Press release — February 25, 2016

Intracare BV produces Hoof-fit Gel: the first Canadian non-antibiotic medication for hoof care in dairy cows. Registered with Health Canada: DIN 02441284.

Dairy farms in Canada have been struggling to control lameness—a major cause of economic losses and decreased animal welfare in their herds. Digital Dermatitis (also called Hairy heel warts, Fungus, Strawberry and Mortellaro Disease) is a chronic infection of the digital skin in cattle. Until today, no medication has officially been registered in Canada for the topical treatment and cure of Digital Dermatitis. Antibiotics are often used at random. However, this latter practice leads to the development of antibiotic-resistant pathogens in animals and possibly in humans.

“I think that almost everyone knows about the dairy lameness challenges with Digital Dermatitis,” says Koos Vis, owner of Diamond Hoof Care Ltd. “The Hoof-fit Gel produces curing results that will assist producers in controlling their lameness problems—without the use of antibiotics.”

The registration of the Gel in Canada was established by the following Health Canada protocol. A total of 50 active Digital Dermatitis lesions on animals at 3 Canadian dairy farms were treated with Intra Hoof-fit Gel or left untreated. After 7 days, all lesions from the gel-treated group were cured, while the untreated lesions were still active. “This all-or-nothing effect clearly demonstrates the efficacy of Intra Hoof-fit Gel as a powerful treatment for Digital Dermatitis in cattle,” continues Vis.

Intra Hoof-fit Gel, a product of the Dutch company Intracare, is a non-antibiotic gel containing chelated copper and zinc. An extensive clinical trial conducted in The Netherlands, under the supervision of the Dutch Animal Health Service, has demonstrated that Intra Hoof-fit Gel is 1.58x more effective than a commonly used antibiotic treatment. The gel is already registered in multiple countries in the European Union.

Intra Hoof-fit Gel is now available in Canada as an ‘over-the-counter’ veterinary medicine and can be obtained from your veterinarian or local dealer (Health Canada DIN 02441284).

Product video