were treated with topical application of oxytetracycline spray. The treatment group also received an intramuscular injection of ketoprofen (3 mg/kg, Ketofen 10%, Ceva Animal Health). Cows were mobility scored just before they were treated and then again one week later. Information regarding their daily milk production was also collected. Results: Animals in the control group were at 2.57 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.82–8.01, p = 0.10) times higher odds to be lame at the second evaluation compared to those that received ketoprofen as well. This was a numeric but not statistically significant difference. When only cows that were lame prior to treatment were considered, cows that did not receive ketoprofen were at 20.20 (95% CI: 1.40–291.29, p = 0.03) higher odds of remaining lame week post-treatment comparing to cows that did receive ketoprofen. Freshly calved and lame at enrolment cows in the treatment group produced 58.38 ± 1.85 kg per day the week after treatment comparing to freshly calved and lame at enrolment controls that produced 47.89 ± 1.81 kg per day (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The addition of ketoprofen in the treatment of active DD lesions may be beneficial for animal welfare and for animal productivity.