Bad foot????

[coolpop]

Have you tried putting LA 200 topically on the cut??? I tried that a few times - works great, start to see healing in just a few days.

 

[GMN]

A young Black angus bull [16 months] we just bought 3 weeks ago is 3 legged lame and had a little cut right at the hairline on the inside of his hoof. We called the vet and he said he had an Infected Distal Interphalangeal Joint. He gave him 35cc Baytril, 15cc Banamine and 15cc PreDef. He put a sweat wrap on the leg and told us to do the same thing every day for 6 days. Well it has been 5 days and bull is no better that we can tell. The vet said the only other thing he can do is cut it open and flush the joint but he couldn't guarentee that would work either and it would cost another 1000 on top of the 500 we had already spent. The wound is getting bigger it is wet and white/bloody looking from being wrapped up for 5 days I think it needs some air and to dry out a little. Any ideas?

I'd try a cortizone drug, maybe dexamethazone. Do you have any idea what he may have cut it on? Maybe there is more going on than just the foot problem. I would not wrap it, if its draining I would think that is the worst thing to do.

Maybe some straight Penicillen, a different antibiotic, and a dry softer ground.

GMN

 

[J&T Farm]

A lady at the feed store told me to put LA 200 on the cut this morning, I was going to ask if anyone had heard of that. We are going to try it for sure. We think he was fighting with our other bull and may have stepped on it with the other leg, but not sure. He was on a 27 acres field with the cows we keep everything picked up but they do like to stand on the fence line in the shade he may have just got it in the fence. He still won't put it on the ground. The wound does look better since it has had some air. And its not swollen. My husband is a horseshoer and we tied the foot up in the chute to get a better look he thought maybe since his leg was cut that he has something else in it too. But nothing between the toes or on the hoof that we could find. I guess its just one of those things that happen sometimes. None of our bulls have ever been crippled but this one sure it. Thanks for the ideas.

 

[GMN]

A lady at the feed store told me to put LA 200 on the cut this morning, I was going to ask if anyone had heard of that. We are going to try it for sure. We think he was fighting with our other bull and may have stepped on it with the other leg, but not sure. He was on a 27 acres field with the cows we keep everything picked up but they do like to stand on the fence line in the shade he may have just got it in the fence. He still won't put it on the ground. The wound does look better since it has had some air. And its not swollen. My husband is a horseshoer and we tied the foot up in the chute to get a better look he thought maybe since his leg was cut that he has something else in it too. But nothing between the toes or on the hoof that we could find. I guess its just one of those things that happen sometimes. None of our bulls have ever been crippled but this one sure it. Thanks for the ideas.

LA 200 would be stronger than penicillen. Really I would give him a bit. I know a few of our herd bulls have limped, breeding injuries, etc.. and they always come out of it.

GMN

 

[3MR]

A lady at the feed store told me to put LA 200 on the cut this morning, I was going to ask if anyone had heard of that. We are going to try it for sure. We think he was fighting with our other bull and may have stepped on it with the other leg, but not sure. He was on a 27 acres field with the cows we keep everything picked up but they do like to stand on the fence line in the shade he may have just got it in the fence. He still won't put it on the ground. The wound does look better since it has had some air. And its not swollen. My husband is a horseshoer and we tied the foot up in the chute to get a better look he thought maybe since his leg was cut that he has something else in it too. But nothing between the toes or on the hoof that we could find. I guess its just one of those things that happen sometimes. None of our bulls have ever been crippled but this one sure it. Thanks for the ideas.

LA 200 would be stronger than penicillen. Really I would give him a bit. I know a few of our herd bulls have limped, breeding injuries, etc.. and they always come out of it.

GMN

LA200 is oxytetracycline. When was oxytetracycline discovered to be stronger than Penicillin?

 

[J&T Farm]

Well we gave him a big shot of pen this morning and it was a job we have good working pens but when they wont go they just wont go. And he started getting down right mean about it. So that is his last dose of med's. It's up to him now he still won't put it on the ground but let me tell you he was moving fast on 3 legs this morning. Can't afford to get someone hurt even if he ends up worm feed. Thanks for all the advice. I will let you know what happens to him.

 

[bward]

Yes do let us know what happens with him. Just two weeks ago we took my father-in laws bull to the vet for something similar...blood and pus exiting from the coronary band. We tried LA 200 and then Nuflor with little response. The vet amputated the one claw and the first phlange and told us he had infected arthritis.... (?) and that nothing we gave him would have had any affect on him. He is still really sore but healing. What a waste of money.

 

[GMN]

This is a pic of his foot after I hosed it down. He still won't put it on the ground. And this is a pic of him I took today. He has lost some weight. He is 15 months.

That is a very nasty cut, hope it heals up with no problems, nice looking bull too.

Gail

 

[J&T Farm]

Well the bull is still 3 legged lame. We have been doing some research and wondering if this might be a coronary band abscess. Has anyone had any experence with these? My husband is a horseshoer and he knows how to bust an abscess in a horses foot but its alot different looking at a cows foot. The leg is swollen around the hairline. He will not put any weight on the leg at all. The vet said it was a joint infection. But as sore as it is we think he has an abscess in there. We spoke to another vet who does not practice anymore but he said it was a abscess and it has so much pressure built up it is very painful. but he said if it bust the bull should be fine. We hate to butcher him if we knew it was just an abscess. And that it would get better if we can bust it. He is still eating good and staying in pretty good shape considering he has been lame for 3 weeks. Any advice on the abscess is welcome. Vets are hard to come buy around here, except the one we already called. And that didn't do us much good. So I guess its up to us to either try something new or give up and butcher him.

 

[cowkeeper]

Why not use good ole Peroxide. It's cheap and effective and poured onto, or "injected" into the hole (using a syringe without the needle), it bubbles out the infection. If you have to wait for "withdrawal time" on the meds anyway, you have nothing to lose by trying peroxide. I've seen amazing recoveries from some awful looking wounds in horses over the years (including a hoof cut right through the horn).

 

[J&T Farm]

Well update on the bull, we took him off the antibotics about 2 weeks ago, I have been keeping it hosed down everyday, and spraying Iodine on it. We are pretty sure now that it is an abscess, spoke with another vet. He could not understand why the other vet thinks it was a joint infection instead of a simple abscess. Yesterday he got excited because we brought the cows up in a field next to him. I noticed he was putting a little weight on the foot about every third step. When I went to hose it down I noticed some green pus looking stuff coming from around the hairline. Today when he came up for feed he put it on the ground and picked up the other leg, there was more of the same stuff coming out of it. I think it might be trying to drain, he still don't put it on the ground much when he walks but he does rest it flat on the ground when he is just standing there. And before he held it up off the ground all the time. I hope it is a sign that he is getting better. We have doctored him so much getting him in the chute is not an option anymore. The last vet said it will bust on its own. And should heal up ok. He said the leg might always be kinda stiff, but he should be able to bred cows fine. Thanks for all the help

 

[cashcattle]

it sounds like you may just have a REALLY bad case of footrot. I've seen cows and bulls blow out abscesses on their coronary bands just from a bad foot rot infection and be three legged lame on top of it. Is he swollen around his toes and ankles. could be all it is. try some nuflor, tetradure 300 or some sulfa boluses. its cheap and can't hurt anything.

 

[TheBullLady]

I think time will tell.. you may be surprised in 30 days what it looks like. It could very well be an abcess, especially if you're seeing puss now.

If the infection doesn't get into a joint, I bet he'll heal up in time. And it's a front leg, much better than a back one if you plan on using him for breeding again.

Good luck.

 

[J&T Farm]

Just wanted to let ya'll know the bull is much better, one morning we got up and he was gone, he went across the road and back with the cows. Still has a limp but can get around ok even bred a cow the other day. Thanks for all the help.