Feet

[organicguy]

will find out in the next few days

i made up a phrase about this

''knife before needle''

I always tell vet students I have here that I never killed a cow by cutting too deep but several by not cutting deep enough.
If she is lame there will be a reason and if it is acute and come on over 2 days it is likely to be pus somewhere and you need to find it, not hide the pain with pain killer.

 

[jimmer]

Yes - lame cows need painkillers. Why do they limp?

We have to give them the benefit of the doubt. It's supported by research and practical experience.

Honestly in this day and age if an animal is in pain (LAME COWS ARE IN PAIN) then we have a duty to give painkiller

the instant relief of releasing puss in a cows foot is noticeable , you will have seen it , what you wont see is how she is the next milking the next day and the next week

my pictured cow has picked back up nicely

 

[jimmer]

I always tell vet students I have here that I never killed a cow by cutting too deep but several by not cutting deep enough.
If she is lame there will be a reason and if it is acute and come on over 2 days it is likely to be pus somewhere and you need to find it, not hide the pain with pain killer.

i have chased the tiniest black dot to the sweet spot

 

[multi power]

Yes - lame cows need painkillers. Why do they limp?

We have to give them the benefit of the doubt. It's supported by research and practical experience.

Honestly in this day and age if an animal is in pain (LAME COWS ARE IN PAIN) then we have a duty to give painkiller

They limp because there is something wrong with their foot
No amount of pain killers will fix that
They may well mask the symptoms
If I have toothache I find it much better to get tooth fixed rather than just swallowing pain killers

 

[bovine]

We are not masking anything. The cause obviously needs addressing, but I still believe painkiller to be an essential component in the treatment of all lame cows.

 

[organicguy]

i have chased the tiniest black dot to the sweet spot

Its when the black dot disappears that I have lost my nerve, some years ago, when I had less experience. I am now happy to go to the quick without spilling blood in search of pus.

 

[jimmer]

Its when the black dot disappears that I have lost my nerve, some years ago, when I had less experience. I am now happy to go to the quick without spilling blood in search of pus.

its what blocks are for
as long as you are paring the correct claw and blocking the right one also, you cant go too far wrong

 

[Lewis]

At what stages in lactation are people routinely picking feet up to see if they need a trim or not? currently do everything at drying off

 

[jimmer]

At what stages in lactation are people routinely picking feet up to see if they need a trim or not? currently do everything at drying off

we did everything lat year at between 70 and 100 dim
and then again the month before drying off

only did a small % at drying off due to it not needing to be done

been the best year for feet

start the early trims this week, although there are a lot that are looking fine whilst milking i am sure a bit of modelling and evening up will be needed

 

[bovine]

At what stages in lactation are people routinely picking feet up to see if they need a trim or not? currently do everything at drying off

What is your average yield?

 

[Lewis]

What is your average yield?

9500 ish.

 

[bovine]

Do them pre drying off. If you have time have a look ~75-100d into lactation. If you don't have loads of time concentrate on higher yielders

 

[Sandpit Farm]

Its when the black dot disappears that I have lost my nerve, some years ago, when I had less experience. I am now happy to go to the quick without spilling blood in search of pus.

ooh this is a scary thought. I kind of know what you mean but I would be careful about being TOO keen. It is worth investing in 'pressure pincers'... they can help you to establish where the pain is coming from. Sometimes you get issues when the pus goes up along the wall instead of down... the pincers will find this. They are only £20 or so.

 

[jimmer]

pit stop during milking

 

[Mr Mackay]

Having had sore feet myself ,I thought this thread might be about tired and painful FARMERS feet
I recently made a nice pair of wellie insoles out of a piece of cowmat . Traced the shape of a Purafort insole onto the mat ,cut with a jigsaw then used a fine hacksaw to gently cut in half. Then shaped and thinned them with a flapdisc on the grinder. Cushty.
Indestructible ,warm and soft and cheap as chips

 

[Mouser]

Having had sore feet myself ,I thought this thread might be about tired and painful FARMERS feet
I recently made a nice pair of wellie insoles out of a piece of cowmat . Traced the shape of a Purafort insole onto the mat ,cut with a jigsaw then used a fine hacksaw to gently cut in half. Then shaped and thinned them with a flapdisc on the grinder. Cushty.
Indestructible ,warm and soft and cheap as chips

Think you should post in bodge thread!

 

[Blue.]

Having had sore feet myself ,I thought this thread might be about tired and painful FARMERS feet
I recently made a nice pair of wellie insoles out of a piece of cowmat . Traced the shape of a Purafort insole onto the mat ,cut with a jigsaw then used a fine hacksaw to gently cut in half. Then shaped and thinned them with a flapdisc on the grinder. Cushty.
Indestructible ,warm and soft and cheap as chips

@Flossie cuts carpet up for insoles,they don't last 5 minutes with me so I don't bother anymore.

 

[Mr Mackay]

@Flossie cuts carpet up for insoles,they don't last 5 minutes with me so I don't bother anymore.

Ha ha , I can imagine! A fellow farmer and I were talking about insoles and I said how you needed to take the purafort ones out most nights in the winter and put them next to the cylinder!
He said his just disintegrated anyway !!! I dare say you could have grown potatoes in most farmers wellies
Our 20 yr old cow mats began to break up (some of them anyway) so I have a large supply of off cuts/bits .
They are indestructible ,with a humans weight on them , trust me.

 

[jimmer]

Ha ha , I can imagine! A fellow farmer and I were talking about insoles and I said how you needed to take the purafort ones out most nights in the winter and put them next to the cylinder!
He said his just disintegrated anyway !!! I dare say you could have grown potatoes in most farmers wellies
Our 20 yr old cow mats began to break up (some of them anyway) so I have a large supply of off cuts/bits .
They are indestructible ,with a humans weight on them , trust me.

but too thick surely?

havent tried yet but going to !

 

[supercow]

We are not masking anything. The cause obviously needs addressing, but I still believe painkiller to be an essential component in the treatment of all lame cows.

Are you a farmer? @bovine