Lame Cow

[Joe_jr]

Had a 6-year-old bred cow come up lame on a left front foot? Stabled her then shot her up with LA-200 and cleaned up the foot didn't find any cuts or lodged material but she does have a piece of skin bought the size of a jumbo peanut coming down between the toenails out of the center of the hock. Going on the 4th day she eats and drinks almost normal but she is still limping. Nearest large animal Vet is hour and half away any advise on what else to look for?
Thanks Jr

 

[Beefy]

sounds like footrot, maybe.

 

[ctlbaron]

Is it swelling?

 

[milkmaid]

Stabled her then shot her up with LA-200 and cleaned up the foot didn't find any cuts or lodged material but she does have a piece of skin bought the size of a jumbo peanut coming down between the toenails out of the center of the hock. Going on the 4th day she eats and drinks almost normal but she is still limping.

First thing that comes to mind is a 'corn' - fatty growth between the claws - but I don't know as I've ever seen it on a FRONT hoof. Seen several cases on back hooves.

That -above- would be a corn. When left alone, sometimes they get worse, sometimes they get better, sometimes they stay the same. The bull in the pic above had had this for over a year, and as is obvious, the hoof and leg structures have been severely damaged. If they aren't that bad the excess tissue can be cut away and the cow may be fine afterwards. I had one that had "surgery" done on it and she was sound after.

I've heard sources attribute that excess tissue growth to a high grain diet. Systemic antibiotic treatment isn't going to cure it.

Other possibility might be a wart of some sort, but again, I'm used to seeing those type of hoof problems on BACK hooves, not the fronts. Have a picture? Picture is worth a thousand words.

 

[Dusty Britches]

I typically don't do anything is she is just limping. She could have been kicked - especially this time of year when you are feeding hay.

Could be foot rot. Are your pastures really wet? Are you feeding near boggy areas?

Sometimes the toes get long and need to be trimmed. I had one like that until I weaned her calf. She walked up and down the gravel drive (she knew where she had last seen the calf - on a trailer leaving the place) until the toes broke down and evened out. Now she's fine.

It seems to me that if she had an infection, she would have a high temperature. What made you decide to give her antibiotics? Did she have a temp?

 

[Joe_jr]

She was running a temp and did not want to eat I thought it was foot rot also thats why I medicated. But the pict posted by MM looks like what she has but its in the middle of the hock. It is not very wet a little around the feed ring but the areas they loaf in is dry.

 

[milkmaid]

WHERE exactly is it?

"Hock" is on the hind leg, equivalent of the "knee" on the front leg.

 

[MikeC]

Could be "Interdigital Fibroma" or "Hairy Heel Warts" if not footrot.

 

[milkmaid]

Could be "Interdigital Fibroma" or "Hairy Heel Warts" if not footrot.

Interdigital fibroma. I think that's the scientific name for what we call a "corn". Thanks. I just couldn't remember it off hand.