By L R Lindsay
We had a wet spring in our area which we can notice in the hoof condition of our herd. We got our fair share of lameness and I would like to know how often we should run our footbath. Could you give me some guidelines?
I have a starting question to determine the urgency of the situation: how many lame cows are in your herd and what is the cause of lameness?
Our nations' lameness average is around the 30% mark at any given time, which is a dazzling number if we take into account the total of 10 million dairy cows in North America. The most common way is to run only footbaths to control cow hoof lameness and if that doesn't take care of it, then a more intensive approach will be taken. This is either trim the cow hoof to salvage or just cull the animal.
Looking forward to the future, I would like to spell out a more economical approach which will
give instant results and satisfaction. I have seen phenomenal results and it's a 'gold mine'. Here
are some steps to follow:
1. Create a bench mark; how many cows in your herd are actually lame? A great and economical way to determine this number is by trimming (or getting them trimmed) all animals in the group. Make also sure to have a preventive trimming program in place, which should be discussed with a professional cow hoof trimmer. After that, stay focussed by spraying all the back feet (of the whole herd) with the Hoof Sol Liquid and select all animals that are lame to be checked in the next day. This spraying is recommended to be done every week ensuring proper coverage until full control is accomplished.
2. Understand the cause of lameness. There are infectious and non-infectious cow hoof diseases; the treatment for either is different. The cause of cow hoof lameness at your neighbour's farm is not necessarily the same as the one you are dealing with.
3. Use a sharp knife to properly trim a foot and treat any heal warts (Digital Dermatitis) by using the Hoof Sol Gel.
4. Use the Hoof Sol Gel on trimming day to brush on every back foot as a preventive measure after being cleaned with a towel. You spend your time and money to lift the foot, but what are we doing that's preventive to battle cow hoof lameness? The foot is clean and you can actually see what you are doing here. Use this great opportunity to prevent lameness in your herd.
5. Run a footbath, starting with 2 days every week and after gaining control, 2 days every other week. This method is the final step in the cow hoof protocol, and does not replace any of the preceding steps. There are many baths and various cow hoof bath products on the market and these should always be used according to the manufacturers' recommendations. Some need a daily approach, others are twice weekly; some are corrosive, while others cause irritation and are very harsh for your own health. You also need to note the danger of environmental contamination caused by dumping the contents of the cow hoof baths onto fields. Antibiotic resistance in animals and humans is also a concern. Do some shopping and ask your cow hoof trimmer or veterinarian for advice.
I hope that this gives you a little overview. Let me know if this plan works for you and your herd.
Please feel free to forward any further questions to questions@allabouthooves.com
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