Slipper Foot

[Stocker Steve]

I bought a small herd that included a black cow with a long toes on one rear foot. She gets around OK but seems to favor it and walk on the inside edge.

I asked the vet if he would trim it. He said he could, but it may take more than one visit, that "slipper foot" was genetic, and that it would just grow back.

Sounds like I should calve her out and then split the pair. Have you had any success with cases like this?

 

[dun]

Feed, an injury, type of footing or a structural flaw can cause it. Trimming needs to be done in small increments. We bought a heifer that had the problem to a slight degree. Fir the next 6 months or so it got worse and worse. Then the long toe broke off short. Surprisingly her foot now grows completely normal.

 

[Aaron]

Wait until she calves, and then trim it back 1/2" at a time every 2 weeks. We have had those as well. Sometimes a good trim (or breaking off) cures it. Just don't want to make her lame. Don't keep any replacements off her, or watch them for this fault if you do. A lot of times you can fix it in one generation. :cowboy:

 

[dun]

From Mercks
Slipper foot


A slipper foot is named for its alleged likeness to a Persian slipper. The claw is flat and curled upward to form a square end. The horn is heavily ridged and has lost its shine, and the coronary band is rougher and darker than normal. Although there is no objective evidence to support the theory, the slipper foot is probably synonymous with chronic laminitis and may be a sequela of either acute or subclinical laminitis. Treatment is always disappointing. The claw can be shaped to approximate normal, but invariably it collapses and serious sequelae follow. Animals with slipper foot should be culled as soon as economically appropriate.