What are treatments for foot and mouth

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If you even think that you have Foot and Mouth Bisease you better call a Vet ASAP.
 
A bullet between the eyes. Buried deep or burned. And pray that it doesn't spread. Hoof and mouth is the most contagious disease know to man.

Dave
 
If it's there, It Will Spread. The cattle should be Quarantined and have a Vet out ASAP.
 
Euthanasia is the preferred treatment, but the followup should be burning of carcass rather than burying.

FOOT-AND-MOUTH
Foot-and-Mouth Disease is a severe, highly communicable disease of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and deer. It is caused by one of the smallest disease producing viruses known. There are several different strains of the virus that cause the disease. The strain now in England and Europe is harder on pigs and cattle but milder in sheep and goats. Humans do not catch the virus. The disease is characterized by blister-like lesions on the tongue, nose and lips, in the mouth, on the teats and between the toes which then burst, leaving painful ulcers. The blisters cause a heavy flow of sticky, foamy saliva that hangs from the mouth. Infected animals sway from one foot to the other due to the tenderness of the feet. Although older cattle usually do not die from the infection, they suffer a severe illness which leaves them in a weakened state. They have high fevers, stop eating, give less milk and become lame.

The virus is extremely contagious and spreads rapidly unless it is contained. This usually requires quarantining infected farms, followed by slaughtering and burning all susceptible animals. Anyone having contact with animals in infected countries should not go near susceptible animals for at least five days. Because the virus is spread so easily, countries with the disease are banned from exporting animals and their products, creating further economic hardship. Foot-and-Mouth Disease was last seen in the United States in 1929. The U.S. Government places an extremely high priority on keeping the disease out of the country.
 
I think it is against the law not to report a suspected case of foot and mouth.

Texas list of reportable diseases:

Figure: 4 TAC §45.2(a)



Multiple species diseases

Akabane - Akabane virus

Anthrax *, **- Bacillus anthracis

Aujeszky's disease - Pseudorabies virus, herpesvirus suis

Leishmaniasis** - Leishmania infantum and L donavani

Foot and mouth disease - Aphthovirus, types A,O,C, SAT, Asia

Heartwater - Cowdria ruminantium

African Trypanosomosis (Nagana) - Trypanosoma brucei, T. vivax,

T. brucei

Rinderpest - Morbillivirus

Rift Valley fever - Bunya virus

Vesicular stomatitis - Rhabdovirus; 2 serotypes; New Jersey and Indiana

Screwworm - Cochliomyia hominivorax

Cattle diseases (including Exotic Bovidae)

Bovine babesiosis - B. bovis, B. divergens, Babesia microti

Bovine brucellosis - Brucella abortus

Bovine ephemeral fever - Rhabdovirus

Bovine tuberculosis - Mycobacterium bovis

East coast fever (Theileriosis) - Theileria parva

Malignant catarrhal fever (wildebeest associated) - Alcelaphine

herpesvirus (AHV 1)

Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia - Mycoplasma mycoides

Lumpy skin disease - Neethling poxvirus

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy -

Scabies * - Sarcoptes scabiei, Psoroptes bovis, Chorioptes bovis

More at:
http://fm-web.tahc.state.tx.us/animal_h ... able.shtml
 
Go to the cattle today index in the green bar on left side. Look up diseases, click on it and look up Foot and Mouth. Click on it. You will find information there.
 
As others have said --- reporting, testing, bullet between the eyes, burial, etc.

For a great movie depicting the disease (and various human strengths and frailties) with wonderful performances by Paul Newman and Melvin Douglas, I'd highly recommend "Hud"
 
I have a feeling that they mean hoof rot rather than hoof and mouth disease. If hoof root I'd start out by giving a shot of LA200 and keeping them in a clean dry area.
 
Vesicular Stomatitis (VS) Confirmed in West Texas;
First U.S. Case Since l998

The country's first case of Vesicular Stomatitis (VS) since 1998 was confirmed Wednesday, May 19, on a premise with nine horses and eight head of cattle near Balmorhea, in Reeves County in west Texas. VS is a viral disease that occurs sporadically in the U.S., usually in southwestern states. The disease can affect horses, cattle and pigs, and occasionally, sheep, goats and deer, causing blisters to form in the animal's mouth, on teats or along the hooves, resulting in excessive salivation, lameness or oozing sores.

The clinical signs of VS can cause concern because they mimic those of a highly contagious foreign animal infection­foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)­which has been eradicated in the U.S. since 1929. Laboratory tests must be run to differentiate between the two diseases, when cattle, pigs, sheep or other cloven-hooved animals develop signs of the disease. Unlike FMD, VS also can affect horses and other members of the equine family. Although the disease does not affect food safety, infected livestock are withheld from slaughter until they recover.

"We always launch a disease investigation when blisters or sores are reported in livestock, to determine if foot-and-mouth disease has been introduced into the U.S.," said Dr. Max Coats, deputy director for Animal Health Programs for the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), the state's livestock and poultry health regulatory agency. "Because horses are not susceptible to FMD, we knew, in this case, that the animals had vesicular stomatitis (VS), or possibly had come in contact with poison or a toxic plant. The National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa, has confirmed that the three horses in Reeves County have VS."

Dr. Coats said researchers have determined that VS outbreaks are started by a virus transmitted by arthropods, such as ticks, mites, biting midges, mosquitoes or house flies. Following an incubation period of two to eight days, infected animals may develop clinical signs of disease. The outbreak then can be perpetuated by biting insects that carry the disease from infected to healthy livestock. VS-infected animals also can spread the virus if their saliva or the fluid from ruptured blisters contaminates equipment or feed shared by herd mates. Sick animals should be isolated until they heal, he said.


--more--

Add one/Vesicular Stomatitis in Texas 2004

Dr. Coats noted that all livestock on the affected ranch in Reeves County will remain
quarantined for several weeks, until they no longer pose a health threat to other livestock. Prior to quarantine release, the animals will be re-examined by a state or federal regulatory veterinarian, to prevent the spread of disease to other premises.

"VS is rarely fatal, and infection usually runs its course in a couple of weeks," commented Dr. Coats. "Infected livestock may need supportive care to prevent secondary infections where blisters have ruptured. The affected animals also may lose condition, because they will avoid eating as long as their mouth is sore. Lesions can also occur along hooves, resulting in temporary lameness."

"The only thing 'regular' about VS is its irregularity," he said. "Thirteen years passed
between a l982-83 outbreak of VS and one in l995 that involved infection on more than 365 ranches in five states. These affected states were New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Utah and Texas, where infection was confined to only one premise."

"Texas was spared in May l997, when the disease was detected in Arizona in
horses. By late fall, when the outbreak ended, infection had been detected on 380 ranches in four states; Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah," he continued. "Prior to the today's case, VS was most recently confirmed in l998, in Texas' Reeves County, and in New Mexico."

"As a biosecurity measure, ranchers and veterinarians should wear rubber or latex gloves when handling potentially infected animals, and they should wash their hands thoroughly afterward. Humans reportedly may contract VS and develop flu-like symptoms that can last four to seven days," warned Dr. Coats.

"If your livestock develops blisters, erosions or sores, don't pass it off as another case of VS," Dr. Coats said. "It is extremely important that we collect samples and have laboratory tests run to determine the cause of illness. Report these signs of disease to your private veterinary practitioner or the TAHC immediately. The TAHC hotline number is operational 24 hours a day at 1-800-550-8242, and a TAHC or U.S. Department of Agriculture veterinarian always is on call to take reports and work with your private veterinarian at no charge."

"If you plan to ship horses or other livestock out of state, contact the state of destination prior to transporting the animals," urged Dr. Coats. "Because VS has been confirmed in Texas, some states may require our shipments of livestock to undergo additional inspections or testing. Producers and veterinarians may contact the TAHC at 1-800-550-8242, if they need contact information for animal health officials in other states."
 

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