600lb holstien hurt foot limping

[ashcivic]

yesterday and today I have notice the 600 lb holstien limping. He may have got his hoof into a furrow. The pasture is not very smooth. Does it need to be smooth? I noticed in the crease of the front of his hoof looks a little red on his skin, not blood just a little red crease above his hoof. Could this be an infection? Could he have something stuck in the bottom of his hoof? I have lots of burs that the cows are getting in their fur. Can burs cause hoof or skin problems? Also, will a few furrows cause injuries or a broken leg on a cow? Some furrows are 6x6 inches deep.

 

[ffamom]

Foot rot? I don't know, but I suspect an abcess or foot rot.

 

[msscamp]

yesterday and today I have notice the 600 lb holstien limping. He may have got his hoof into a furrow. The pasture is not very smooth. Does it need to be smooth? I noticed in the crease of the front of his hoof looks a little red on his skin, not blood just a little red crease above his hoof. Could this be an infection? Could he have something stuck in the bottom of his hoof? I have lots of burs that the cows are getting in their fur. Can burs cause hoof or skin problems? Also, will a few furrows cause injuries or a broken leg on a cow? Some furrows are 6x6 inches deep.

No, the pasture does not need to be smooth - cattle are adaptable to a variety of terrains. He could have scratched his foot, he could have sprained his foot, he could have foot rot, he could just have a bruise, he could have gotten caught in something and cut his foot - have you put him in a chute, washed off his foot and checked for nails, wounds, heat, swelling, cuts, etc? If not, you might want to think about doing so since this has been going on for a couple of days now. I would not treat him with any kind of drugs until I knew what I was treating for. Treating with something that makes the pain go away could possibly lead to a worse situation than what you've got now. Furrows can cause sprains, and possibly bruising, but I wouldn't think the type of furrow your describing would cause a broken leg because it is not deep enough or narrow enough to trap the leg. If this steers leg was broken, he probably would not be putting weight on it and the resulting swelling would be fairly obvious. As far as burrs are concerned, if they got stuck between the toes they could cause a break in the skin. If the ground is wet then bacteria could enter and cause foot rot. Again, the best way to determine what your dealing with is to get him in the chute and get a person that is knowledgable about cattle to check his foot.

 

[TNcowman]

I have had some come up lame for as much as a week and then they get better. I would watch him real close and see if he is getting better or worse. Tryto get him in a chute and check for visable problem signs. If still not sure, post your latest info back up here. If still unsure, call your vet.