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  To Hooter McCormick

EDITORIALS

• TRAILS
• RIDING THE GAP

NUTRITION - More foot problems are caused by overfeeding (and lack of exercise) than underfeeding, but a balanced diet containing adequate vitamins and minerals is necessary to hoof health. An overfed bull’s feet may grow faster than those of a bull out on pasture grazing and walking. Pasture is a more natural diet. Overfeeding and lack of exercise leads to more hoof growth, and confinement reduces natural wear on the feet, adding to hoof length. Hoof overgrowth and long toes are the cause of most hoof issues--leading to cracks, broken hoofs, wall separations and secondary infections and abscesses. A bull that was overfed, raised in a feedlot, may continue to have feet that overgrow, needing periodic foot trimming.

Hoof horn grows continually, and any disruption or change in growth (either faster or slower) will create a visible ring or ridge around the hoof. It takes about 13 months to grow a new hoof (from hairline to toe tip). A ring or ridge about 1/3 of the way down represents about 3 to 4 months ago when there was some stress (perhaps illness and fever) or change in the diet.

HOOF CRACKS - Feet that grow too long are more prone to cracking than feet kept short by normal wear or trimming. Most common is a crack up the center of one toe, or sometimes both. Cracks may be partly due to dry conditions, and genetics. Some cattle have stronger hoof walls than others. In extremely dry weather, hoofs become more brittle and cattle sometimes develop quarter cracks (back toward the heel).

Hoof health is also important, and this includes a properly balanced diet to grow healthy hoof horn. Proper amounts of selenium are crucial, for instance. Too little or too much can both create weak and unhealthy feet that are more prone to cracking. A good mineral program (making up for any deficiencies in your forages, but not overdoing any of the important elements that may then be toxic) is one of the keys to sound feet.

HOOF ABSCESSES DUE TO PUNCTURE WOUNDS OR BRUISES - A hoof abscess can make a bull very lame. An overlong foot can lead to cracking, which opens the way for infection. Puncture wounds often lead to infection in the hoof. These can be caused by anything from nails to sharp rocks, or stepping on any sharp object. Upon examination, the site of the puncture wound is often visible as a dark spot, about the size of a dime, on the bottom of the foot.

Stone bruising can also create an abscess, just as it does in a horse’s hoof. The bruised tissue develops an infection and the layers of tissue separate--with pus between the layers. When a foot bruises and abscesses, it’s usually toward the center of the bottom of that claw. Unless it is treated soon, the infection may break open toward the heel or up the side wall or back of the heel, working toward the softest spot (next to the hoof horn) to break out. Since the bull carries most of his weight on his front end, most of the foot problems--including bruises and abscesses--will be in the front feet.

Lameness can come on very suddenly with a hoof abscess; the pressure and pain may make the bull reluctant to put any weight on the foot. At first glance you might think he had foot fot, but an abscess does not respond to typical treatments for foot rot. It must be opened to drain. The sooner the foot is examined (and proper diagnosis made, so proper treatment can be given) the less damage will be done and the quicker the foot can heal. The affected area must be opened to drain, flushed with antiseptic to clean it out. The bull should be given an injection of long-acting antibiotics (many vets prefer procaine penicillin).
After the abscess is cleaned out, the vet may also glue a wooden block to the sound claw, to get the foot up off the ground so there will be no pressure on the affected one; the bull can walk on the good toe without putting any weight on the other as it heals. By the time the wood block wears away, the bad toe is usually completely healed. If an abscess is treated within 24 hours of onset of lameness, the bull will usually be completely sound on that foot within a week. But if you wait too long to open and treat it, there’s more damage to the inner tissues and the bull may be lame for a month.

DIGITAL DERMATITIS (STRAWBERRY HEEL WARTS) - Beef cattle and bulls sometimes get some of the same hoof infections that plague dairy cattle. Digital dermatitis is a highly infectious disease that causes extremely sore raw spots in the skin around the heels. The animal is reluctant to walk, and quite lame. The affected area next to the heel bulbs may be bright red and raw, and in come cases may develop protruding horny or warty-looking excess tissue.

The condition is quite contagious, so any new animals brought to the farm (such as bulls) should first be closely examined to make sure feet are healthy, so this disease won’t be introduced. Once a pen or pasture is contaminated (with discharges from affected cattle), the problem generally spreads. Beef animals or bulls that are put into pens where there have been dairy cattle are often at risk for this problem. Wet conditions may make the feet more susceptible to entrance by this bacteria.

If an animal develps this disease, he should be quarantined and treatment should be given immediately. Thoroughly washing the foot and treating with antiseptic and antibiotics will clear it up. If you have a problem with it on your farm, there is a vaccine that can help prevent its development in healthy cattle. Consult a vet.

FOOT ROT - Foot rot is an infectious condition that causes heat, swelling and inflammation in the foot, resulting in acute and severe lameness. The swelling and lameness comes on very suddenly. One day the animal is just fine, and the next day the foot is so sore he may not want to put any weight on it at all.

The infection starts in the soft tissue between the toes or at the back of the foot (heel area). It can be caused by several bacteria, but most commonly one of two anearobic bacteria (that grow in the absence of oxygen): Fusobacterium necrophorum and Bacteroi-desmelaninogenicus. Both of these are quite common in the environment, and F. necrophorum lives in the rumen and manure of normal, healthy cattle. Anywhere cattle have lived, this bacterium is present in the soil. It can cause navel ill in newborn calves and diptheria (infection in the throat that can lead to suffocation due to swelling shut of the air passages, or pneumonia).

Foot rot occurs when cattle pick up the infection through a break in the skin. Any injury or scrape can open the way for foot rot. A small scratch or puncture can be caused by walking through stubble, brush and sticks, small sharp rocks or gravel, ice, or frozen rough ground--such as muddy areas with frozen hoof prints. Foot rot occurs year round. The bacteria are hardy and continue to survive in the environment in spite of hot weather or freezing temperatures, so any time the skin is broken, the foot is vulnerable to infection. Wet areas, where cattle walk through mud or bogs, are likely places to pick it up; the bacteria persist in wet areas around springs, swamps or wet pastures. The skin of the feet become softer and more tender when wet, so foot rot is common in wet weather or when cattle are walking through wet ground. High temperatures and excess moisture or humidity can also cause the skin between the toes to chap and crack, so foot rot can be a major problem in summer as well as during a wet spring, fall or winter.

Once the bacteria gain entrance to the foot, inflammation starts quickly. Lameness comes on suddenly and the foot becomes swollen. The swelling may be around the coronary band (hairline at the top of the hoof) between the toes (spreading the claws wide apart) or at the heel, depending on the site of entry. Enlargement may include the entire area above the hoof, extending upward past the fetlock joint in some cases. On first glance, you might think the animal has a sprained foot or even a broken foot or fetlock joint, since the area is so enlarged and the animal so lame that he won’t put much weight on it. He may hobble and limp, or try to travel on three legs.

A crack in the swollen skin may drain pus or smelly discharge. The skin may be red (hard to discern in a dark-colored animal, but easys to see on a light colored foot). The affected animal may have a mild fever (sometimes a moderate to high fever) and usually loses weight because he doesn’t travel or spend much time grazing or eating due to the pain. A bull with foot rot generally spends most of his time lying down.

Foot rot should be treated as soon as you notice the lameness and swelling. Even though many cases will eventually heal on their own, the animal will be lame longer (unable to breed cows) and there will be more risk of permanent damage to structures beneath the skin. Once the bacteria get through the skin, they begin to multiply rapidly and produce toxins that stimulate further multiplication, enabling the infection to penetrate into deeper structures. If the bacteria invade the bones, tendons or joint, the condition becomes much harder to treat and clear up, and the chances of complete recovery are less. The bull may end up with septic arthritis (with pus in the joint) and permanent lameness.

If a bull turns up lame, check the foot to make sure it’s foot rot rather than some other problem (such as corns or sole abscesses due to bruising, puncture wound or fracture), and get help from your vet if you are not sure of the cause. If it’s foot rot, treat him immediately. Isolate him so he won’t spread bacteria around the pen or pasture. The swelling usually breaks open (between the toes or at the heel) and drains pus within a few days. Discharges contain bacteria that will contaminate the pen or pasture. It’s always best to isolate and treat the animal so he will clear up faster (with less risk for permanent damage) and less contamination that might cause foot rot in other animals.

With treatment, most cases heal quickly, especially if caught early--preferable the first or second day of lameness. If you start the bull on antibiotics soon after the swelling and lameness are observed, he will usually be walking much better by the second or third day. Most foot rot cases don’t need more than 3 to 5 days of antibiotic coverage. Long-standing cases may be harder to clear up, however, taking a longer course of antibiotics, and the joint or tendon sheaths may be permanently damaged.

Standard treatments for foot rot include long acting procaine penicillin or oxytetracycline (there are several brands of the latter, such as LA-200, Liquimycin, Oxytet, Biomycin, etc). In severe cases, a sulfa drug such as sulfadimethoxine (given orally as boluses) used in conjunction with oxytetracyline will be more effective. Consult your veterinarian. In severe cases that don’t respond well to standard treatments, some veterinarians will prescribe ceftioflur sodium (a prescription drug restricted to use by or on the order of a veterinarian).
Topical treatment is also helpful. This consists of cleaning the foot, clearing away the debris and drainage, and then applying an antiobiotic powder or ointment. Some veterinarians will also recommend use of a DMSO gel in conjunction with the antibiotic ointment, to help reduce swelling and pain. Keep the bull in a dry pen, so the foot will stay clean and not get packed with mud. If caught early, most cases will clear up with one treatment of long- acting antibiotic, but an occasional case will need a second round, to give antibiotic coverage for 6 days.

In severe cases, the foot may need treatment for a long time; it will need to be routinely cleaned, treated with local antiseptic or antibiotics, and bandaged. Your vet may need to surgically deal with an infected joint or tendon sheath, and in serious cases may have to remove an affected claw. Thus it is very important to catch and treat foot rot early (and continue treatment until the animal is no longer lame. If you can clear it up fast, there is usually no damage to the foot, and also less chance of spreading it all around the pasture.
Prevention is important, and includes management practices that aid hoof health and reduce chances for hoof damage. If pens are clean and free of sharp stones or frozen mud, hoof injuries will be minimized. Covering frozen ground with straw can help prevent foot injuries. If a pen had an animal with footrot, it can be thoroughly cleaned (hauling out the manure) and limed, then left vacant for a week before putting new animals in it. Dry ground is always preferable to wet ground or mud. Good drainage is essential in pens when cattle must be confined, to minimize constant contact with manure-laden mud or water. In wet seasons, pens with mounds (where cattle can be up on dry ground) or concrete slabs next to feed bunks or watering areas can prevent mud bogs. Healthy, dry feet are less susceptible to foot rot. Good nutrition (and proper mineral supplements for your feed situation) can also help keep feet and hoofs healthy, and less vulnerable to cracking. Consult your vet or agricultural extension agent or a cattle nutritionist for advice on what you should be feeding to complement the forages in your region or on your ranch.

If foot rot is a serious problem on your place, consider using a vaccine. There are some commercial vaccines used for prevention of foot rot, and these require two injections 21 days apart. Some stockmen feel that these are helpful in reducing their number of cases, when used in conjunction with good management practices that help maintain good hoof health.

FOOTROT CAN CAUSE TEMPORARY INFERTILITY
In severe cases, the animal will have a fever. In early stages of the infection, there is fever (103 to 106 degrees) and loss of appetite. Cows with foot rot usually lose weight and cut down on milk production. Bulls may become temporarily infertile due to the fever. The infertile period will occur about 60 to 90 days after the fever, since sperm that were being formed during the fever will be affected; excess heat is detrimental to sperm production.

The bull will usually still be fertile for a short while after contracting foot rot, since the mature sperm already in his reproductive tract may be fine. But if you are using the bull for breeding and he develops foot rot early in the breeding season or several weeks before being put with the cows, have him checked by a veterinarian a couple months after he recovers from foot rot, to make sure he isn’t infertile during the time you need him most.

If a bull gets foot rot, take his temperature while you are treating him, to determine whether he has a fever. Normal temperature in cattle is about 101.5 to 102 degrees. A fever (104 to 107 degrees) could make the bull infertile during a period that starts 60 days to 90 days afterward, due to killed or defective sperm that were trying to form during the time of the fever. If you know the bull had a fever during his bout with foot rot, he should be semen checked by your vet 60 days later.