Hoof rot

Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians · #21 12/16/07, 02:28 PM

Goats do not get the bacteria form of hoof rot that cattle vaccines would work on, like vaccinating your goats with cattle vaccines for pinkeye, different bacteria. Most hoof rot in goats is thrush, scald or fungus, or simply infected soft tissue or abscess. Using systemic injections of any 200 mg tetracylcline may help in severe cases until the immune system can handle it, or the enviornment changes, but for long term problems oral crumbles would work much better. QCSupply.com has really cool mats that goats and even you can walk on between pens to disenfect, treat for disease, or for biosecurity. They are not expensive, they hold the material in them, and release it when walked or stood on.

Coopertox works because it's copper sulfate, hardens the feet just like copper applied orally does.

Keep the feet pared down, apply anything drying as often as you can, and make sleeping benches so the does can lay on something with their feet out of the bedding so they dry.

Sorry to hear about all the bad weather everyone is having. Vicki

johnsmb · #22 12/16/07, 02:44 PM

We just moved to SW WA - and it never dries out here! I am worried that they will get hoof rot. Is there anything that can be used occasionally as a preventative? I am working on getting a pallet fixed up so they will have a sort of "deck" to stand on out of the wet grass and mud.

white eagle · #23 12/16/07, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vicb66

Try pallets on the floor.If they can get up and dry their feet out for any amount of time you will be better off.Also the spray bottle of bleach is a God send.Put your goats on the milk stand and just pick the smelly stuff out of the goats hoofs.Trim them nice and short and spray away.This is the samething as thrush in horses. Just pick them out and spray them down with the bleach.

I agree with vicb66 about the pallets. Here we had to put some pallets out in our barn since we have been finally getting the much needed rain an our goats floor is muddy so had to put pallets down for them to stand on an lay on. Just make sure they can't get their feet in between the pallets boards unless your pallets are very close together if so then they will be in good shape.

Good Luck with your goats. The weather here now has turned off very cold an snow.. Wind blowing as high as 75mph at times..

ozark_jewels · #24 12/16/07, 03:53 PM

Copper sulfate powder mixed with enough water to make a thick liquid. Put in a small container big enough to fit the hoof into. Lift each hoof up and place it in the liquid, holding it there for several seconds. Do this twice a day until their is absolutely no more signs of nastyness between the toes. It works wonders and is very affordable.
Two years ago this went through some of our herd when our valley flooded. You are very blessed to only have two with it, we were treating 30.

DocM · #25 12/16/07, 07:08 PM

I'm happy to say that the worst of the two is putting weight on the worst foot, after a bathing of said foot and good application of coppertox. They already have pallets with stall mats, the only dry place, but they won't stay there 24/7. Thanks everyone, looks like they're going to be okay.

vicb66 · #26 12/16/07, 07:21 PM

They don't need to be on the pallets 24/7.Just long enough to dry out their feet.Cleaning out the rot and killing the infection is what you are after.In the winter here it's nothing but mud and ice so we are always picking hoofs and disinfecting.Part of the morning and evening chores.
Vicki

hoofinitnorth · #27 12/17/07, 01:00 PM

Silly newbie question: why would a sand arena (if dry) not be good footing for goats?

DocM · #28 12/17/07, 09:25 PM

Sand isn't good footing for ANY animal. It's brittle and dry and an avenue for injuries waiting to happen. Granted, it's easier to fall in when working a new horse though...

hoofinitnorth · #29 12/17/07, 09:47 PM

Hmm, I wonder if that varies from locale to locale. Horse folks all LOVE sand, provided it is firm enough to provide good footing without pulling muscles (as deep, loose sand would) and is over a well-drained base. In fact, it is often prescribed that horses be put on sand for certain foot ailments. As an anecdote, I frequently rode on sand and my horses' hooves seemed to benefit from the relatively abrasive surface, creating adequate but not over-abundant wear on the hoof capsule. But that is not a goat.

Jcran · #30 12/18/07, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JR05

Yes injection regular sq. I also have the premier stuff didn't work and was very expensive.
jr05

Weird, as I thought it was reasonably priced...however, I did use it at a higher concentration of 3:1 and had good results.

fillycate · #31 01/26/08, 09:31 PM

I have some goat hoof rot questions. My goats have it! It is appearing as small black or white spots, especially in between the hoof wall and the fleshy bottom of the hoof. We live in Oregon and were hit by the flood this year. We were so swamped (no pun intended) that we couldn't get them dry bedding right away. I am trying to stay on top of their hooves.

So, questions. I have a copper powder for spraying on plants and killing fungus. Would this work on their hooves? Also, I have Lysol spray that I have been spraying on their hooves in hopes that this will help. Is this a good idea or a bad idea? Also, does the bacteria get in the bedding and ground and keep spreading around? Is it hard to get rid of once it is on your land?

Thanks!

steff bugielski · #32 01/27/08, 04:48 AM

yes it gets in the bedding and in the soil. not too hard to get rid of. You need to remove all animals from the infected pasture for 2-3 weeks. At the same time remove all bedding daily. at the same time continue to treat the affected animals.

fillycate · #33 01/27/08, 08:14 PM

That sounds like a very time consuming cure. Moving them off pasture would mean moving them away from where I milk. Is that the only way I'm going to get rid of this?

steff bugielski · #34 01/28/08, 05:05 AM

only if you milk outside on the soil.
I went through this a few years back. Fist I removed all bedding. I then closed off half of the pasture. Kept them only in half of the pasture for 3 weeks while treating and removing bedding daily. After that I laid down some boards to make a runway(off the soil),into the other now clean half. Did this for 3 more weeks. If doing this in winter 2 weeks is all you need. The organism lives in warm damp areas, like between the toes on manure. So when it is warm out it might take 3 weeks.

hoofinitnorth · #35 01/28/08, 11:25 AM

I'm new to goats but have seen a lot of hoof rot in horses. Are you sure this is just hoof rot and not something else? Your description threw me for a loop... Since you were flooded, is there any way your pasture could have been contaminated with something like sewage or chemicals?

If it's hoof rot, depending on what type of bedding you use, you may not have to remove it, but instead strip the stall and put in fresh, clean bedding and keep it SPOTLESS. Any pooling of urine or gathering of feces makes your goats susceptible to continued foot rot as they walk over it and it packs in/on their hooves, feeding the bacteria there. The answer is to keep them dry and clean. Getting air to the affected areas and spraying them with diluted bleach water (let it sit for few minutes then wipe them dry again) is a cheap treatment to kill the anaerobic and aerobic bacteria responsible for hoof rot.

fillycate · #36 01/28/08, 02:22 PM

I am running low on straw, the only bedding I have. I need to buy more!!

About how much straw/other bedding do y'all use through a winter?

DocM · #37 01/28/08, 02:33 PM

Where are you, filly? I have sources of bedding. Since you say "flood", you may be pretty close to me.

fillycate · #38 01/28/08, 02:47 PM

I live in Dallas, OR.

Feral Nature · #39 01/28/08, 03:04 PM

Sorry for your troubles. I would think weak bleach spray and pallets or wooden spools.

DocM · #40 01/28/08, 03:24 PM

Filly, Venell Feed in Corvallis has huge straw bales, very nice quality. Check out their feed prices too - best in the valley.

http://www.venellfeed.com/

click on products, and product list.