foot abscess in cattle, why?

[4x4dually]

I have never had a problem with abscess in my steers...until this year. Now I've got my 4th steer with a bum foot this year! What gives? Why the sudden changes in everything? I've had steers on this place since 2003 and never had one issue with it until this summer. Here's a picture of the one I have now. He's about 750 pounds...or at least he was.

 

[TexasBred]

Do you have them on anykind of feeding program other than grazing?

 

[4x4dually]

Not other than mineral blocks and some occasional creep to keep them trained to come to the pen when I call them.

 

[peg4x4]

Could it be injury? Maybe some nails worked out or some such? Gotta be something new as this is a new problem.

 

[4x4dually]

I haven't changed anything on the place this year other than spraying for weeds with Cim Max. I'll have to go around and see if a thorn tree or roll of wire or something has fell in a place where they frequent. So, these are normally caused by injury? I don't think they are foot root bacteria, there is no smell to any of them. This summer started wet but has been dry and 103 deg for weeks. Creek is dryed up too. It doen't make any sense to do this for 6 years and all of a sudden have so much trouble....especially since he would have went to sale on Monday. I'm going to sort off the largest ones .... and he is one of them. It was also quite an amature rodeo last night. I finally got him in the chute after he cleared one fence, v'ed a gate, and tore up another fence. Calves are so dumb, I guess that is why they are at the bottom of the food chain. :lol:

 

[TexasBred]

Not other than mineral blocks and some occasional creep to keep them trained to come to the pen when I call them.

Reason I asked is that it looks like something that would caused by the diet like laminitis from acidosis. Almost like the leg is growing out over the hoof. What does the bottom of the hoof look like?? Beginning wet and turning dry probably hasn't helped much either.

 

[4x4dually]

Just some occasional 14% Creep from Stillwater Milling Co and mineral blocks.

 

[TexasBred]

Just some occasional 14% Creep from Stillwater Milling Co and mineral blocks.

Shouldn't hurt a thing unles they're getting 20-25 lb. each.

 

[tytower]

I haven't changed anything on the place this year other than spraying for weeds with Cim Max. I'll have to go around and see if a thorn tree or roll of wire or something has fell in a place where they frequent. So, these are normally caused by injury? I don't think they are foot root bacteria, there is no smell to any of them. This summer started wet but has been dry and 103 deg for weeks. Creek is dryed up too. It doen't make any sense to do this for 6 years and all of a sudden have so much trouble....especially since he would have went to sale on Monday. I'm going to sort off the largest ones .... and he is one of them. It was also quite an amature rodeo last night. I finally got him in the chute after he cleared one fence, v'ed a gate, and tore up another fence. Calves are so dumb, I guess that is why they are at the bottom of the food chain. :lol:

Well hang on !
Tha looks more like an injury. The hard hoof part looks scraped.
You say above ¨he cleared one fence v´ed a gate, and tore up another fence¨
Did he catch his hoof on the fence? Looks like a hard bang type injury on a fence , edge of concrete , large rock ,piece of steel etc.
Changed any lanes or runways lately

 

[4x4dually]

Well hang on !
Tha looks more like an injury. The hard hoof part looks scraped.
You say above ¨he cleared one fence v´ed a gate, and tore up another fence¨
Did he catch his hoof on the fence? Looks like a hard bang type injury on a fence , edge of concrete , large rock ,piece of steel etc.
Changed any lanes or runways lately

Not that I know of. I run a "tame as I can" place. My calves are normally gentle. If my 4-wheeler leaves the house, they are with me. I called them all in with feed and noticed this one limping. I sorted him and three others out (so he wouldn't be alone) so I could look at him. I noticed it was "blown out" or "burst". It was like this when I found him. They are lose on 150 acres (60 of it timber). For some strange reason, he decided to ape on me and act like a retard. No hot shot, no whipin', no pushin' too hard with the 4 wheeler. There is no concrete in the lot. Apparently he was affraid of shots. :lol2: I was alone and very quiet trying not to make eye contact with him when walking out and around the long way to swap gates and what not. Didn't work. Knuckle-head walked up to a 16 ft gate, put his head on it, and tryied opening it. Bent it to heck. I'd hate to see it if he ran into it full blast. This may infact be an injury from something, but it didn't occur due to me working him. Apparently I need to figure out what is hurting them all.

FYI,
This is my kids favorite. Right off the truck from the sale came up to us. After a month or so with him, he's as tame as they come. I have been preparing the kids for "tomorrow, Blackie goes to the sale barn." He'll sell at OKC on Monday.

 

[Jogeephus]

My first thought is injury as well but then you say that you have several this way it makes me think its something else. Possibly sandcracks. These can get infected and abcess but I honestly can't tell enough from the picture. Here is a link explaining sandcracks but there is a lot of stuff in the article that you might be able to key out your problem. Good luck with it and let us know if figure it out.

http://oregonfeed.org/mehren_art_0904.htm

 

[dun]

If you have timber you almost ceertainly had staubs pokinf up here and there. Looks like an injury to me too.

 

[4x4dually]

http://oregonfeed.org/mehren_art_0904.htm

Thanks for the link. I should have most all the minerals covered by the blocks I have out. I do have a bit of Alkali ground, but probably less than one acre on the whole place and it is almost covered with grass now (after messing with it for a few years). I'll go walk around and look for debris sometime. It just seems strange that I've never had one calf do this in the first 6-7 years of my operation and now I've had 4 in the last two months and have changed nothing to my memory.

 

[Jogeephus]

It just seems strange that I've never had one calf do this in the first 6-7 years of my operation and now I've had 4 in the last two months and have changed nothing to my memory.

It could be the most minute thing such as a small board with a nail in it. All it takes is a wound in the hoof area and then you got a problem. Last year two of my bulls decided to have a cage match inside the coral area. They destroyed a lot. I fixed everything and carried off all the boards I saw but two cows started limping and I finally figured out I had missed a small board that had three nails in it. Once I got rid of this I've had no more problems.

This is a bit of trouble if you don't have a lean table but if you catch the calf and put it in the chute you could immobilize it as best you can and tie up the hoof with some rope. You can then scrape the bottom of the hoof off and clean it good. Using a sharp knife or a hoof scrape you can then whittle back the hoof some until you can clearly see the bottom of the hoof. When you've done this you can look for any discoloration areas in the hoof or bruising. These will normally be dark looking and will sometimes have puss running out of them. If you can locate an area like this on the bottom of the hoof then odds are its something nail like that punctured through the hoof and out the top. If this is the case with the number of infected animals then its a pretty sure bet the object thats causing the trouble is fixed to something since its coming out of their hoof after puncture. Just a thought.

 

[4x4dually]

Thanks for the ideas. I have tied one leg up using a rope to the top of the chute, but after the first one, I haven't really looked at the bottom of the hoof. They have all looked fine as the "blow-outs" are just above the hair line everytime. I'll pay more attention to the bottom and look at this white-face one again if I dare try to lot him. I'll have them all in the lot Saturday as I will sort off the big'uns to go to sale. Maybe I can sneak him down the lane again without donating another 16' Preifert gate. Them green gates are fine for dogs, but not mad calves. LOL

 

[GMN]

I don;'t know much about foot problems, but is strange that there have been 4 of them. In March and April, I had 8 cases of footrot, and I have never had any footrot in my dairy cows-I thought that odd too, and the Vet said it happens. i read online that it happens when there is a wet spring, but I'm not sure that was it, as quick as it started-it was over too. But it was expensive as all of them required a trip to the Vet to get cleaned out.

GMN

 

[balestabber]

these foot problems look like an injury from the outside,and remind me of the story of 2 neighbors that were fighting.
one found revenge by going out at night and SHOOTING his neighbors steers with a small caliber just above the hoof.
no lives were lost,but cost the neighbor lots financially,and about broke him.scores were settled!!

 

[rockridgecattle]

Mineral blocks do not give the required mineral supplement per day. Mineral blocks are mostly trace minerals with salt. A good free choice mineral is your best bet. I am inclined to think this might be an injury, if it were one animal or two. 4 however states there is a problem and coupled with the weather, your mineral program needs to be evaluated. Iodine is a mineral which helps prevent such problems as well as jaw bone issues.
Good mineral is sorely needed in growing animals as their needs are quite great. When pastures are stressed due to wet or dry conditions, expect very little from the pastures in the way of vitamins or minerals.
Best bang for the buck is free choice minerals and free choice salt

 

[TexasBred]

I don;'t know much about foot problems, but is strange that there have been 4 of them. In March and April, I had 8 cases of footrot, and I have never had any footrot in my dairy cows-I thought that odd too, and the Vet said it happens. i read online that it happens when there is a wet spring, but I'm not sure that was it, as quick as it started-it was over too. But it was expensive as all of them required a trip to the Vet to get cleaned out.

GMN

GMN just remember a lot of it starts off with a simple bruise or scratch and progresses from there. With all the moisture involved with a dairy you've been pretty luck it seems.

 

[4x4dually]

Since I turned out that retarded white face, I haven't seen him. So, now I've been walking the creek looking for him. No luck. BUT, I think I found the source! The creek has washed up a small bundle of barbed wire and settled it in the mud right before the water gap that I can't keep fixed. Half of the wire is in the mud and half is stickin' up. I can tell where they have slid down the bank and pulled loops in it from hoves grabbing it. I'm going to go cut it all out tonight. I couldn't pull it up last night. It was dark and I had no gloves and the little one was waiting on the 4-wheeler. Hopefully this fixes everything...now, if I could just find that retarded, wild as heck, limpin' rodeo steer. LOL