Footrot treatment

[dun]

I know that LA-200 is probably about the best treatment for footrot, but I'm hoping to find something that uses a lower doasage but doesn;t require retreatment daily.
I've done some checking on Excenel but it calls for treatment 3 days in a row.
Anything else out there?
After many years without footrot we now have our 4th case in two weeks, and the weather has actually gotten dry.
Doesn;t make any sense to me, but very little does anymore.

thanks

dun

 

[jkwilson]

I know that LA-200 is probably about the best treatment for footrot, but I'm hoping to find something that uses a lower doasage but doesn;t require retreatment daily.
I've done some checking on Excenel but it calls for treatment 3 days in a row.
Anything else out there?
After many years without footrot we now have our 4th case in two weeks, and the weather has actually gotten dry.
Doesn;t make any sense to me, but very little does anymore.

thanks

dun

We've always used LA200 and applied Koppertox (sp?) liberally on the affected area. Always been a one treatment deal. In situations where we had a hard to catch animal, we dosed with sulfa boluses too. We have had at least 50% success treating with Koppertox alone when we had cows on rented pasture with no facilities. My experience has been that footrot is a "when it rains, it pours" kind of problem, and our worst outbreaks have been in dry weather. I think dry ground causes more trauma to the skin between the toes and opens wounds for the bacteria.
Oxytetracycline and Penicillin are the drugs of choice. Old vet always says boost the zinc they are getting, and some new research says feeding organic iodine will prevent it.

 

[jerry27150]

they used to have a 5 day sulfa pill that the vets recomended for foot rot

 

[milkmaid]

Back when my nurse cow was having trouble with severe foot rot, my vet told me a combination of sulfa and LA200/oxytetracycline was one of the best treatments. Or maybe he said it was the best, I don't remember.

I've seen Excenel used on a regular basis. No milk withdrawal, so the neighboring dairy where I work uses it frequently. It works OK on the cows that don't have a severe case of hoof problems (like footrot), but the ones that don't get treated right away usually need something stronger - like LA200. Even seen some that don't respond to that; those usually end up going to the sale barn or the dead animal pile.

 

[dun]

Got some Exenel from the vet today and he doesn't think it will take more then one shot. He also threw in some dex. to cut the swelling.
It just gets so frustrating when everything has been sailing along smoothly and you figure you have a pretty good forage, health, genetic and nutritional program and this sort of thing crops up. The vet did say that there is a real problem with footrot this year. I've talked to a number of other producers and they seem to be having problems with pneumonia and footrot. I'll stick with footrot please.

dun

 

[Beefy]

we've had both pneumonia and footrot. and i'm about ready for this year to be over with. like you, we hadnt had a problem with footrot that i know of EVER until last year or the year before and then BAM!

 

[jkwilson]

My impression of Excenel from what my vet said is that it is not as good as LA200, but it is effective on footrot organisms. No milk withdrawl is the big plus for it.

 

[Farminlund]

Can't say the same about footrot, been fighting it on & off since I started with cows over 20 yrs ago; but never a case of PINKEYE until about 4-5 yrs ago & now it seems to be a summer event to dread. Give me spring & fall.

 

[dun]

My impression of Excenel from what my vet said is that it is not as good as LA200, but it is effective on footrot organisms. No milk withdrawl is the big plus for it.

The reason the vet recommended Excenel is because I hate to have to pump from 60-80cc of LA 200 into a cow at one time. Almost run out of injection sites at 10cc per site.

dun

 

[bigbull338]

if the footrot gets so bad that treating it with koppertox doesnt work you will have to take her to the vet an he will treat her foot and wrapp it for 5 days then after the time is up you have to cut the wrapp off the foot unless it comes off on its own as for pinkeye alot of its caused from cayttle eating in tall grass an weeds thay causes pineye some spray the eye with pinkeye treatment and put a patch on it for 4 or 5 days scott

 

[jkwilson]

My impression of Excenel from what my vet said is that it is not as good as LA200, but it is effective on footrot organisms. No milk withdrawl is the big plus for it.

The reason the vet recommended Excenel is because I hate to have to pump from 60-80cc of LA 200 into a cow at one time. Almost run out of injection sites at 10cc per site.

dun

Good point. Forgot that angle.

 

[stocky]

the only foot rot treatment i have ever used has been the la200. usually one treatment has done it, a couple of times it took 2 treatments. la200 is supposed to be good for 72 hours before treating again.
Farminlund-------we used to have pinkeye in our calves that were nursing the cows every summer----mostly from the tall grass and weeds and dust. now when we give the shots for blackleg in the spring, we get the blackleg medicine that includes pinkeye in it. now, we almost never get a case of pinkeye and if we do, it clears itself up in just a few days. we havent had to treat a pinkeye case since we started vaccinating for it in the blackleg about 6 or 7 years ago. we do this in march and april.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Dun, you can put iodine in your mineral for preventative measures. We also use sulfa boluses w/ coppertox & LA200 - one treatment.
Our weather runs several weeks behind you, hope it's not going to be a problem for us. Rarely have a case.
I would have to ask hubby details if you are interested in the preventative mineral program.

 

[dun]

Put the iodine in the minerals, had one calf with it before have had another calf and 2 cows after almost 2 weeks of the increased iodine. Something that is strange but probably just coincidental because of the pasture roation, but every footrot case we've had has been while they are in one particular pasture.

dun

 

[preston39]

Put the iodine in the minerals, had one calf with it before have had another calf and 2 cows after almost 2 weeks of the increased iodine. Something that is strange but probably just coincidental because of the pasture roation, but every footrot case we've had has been while they are in one particular pasture.

dun

========
dun,

curious...is that field a low lying one...moisture...light drainage?

 

[dun]

dun,

curious...is that field a low lying one...moisture...light drainage?

It's no wetter then any of the others this year. It's a side hill (like every other field on this place) that runs from the ridge top to the bottom of the holler. There are seeps scattered all over (like all of the fields) where the rock is fractured and allows the water to ooze out.

dun

 

[preston39]

dun,

curious...is that field a low lying one...moisture...light drainage?

It's no wetter then any of the others this year. It's a side hill (like every other field on this place) that runs from the ridge top to the bottom of the holler. There are seeps scattered all over (like all of the fields) where the rock is fractured and allows the water to ooze out.

dun

============
dun,
hummmm! was just curious....never had a problem with it but...I know a rancher who has low bottom land with slow drainage....he has had it a lot...it seems. Just wonder if that is something that hangs around in the fields once infected?

 

[Bama]

One of the handiest things I have on you place is a concrete mixer. It works great for adding stuff to feed or mineral.

 

[dun]

dun,

curious...is that field a low lying one...moisture...light drainage?

It's no wetter then any of the others this year. It's a side hill (like every other field on this place) that runs from the ridge top to the bottom of the holler. There are seeps scattered all over (like all of the fields) where the rock is fractured and allows the water to ooze out.

dun

============
dun,
hummmm! was just curious....never had a problem with it but...I know a rancher who has low bottom land with slow drainage....he has had it a lot...it seems. Just wonder if that is something that hangs around in the fields once infected?

I've had the same thought, but why just one field. The bottoms are all dry, it's the side hills that stay damp/wet till july. As I said earlier, I think it may be just a coincidence because this is the usual time of year that the cows are in that particular field. If they were in any other they would probably get it there as well.

dun

 

[Farminlund]

the only foot rot treatment i have ever used has been the la200. usually one treatment has done it, a couple of times it took 2 treatments. la200 is supposed to be good for 72 hours before treating again.
Farminlund-------we used to have pinkeye in our calves that were nursing the cows every summer----mostly from the tall grass and weeds and dust. now when we give the shots for blackleg in the spring, we get the blackleg medicine that includes pinkeye in it. now, we almost never get a case of pinkeye and if we do, it clears itself up in just a few days. we havent had to treat a pinkeye case since we started vaccinating for it in the blackleg about 6 or 7 years ago. we do this in march and april.

thanks stocky - I have not used the combo blackleg/pinkeye vaccine but started with a pinkeye vaccine 2 yrs ago on the weaned heifers but still had some come down with pinkeye (maybe not as bad as without it though). I usually don't have too much tall grass so I don't think that is a major factor. Vaccinated the replacement heifers in Feb with a pinkeye vaccine, will do again at weaning in a few weeks. Started mixing CTC into the mineral mix today in hopes of heading off the onslaught that started last yr in the 3rd week of May.