Cattle producers across the Ozarks can usually guarantee rain will be in the forecast through these spring months. This is a good thing most of the time, but there are a few downfalls to all that rainfall. Foot rot is one of them.
“Foot rot is a frequent problem in beef and dairy cattle, especially in poorly drained, muddy pens or in lots and pastures,” said Randy Saner, with the Howell County University of Missouri Extension Center. “Normal occurrence is sporadic and affects only one or two animals at a time, but it may affect larger numbers of cattle in outbreak situations or in problem herds.”
There are key signs Saner advises producers to keep an eye out for. They include: lameness with holding or raising of foot, reluctance to move, impaired locomotion, loss of appetite, weight loss, low-grade fever and reduction in milk production in lactating cows.
“Hind feet are affected most often and cattle tend to stand and walk on their toes,” Saner said. If these symptoms are left untreated, lameness becomes increasingly severe leading to infection deeper into the structure of the foot.
Saner suggests the foot should be cleaned and inspected for characteristic clinical signs and to rule out other causes for the swelling and lameness such as foreign bodies, infectious arthritis or wounds caused by trauma.
Mild cases of foot rot may respond to a topical treatment, but Saner says most cases require the use of systemic antimicrobial therapy. These include: LA 200, Bio-Mycin 200, Procaine penicillin G or Tylan 200.
Naxcel, Micotil and Albon S.R. boluses are antimicrobials and have been proven effective to treating foot rot, but Saner said they must come by order of a licensed veterinarian. “In all cases you should contact your local veterinarian before beginning a treatment regimen,” Saner said.
“In a three year Kansas State University study, zinc methionine added to a free-choice mineral supplement reduced the incidence of foot rot and improved daily weight gain in steers grazing early summer pasture,” Saner said. He also reminds producers that there is a commercial vaccine approved for use in cattle as a control for foot rot, but results vary and no controlled study has been reported.
University of Arkansas Dairy Extension Specialist Jodie Pennington says prevention is very important in the control of foot rot. “Mud holes should be filled and all stagnant water should be drained to reduce the amount of mud and filth.”
Pennington usually recommends a foot bath of 5 percent zinc sulfate or copper sulfate to reduce the spread of foot rot in dairy herds. “Sometimes 2 to 3 percent will work just as a precaution if there is not a foot rot problem,” Pennington adds.
When milk withdrawal is not a problem in heifers, Pennington suggests adding a chlortetracycline (CTC) to the feed.
“Often, producers will have a cow limping and call it foot rot, but it could be hairy heel warts, an ulcer or other injury,” Pennington said. He reminds producers that typically foot rot has an odor that is similar to rotten eggs.
Although spring rain is not the only cause of foot rot, it is the time of year producers should visually inspect their cow herds and keep in mind what signs to look for.
