Answers to the questions we hear most from farm managers, veterinarians and distribution partners about HoofGuard, dairy cattle lameness and hoof health management.
About HoofGuard
HoofGuard is the first preventive hoof shoe for dairy cattle, developed by DierVitaal. It is a porous, drainage-channelled shoe attached to each claw using 3M industrial adhesive in under five minutes. The design improves floor grip by up to 40% on concrete and slatted surfaces, and its drainage channels keep the claw dry, reducing digital dermatitis risk. Each cow wears four shoes continuously for 8–12 months.
HoofGuard has a wear life of 8–12 months per set. Application takes under five minutes per cow using 3M industrial adhesive and can be carried out by farm staff without specialist equipment. Each cow requires four shoes — one per claw.
Each cow requires four shoes — one per claw. The full application process for all four claws takes under five minutes per cow.
HoofGuard is designed for medium and large dairy operations with 50 or more animals. It is particularly effective in herds housed on concrete or slatted floors — the most common flooring type in intensive dairy systems and the leading contributor to slip and impact injuries.
HoofGuard was developed by DierVitaal in collaboration with Ankara University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and using 3M industrial adhesive technology. The hoof shoe design is patent-protected and has been validated through field deployments with breeders' unions across multiple regions in Türkiye.
Lameness prevention & ROI
Lameness in dairy cattle is largely caused by slipping, impact injuries, and prolonged exposure to wet, contaminated flooring. HoofGuard addresses these causes at the source: the textured sole improves traction across feeding, walking and milking zones; the drainage channels reduce moisture and manure contact; and the cushioning layer absorbs impact. Unlike hoof blocks — which treat an injured claw after lameness has already occurred — HoofGuard is worn continuously as a preventive layer.
Farms typically recover their investment in 2–5 months. The return comes from multiple sources: a 5–15% increase in milk yield; fewer veterinary visits and antibiotic treatments; one less month per year of discarded milk due to medication; and an estimated €70 per cow per year saved as routine hoof trimming drops from twice to once annually.
Traditional hoof treatment — hoof blocks, hoof baths, corrective trimming — is reactive: applied after lameness has already developed. HoofGuard is preventive: applied to healthy animals before lameness occurs, eliminating root causes (slipping, moisture, impact) rather than managing symptoms. It can also be used alongside reactive treatment during recovery.
HoofGuard and hoof baths address different problems. Hoof baths target bacterial infections such as digital dermatitis. HoofGuard addresses mechanical causes of lameness. In herds with active digital dermatitis, hoof baths remain necessary. However, HoofGuard's drainage geometry keeps the claw drier and reduces the wet conditions that favour new infections.
HoofGuard improves animal welfare by reducing the frequency of slipping, impact trauma and hoof infections — the primary causes of pain and distress in dairy cattle lameness. Cows that experience less pain eat more, move more freely, visit the milking parlour more regularly and have improved reproductive outcomes.
Yes. By improving milk yield per animal, fewer total cattle are needed to produce the same volume of milk. This efficiency gain reduces CO₂ emissions per litre of milk by 9–15%, supporting farm-level ESG and climate reporting commitments.
HoofSense & technology
HoofSense is DierVitaal's Phase 2 product in development. It embeds a sensor module inside the HoofGuard shoe, turning each cow into a continuous health data point. Planned capabilities include estrus detection, live weight estimation, step count, activity monitoring and lameness early-warning signals, accessible via a mobile app with herd-level analytics.
About DierVitaal
DierVitaal is a Dutch technology company specialising in preventive hoof health technologies for dairy cattle. Headquartered at The HUB in Almere, Netherlands, with R&D operations at ÇAKÜ Teknokent in Çankırı, Türkiye. DierVitaal develops and distributes HoofGuard through a network of veterinarians, breeders' unions and distribution partners.
HoofGuard is currently available in Türkiye through DierVitaal's distribution partner network, including breeders' unions and field veterinarians. EU market entry is planned from Year 3 onward. Contact DierVitaal at info@diervitaal.com for current availability in your region.
