Foolin' around, flies or founder???

[CowgirlUpNY]

I know the first recommendation is Call Your Vet.....but there are no vets that will come to where I am for cattle.

That being said, we pretty much fend for ourselves through books, hands on learning and you fine folks.

Over the past week, I've had three head (one steer, one heifer and our bull) come up lame. They limp for a day with some slight swelling and by the next day they're good to go again. Except for my bull. I noticed him limping yesterday with some swelling above the hoof.

Today I looked him over, he's still limping and the swelling is still obvious.

They've been on the same pasture now for about 3 weeks, they got a new bale of hay 3 days ago-this seasons cutting- (long after the first two came up lame), we've got a TON and a half of flies. They were vaccinated in the spring with Triangle 9.

Anyone have an opinion?

 

[TheBullLady]

Is there a pond or stock tank they can get into? Is it wet there?

 

[CowgirlUpNY]

No, there is no pond and the stock tank is simply a 100 gallon tank for drinking water. Rain?? Only enough rain to ruin the cut hay for the day, but nothing significant that I would think scratches (if cattle even get that)

Foot rot?? are there other obvious symptoms that I can look for? LA200? I'm not very confident in it.....it NEVER seems to work for us. Can I use something else?

I wish I could find my Storey's cattle book. I obviously put it in a real good place after the last time I referred to it. Which wasn't that long ago.

 

[highvoltagecattleco]

I second using the minerals with Insect regulator. I have been using it on my herd this year. I barely have any flies bothering my herd. I do spray my cows with a livestock fly spray. I put it in a tank sprayer and just walk by them. I think I'm killing the flies that come from other places. I agree with the LA 200. You can also use penicillen. A local vet said to double the dose on the pen. Good luck.

 

[dun]

The problem is the good antibiotics are all perscription, Excenel uses a much smaller does then LA works great but you have to get it from a vet

 

[Moocow11]

we have used a lot of LA 200 and Agrimycin 200 this winter for foot rot. they both do an equal job. and after you buy about 3000 cc's of it i like the cheaper stuff.
http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html ... b0d0204ae5

 

[Lim-flex]

I have had good luck with the Excenel, but have started using another drug called Exceed, it is nice because one dose last 14 days..

 

[CowgirlUpNY]

Can I use Nuflor?

 

[Dusty Britches]

Nuflor lable says not to use on breeding age animals.

Without knowing any of the circumstances, without seeing the problem, how can any one assume it is foot rot??

Can you haul or find someone to haul the animals to a vet? If not, you need to find a way.

 

[tryinhard]

Nuflor will do it. My son, who now does the cows, had what he n I thought was foot rot almost a year ago, treated him twice with it, 14 days apart, he is doing well now, n has been. The stuff is expensive, and prescription, sure you know that. Best of luck.

tryinhard

 

[Bullbuyer]

Use the LA200 - over use of antibiotics is a big waste of money. Everybody thinks they have to go out and get the latest medication when their 'herd' gets a little something. Unless you have used SO much medication on this animal that it has developed a resistance to the medciation then there is absolutley no reason to use something else.
It's sort of like stopping a mosquito with a hand grenade - OVERKILL!

 

[KNERSIE]

I agree the LA 200 will do the job fine, I am just curious how anyone can suggest a dose without even seeing the animal, even more so with an antibiotic which dose is weight related?

 

[msscamp]

Can I use Nuflor?

I personally wouldn't use any antibiotics unless I knew what I was treating for. The bull could have gotten in a scuffle, he could have stepped in a hole, he could have done a lot of things to injure his foot/leg that would cause limping/swelling. Have you scrubbed the foot and looked for wounds? Have you checked between his toes for an injury? Is there a nasty smell that would indicate some type of infection? Have you tried treating him with plain old iodine, or maybe a bleach solution? If it is foot rot, simply scrubbing his foot, washing it with peroxide and then applying iodine just might do the trick at this stage.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

My guess is footrot. We are sooooo dry out here. Footrot typically hits when it's very wet OR very dry. The only way it can get started is with a "crack". Either from being too wet, too dry, or just broke open the skin with a rock or stump. He may just have a rock lodged in his foot & a good cleaning might help him out. LA200 is EXCELLENT for pinkeye & footrot. About the only time we ever use it.

 

[GMN]

Are there any thorn trees about, sounds like a absess problem, or a nutritional problem, being more than one animal has been limping over several days.

GMN

 

[CowgirlUpNY]

Just to give you all an update. I caught and penned the bull and to my surprise he let me pick up his foot (that was a first for him - and me too :shock: ) He went pretty good. He definately has something going on with his foot. There was a hole? about 1/2 inch long (I would thing the result of an abcess of some sort) on the bottom of his foot. Possibly that he stepped on something and then it got infected? (Just throwing out possiblities here more for my own train of thoughts) So I scrubbed it with Iodine scrub and soaked it for a bit. Well, it must have felt better after that because he was done with me messing with his foot, that and I'm sure that he was getting frustrated with the flies and such. I did give him a dose of antibiotics - it had some odor to it but nothing that would make you lose your lunch. And I also gave him a dose of banamine.
I will catch him again today - hopefully and clean and soak his foot again today.

Thanks for all your input.

 

[novatech]

Just to give you all an update. I caught and penned the bull and to my surprise he let me pick up his foot (that was a first for him - and me too :shock: ) He went pretty good. He definately has something going on with his foot. There was a hole? about 1/2 inch long (I would thing the result of an abcess of some sort) on the bottom of his foot. Possibly that he stepped on something and then it got infected? (Just throwing out possiblities here more for my own train of thoughts) So I scrubbed it with Iodine scrub and soaked it for a bit. Well, it must have felt better after that because he was done with me messing with his foot, that and I'm sure that he was getting frustrated with the flies and such. I did give him a dose of antibiotics - it had some odor to it but nothing that would make you lose your lunch. And I also gave him a dose of banamine.

I will catch him again today - hopefully and clean and soak his foot again today.

Thanks for all your input.

When you worked on the foot did you happen to feel the swollen ankle? If so, was it soft in spots? There is a possablity of infection in the joints. This can get very serious. If there was a smell it is more probable that it is infected. As dun said the best antibiotics are perscription only. I really hate playing armchair vet. Joint infections are serious, call a profesonel, the vet.