What do you think this is?

smumitson · #1 05/31/06, 11:13 PM

This is my 4 month old boer bucks hoof. The sore (or growth) has been there for at least three weeks. We have tried iodine, blu-kote, Teramycin mixed with alcohol. The last five days we have been giving him 1.5 cc's of penicillin twice a day with the topical teramycin alcohol solution and cleaning it with every shot. He is still limping and the sore is obviously still there. The sore is all we see. There is no smell at all from it. No other symptoms. The sore is puffed up but has not pus at all and will occasionally bleed when I wipe it. It extends about the same diameter in between the hooves as well it seems to have grown through a crack in the side of the hoof on the inside???

Here's the picture:

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...en/hoof002.jpg

Any guesses or shall I call the vet?

kids

ozark_jewels · #2 06/01/06, 06:04 AM

I don't really know.......but have you tried making him stand in bleach(enough to cover his hoof)for a few minutes twice a day?? I had to that when one of my bucklings had a sore in his hoof. He was walking much better by the 3rd day and by the end of two weeks, there was no limp at all.

mammawof3 · #3 06/01/06, 06:37 AM

I hope someone more knowledgable can answer-as i have been dealing w/same thing/off and on in my meat herd-i assume it is some sort of hoof scald-when they are first limping, you will see a white (like a rub spot) between their hoofs-if you don't get it cleared up-on occasion it will turn into such a sore-what has finally worked for us 99% of the time, is when first limping squirt Biomycin 200 over the spot-almost always clears the early stage up w/one dose!-it has now worked on a doe w/such a sore-but have had to do it several times..sometimes a shot of biomycin 200 every other day for 3x has cleared up such a sore-sometimes just iodine has worked-but---i also had 2 does that nothing worked..foot swelled up, abcessed--w/daily iodine, and Biomycin shots ,it eventually cleared up-----------but both does ultimatly over a period of time, went down hill..lost condition...ate well but just wasted away...i DO NOT know if the foot thing was relevant-i just know that the does that this happened too (wasting away) had both had the hoof swelling. The other side is-i have had others w/the sore/that did NOT follow that path..so...in my experience-it definatly has to do w/rain-after a few days rain-i will always have a few animals limping-and i will have a white spot--the really bad cases were during the winter, when it was impossible to keep feet dry..i almost think it is a virus in my soil-rarely does any animal have it twice on the same hoof-some of the herd have never got it-it almost always clears up b-4 it turns into a sore-it tends to be front feet over rear-i do not have a whole lot of faith-after it turns into a sore, so am aggressive w/the "squirt" of biomycin on the hoof at first sign of limping. I do think biomycin/ la 200 shots are necasary after it turns into a sore though. I could use advice also!

boermommy · #4 06/01/06, 09:03 AM

Yep.....try the Biomycin. It sure can't hurt.
I use it for foot rot and see an improvement very quickly. It seems to sting when you squirt it on there so be careful because the goat will jerk around a little.

smumitson · #5 06/01/06, 11:11 AM

Thanks! I will try biomycin, his limp seems to be worse now since I just stopped treatment yesterday, probably because I didn't clean it?

This is good to know about the wet weather. It happened after a VERY wet spell (well our whole winter has been very wet here!)

Keep other suggestions coming though, just it case!

Bethany

goatkid · #6 06/01/06, 03:22 PM

If the treatments are not working, I'd get some feedback from the vet. That is basically what I do here. I try and treat the goat with what I know. If that doesn't work and my goat mentor doesn't have a better idea, I call the vet. Often, he can prescribe treatment without even having to see the goat.

smumitson · #7 06/02/06, 12:37 AM

I got the injection today, but couldn't find topical locally. Where can I get it? Is there an alternative?

The thing with the vet is that there are not too many around here that actually know goats that I am aware of. It's a problem here. I'm sure it will be a visit if I call - not too many offering free advice. If he's not better after a few days of Biomycin (which it seems like it should begin working after a day or so) I will call the vet.

kids

mammawof3 · #8 06/02/06, 05:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smumitson

I got the injection today, but couldn't find topical locally. Where can I get it? Is there an alternative?

The thing with the vet is that there are not too many around here that actually know goats that I am aware of. It's a problem here. I'm sure it will be a visit if I call - not too many offering free advice. If he's not better after a few days of Biomycin (which it seems like it should begin working after a day or so) I will call the vet.

kids

What you squirt on the hoof IS the injectable Biomyicin-draw out about 3-4 cc-remove needle, use syringe too squirt on "wound"..since he has the wound already i would also give him injections of Biomyicin-4.5 c.c.'s per 100 lb. goat, every other day-3 X-subcu...should work for you.

boermommy · #9 06/02/06, 08:19 AM

Sorry... should have told you we use the Biomycin on the outside as well as the inside of the animal. Hurry up and coat the whole inside of the hoof.
Let me know if it works.

TexCountryWoman · #10 06/02/06, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozark_jewels

I don't really know.......but have you tried making him stand in bleach(enough to cover his hoof)for a few minutes twice a day?? I had to that when one of my bucklings had a sore in his hoof. He was walking much better by the 3rd day and by the end of two weeks, there was no limp at all.

Emily, do you dilute the bleach, it seems to me that full strength would be way too caustic.

Also, I had an older doe who got hoof-rot......white stuff all up in her hooves after a long wet spell, stank of yeast. We teimmed up her hooves, dug out the rot, dipped her feet all the way into strong iodine solution everyday twice a day for about three dyas (wear old clothes, they splash)....and put dry empty feed bags all around in her shed for her to stand on. We wanted to keep her feet as dry as possible in the icky weather. We had to keep changing out the feed bags as they got damp. We would put dry hay on top of them so she wouldn't eat the bags. Her hooves cleared up, otherwise we were going to butcher her as she was getting really crippled. Now she is fine.

ozark_jewels · #11 06/02/06, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexCountryWoman

Emily, do you dilute the bleach, it seems to me that full strength would be way too caustic.

That is what I thought too, but not so. I asked several long-time Boer breeders about that specifically and was told to use it full strength. I made him stand in it for about a minute once a day and it worked!! His foot was cracked from top to bottom and he would put no pressure on it at all. After the bleach, it was gone and didn't come back.

boermommy · #12 06/04/06, 10:41 AM

SMUMITSON........How is the hoof today?