Footrot & Lameness

[Anguscattle]

Last Friday I noticed a cow that had calved 3 weeks ago limping, just slighty on her back feet. By Saturday she was much worse. She layed around a lot and it took her a little extra effort to get up. Honestly, I didnt have the time to pull her up and check her so I postponed it until Sunday. By Sunday her back legs were like boards, no flexibility at all. And she was constantly picking her right front foot up. Once I got her into the chute I saw that she had footrot in her left front foot. ( the only foot she wasnt limping on.) I asked a vet and he thought it was tetanus, but she had none of the signs of tetanus other than lameness. He then thought magnesium defeciency, but she wasnt really showing those signs either, and we provide free choice mineral. So at the end of the day we just decided to treat the footrot. Today (Wednesday) she is still giving to her right front and trying not to put weight on it. It isnt swollen and i checked it again today and there are no wounds, cuts, scrapes, nails, glass etc. I cant see anything wrong with it. She has regained flexibility in her back legs and is walking normal there. The swelling is going down in her foot with footrot.

I was wondering if anyone else has seen this? And if not, feel free to post your experiences with footrot.

 

[highgrit]

Good luck, I doctored 1 cow for 3 months and ended up sending her to the sale barn. My advice isn't worth much, but here it is. Run her in the chute and clean her feet good. I used dawn and bleach for cleaning. Next rinse her hoof and apply coppertox and then povidone iodine ointment. This seemed to help the most.

 

[Anguscattle]

She is making progress and is already MUCH better than she was. I just dont understand why she's giving to that front right foot when there seems to be nothing wrong with it. I hope we can get her over it bc she is an awesome young cow. Through all of her issues she has never stopped being a good momma to her calf. And to think, some say angus arent good mothers. We thought for a little while that she was gonna get down and not be able to get up. But now she being very active. Im hoping once the footrot is completely healed she'll stop giving to that other foot.
We will see.

 

[highgrit]

That's good news. My wife just told me we also would give her a shot of LA200 every other trip thru the chute.

 

[Anguscattle]

We have been cleaning the foot with footrot and spraying it with antibacterial antiseptic, as well as LA200 every other day.

 

[medicinewoman]

Anguscattle


It is very hard to diagnosis over the phone but I would be more inclined to believe you are dealing with a joint problem rather then a foot problem.
Most likely would be a bacterial infection of some type which would be best treated with penicillin.
MW

 

[Anguscattle]

I see. The first day we gave penicillin because we didnt have LA200. So its hard to say what is actually helping her. Would it hurt to split the medicine? Like 25cc LA200 and 25cc penicillin?
Not mixed of course.

 

[bse]

Had a bull with footrot got him up cleaned it good used peroxide then the coppertox and taped it completly with duct tape to keep the dirt out, used Exede instesd of LA200 because it lasts like 10 days but within about 3 days he was going again.

 

[TexasBred]

Anguscattle


It is very hard to diagnosis over the phone but I would be more inclined to believe you are dealing with a joint problem rather then a foot problem.
Most likely would be a bacterial infection of some type which would be best treated with penicillin.
MW

Not hard to diagnose foot rot when you can see it and smell it.

 

[Anguscattle]

Well she for sure had footrot. The swelling has gone down almost completely but she still occassionally picks up that other foot. A few more rounds of LA and maybe she'll be fine