foot rot

[egghead]

Does any one know if combiotics are effective for foot rot in cows anf if so how many days do you give it. Is there a cure or treat ment that the old timers use that is more effective then antibiotics? Prevention?

 

[Caustic Burno]

Does any one know if combiotics are effective for foot rot in cows anf if so how many days do you give it. Is there a cure or treat ment that the old timers use that is more effective then antibiotics? Prevention?

Prevention is food grade iodine mixed with the minerals, this is not a one time treatment you have to keep it available, you can get it from Valley Vet and mix with 100 pounds of minerals. Clean up your feeding, bedding areas, spray down with a 10% clorox solution this is also good to spray down the infected cows hoofs and the others in the herd. This works well out of your typical pump up sprayer to kill the bacteria.
Foot rot is a mangement problem, until you find the source bedding feeding area the other cows are at risk.

 

[kenny thomas]

Caustic Burno, some companys make iodized (sp) white salt for cattle. Will that work the same?

 

[jcarkie]

you need a good mineral program to build strong feet so they have less cracks to get the infection in. like caustic said clean the area, i use lime around corrals and loafing areas.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Caustic Burno, some companys make iodized (sp) white salt for cattle. Will that work the same?

Not in my area with all the wet weather we have, the co-op here if you order feed ask if you want supplemental idone the problem is so bad. I add one pound per 100 pounds of minerals.


http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html ... b0d0204ae5

 

[MoGal]

I was reading a health article today (yes I know you cannot compare cattle to people) but, they were talking about cracked hands and said if you used the diaper rash creme (has zinc oxide in it) it would clear up cracked, chaffed hands............ and I'm wondering if zinc perhaps would help on foot rot.

Many cow minerals aren't high in zinc and supposedly many areas in the USA are deficient in zinc........ has anyone tried increasing zinc and noticed a decrease in foot rot???

Of course I guess it would also depend if zinc was cheaper than iodine????

 

[TexasBred]

Zinc and Iodine are both important for good hoof health. Not a treatment but more of a preventive. Maintaining a good clean environment helps as well right down to removing rocks etc. that could cause a cow to bruise the bottom of the hoof. Some folks will have a hoof trimmer come around periodically, trim hoofs, cut out rotted portion of feet and apply a homemade remedy often containing copper sulfate and antibiotics and apply vetwrap.

 

[TexasBred]

ZINPRO

A good feed additive that will improve hoof condition over time but not a cure for existing footrot.

 

[KNERSIE]

If your cattle are zinc deficient you'll likley get a mass break out of footrot in cold frosty conditions. If this is the case Multimin can really turn that around remarkably. Footrot responds well to a long acting oxytetracycline as well as to topical iodine treatment.

If you have a narrow area that the cattle must pass through to get to water or hay or a feedbunk you can set up a shallow footbath with Zinc suplhate, that will also help prevent future break outs.

 

[TexasBred]

Knersie. I've seen everything from copper sulfate to formaldahyde used in foot bathes. All seem to work to some degree but never 100% effective. IF you don't already have footrot in your herd maintaining good clean pastures, corrals, and feeding and watering areas will serve as a preventive as well as feeding a high quality mineral with chelated minerals to maintain hoof conditioning.