lame, lame, and lame again

[angus9259]

I've had 5 or 6 cases now among 30 cows with lameness. Here's what's weird - ALWAYS in the back left leg. I've read up on hairy warts, but I have almost none of the precursors - in our area it's rarely in beef cattle - even more rarely when on dry pasture. Once they have it, it doesn't seem to get worse or better. They will step gingerly on the left back foot when they walk and as they transfer weight to the back right there will be something of a "pop" motion from the ankle. Doesn't seem to affect eating or attitude and there's no swelling. Inspection doesn't reveal much of anything abnormal. I suppose I could treat for foot rot - but there's no smell - the conditions in the pasture don't favor that - and the Nuflor bill would kill me.

Even as I type this I realize I've just laid out an impossible scenario but on the off chance this strikes anyone for any reason I'm certainly very open to any ideas.

 

[jkwilson]

Is there a bull with them? Any cycling?

I'd chute some and check temps. We usually see 103 or so with foot rot.

 

[angus9259]

Is there a bull with them? Any cycling?

I'd chute some and check temps. We usually see 103 or so with foot rot.

Thanks. Good thoughts. They've all been checked bred. Will look into the temp thing.

 

[1982vett]

Mine is the bull, a 7 year old. The second one in a year. First one happened while I was gone and got a white calf out of the neighbors bull to show for that one but the second and most recent is still limping after 4 weeks. Looks like a hip injury.

 

[KNERSIE]

Do you live in a Zn deficient area by any chance?

 

[angus9259]

Do you live in a Zn deficient area by any chance?

hhmmmm. not sure. they're on a pretty expensive mineral - I'll have to check for zinc and ask someone smarter than me about the area.

I just went and did a pretty detailed inspection on three of them. One actually has what appears to be a hairy wart between the digits on top of the foot but is not limping on that foot. The left rear, on which she' limping, shows nothing. I've brought a couple of the worse actors up to be put in the chute. I can actually see now what appears to be some parasite activity (maggots?) between the digits when looking from the rear of the animal. This is new. Wondering if the hoof is simply not getting mud and poop pushed through properly from lack of pressured use. The other limpers are not showing any parasites or open wounds leading in that direction.

 

[S&WSigma40VEShooter]

Do you live in a Zn deficient area by any chance?

hhmmmm. not sure. they're on a pretty expensive mineral - I'll have to check for zinc and ask someone smarter than me about the area.

I just went and did a pretty detailed inspection on three of them. One actually has what appears to be a hairy wart between the digits on top of the foot but is not limping on that foot. The left rear, on which she' limping, shows nothing. I've brought a couple of the worse actors up to be put in the chute. I can actually see now what appears to be some parasite activity (maggots?) between the digits when looking from the rear of the animal. This is new. Wondering if the hoof is simply not getting mud and poop pushed through properly from lack of pressured use. The other limpers are not showing any parasites or open wounds leading in that direction.

Put some fly spray on that to kill the maggots. Give a shot of naxcel and perhaps dex or banamine and retreat in 3 days or so if needed. Ive had pretty good luck with this treatment. I usually try la-200 or la-300 first before the naxcel but if there are already maggots involved I would hit it with naxcel to give it a heavy punch.

 

[angus9259]

Do you live in a Zn deficient area by any chance?

hhmmmm. not sure. they're on a pretty expensive mineral - I'll have to check for zinc and ask someone smarter than me about the area.

I just went and did a pretty detailed inspection on three of them. One actually has what appears to be a hairy wart between the digits on top of the foot but is not limping on that foot. The left rear, on which she' limping, shows nothing. I've brought a couple of the worse actors up to be put in the chute. I can actually see now what appears to be some parasite activity (maggots?) between the digits when looking from the rear of the animal. This is new. Wondering if the hoof is simply not getting mud and poop pushed through properly from lack of pressured use. The other limpers are not showing any parasites or open wounds leading in that direction.

Put some fly spray on that to kill the maggots. Give a shot of naxcel and perhaps dex or banamine and retreat in 3 days or so if needed. Ive had pretty good luck with this treatment. I usually try la-200 or la-300 first before the naxcel but if there are already maggots involved I would hit it with naxcel to give it a heavy punch.

Funny. Just got off the phone with the vet before I read this. She's got a bottle of maggot spray and some oxytet on her counter waiting for me tomorrow. Your suggestion on the naxcel is a good one though. I'll look into that if I don't get anywhere. Thanks.

 

[Roadapple]

I've had 7 with the same problems as you've got except 1 started in the right foot. I've had the vet look at 3 and could find nothing wrong. I've tried everything, I think, but Draxxin and have never had anything that worked. All get a little better, but all still limp a little. Just had another limping on left front out on pasture, checked her 4 times, could find nothing wrong with foot, ankle, leg, shoulder, so loaded her up and brought her home and put her in small lot so she did'nt have far to go for feed or water and second day started getting better and now can barely notice her limping, so hope she gets over it altogether. But if you find what the problem is,please let us know. By the way, mine usually happens in the spring, and never in a cow I would'nt mind culling. Good luck with them, and hope you like beef, cuz the sale barns, here, won't take them.

 

[1982vett]

I've had 7 with the same problems as you've got except 1 started in the right foot. I've had the vet look at 3 and could find nothing wrong. I've tried everything, I think, but Draxxin and have never had anything that worked. All get a little better, but all still limp a little. Just had another limping on left front out on pasture, checked her 4 times, could find nothing wrong with foot, ankle, leg, shoulder, so loaded her up and brought her home and put her in small lot so she did'nt have far to go for feed or water and second day started getting better and now can barely notice her limping, so hope she gets over it altogether. But if you find what the problem is,please let us know. By the way, mine usually happens in the spring, and never in a cow I would'nt mind culling. Good luck with them, and hope you like beef, cuz the sale barns, here, won't take them.

Just got thru putting the check in the bank for my lame bull. 45 cents a pound.

 

[angus9259]

I've had 7 with the same problems as you've got except 1 started in the right foot. I've had the vet look at 3 and could find nothing wrong. I've tried everything, I think, but Draxxin and have never had anything that worked. All get a little better, but all still limp a little. Just had another limping on left front out on pasture, checked her 4 times, could find nothing wrong with foot, ankle, leg, shoulder, so loaded her up and brought her home and put her in small lot so she did'nt have far to go for feed or water and second day started getting better and now can barely notice her limping, so hope she gets over it altogether. But if you find what the problem is,please let us know. By the way, mine usually happens in the spring, and never in a cow I would'nt mind culling. Good luck with them, and hope you like beef, cuz the sale barns, here, won't take them.

Yeah, same symptoms. If it really in hairy warts in all of them, it must start out almost unnoticable because when the first start limping I can't find anything either. Some seem to clear up - some get worse. I've not heard good things about hairy wart treatments either - as you mention - nothing ever really seems to work for good.

 

[dun]

I've had 7 with the same problems as you've got except 1 started in the right foot. I've had the vet look at 3 and could find nothing wrong. I've tried everything, I think, but Draxxin and have never had anything that worked. All get a little better, but all still limp a little. Just had another limping on left front out on pasture, checked her 4 times, could find nothing wrong with foot, ankle, leg, shoulder, so loaded her up and brought her home and put her in small lot so she did'nt have far to go for feed or water and second day started getting better and now can barely notice her limping, so hope she gets over it altogether. But if you find what the problem is,please let us know. By the way, mine usually happens in the spring, and never in a cow I would'nt mind culling. Good luck with them, and hope you like beef, cuz the sale barns, here, won't take them.

Yeah, same symptoms. If it really in hairy warts in all of them, it must start out almost unnoticable because when the first start limping I can't find anything either. Some seem to clear up - some get worse. I've not heard good things about hairy wart treatments either - as you mention - nothing ever really seems to work for good.

The only fairly succesfull treatment for HHW that I have seen deals with packing the foot with tetracylene powder and wrapping the foot for 2 weeks. The various gauranteed squirt this on twice a day for a week kinds of stuff don;t really seem to do all that much.

 

[Stocker Steve]

What is naxcel?

 

[dun]

What is naxcel?

ceftiofur sodium, Excenel is ceftiofur hydrochloride,

 

[angus9259]

The only fairly succesfull treatment for HHW that I have seen deals with packing the foot with tetracylene powder and wrapping the foot for 2 weeks. The various gauranteed squirt this on twice a day for a week kinds of stuff don;t really seem to do all that much.

So what's the real alternative? Culling? Will it eventually dissapate? I understand it's fairly contagious.

 

[dun]

The only fairly succesfull treatment for HHW that I have seen deals with packing the foot with tetracylene powder and wrapping the foot for 2 weeks. The various gauranteed squirt this on twice a day for a week kinds of stuff don;t really seem to do all that much.

So what's the real alternative? Culling? Will it eventually dissapate? I understand it's fairly contagious.

Once you have it in the gorund you have it forever. Gety rid of the ones that have it now and eventually the news one will get it. Beef cows very rarely get it. This farm was a dairy for years and had HHW problems, we've nly been here 6 years but we've never had a problem with it. Before I diagnosed HHW in beef cattle I would want someone that is experienced with it to actaully see it and tell me that was what it was.
Mercks has a lot of data on HHW (interdigital dermatitis I think is the technical name)

 

[novatech]

I have a cow limping so I thought I would do a little search and found this link. It may or may not help but is still a good link.
http://www.csubeef.com/files/resources/ ... humbv2.pdf

 

[Caustic Burno]

I would think first foot rot and secondly ergot this time of year. Put a 10% CLOROX solution pump up sprayer and spray their feet down along with any antibotic program you use.

 

[ffamom]

We had some show heifers with hairy heel wart. Vet told us to treat by placing Oxcytetracycline in a syringe and squirting it on the foot two time a day for 10 days. Treatment cured the HHW in our heifers. Ours were treated about 4 years ago and we haven't had any reoccurance.

 

[novaman]

If it is hairy wart the cows will be very tender on the back of the foot. They will tend to try to walk on their "tip-toes" on that foot with a bad case. My hoof trimmer cleans the foot and applies a paste of some sort (no clue what it's called) and wraps the foot for 3 days. Pull the wrap off and 85% of the time they are just fine. A couple have had to be retreated but always had it wiped out after 2 treatments. The stuff he uses is very expensive but it sures is worth the money.