Foot rot running up leg!!!

[12000 litre]

Ok had a cow 65 litres a day was paddling on the mats in parlour when been milked and was standing on unit meaning the night milkers weren't getting her empty..usually our policy is not to touch cows at that kind of peak but the lads thought it was a mastus risk her not getting empty one or two of the three milkings..So they looked at foot and it had a deep crack running flat with the sole all black and stinky to trim it left little foot on that clet so they clogged the other clet... She got worse fast intakes dropped milk went... By this point she had had a bottle of pen strep.. So we went hard with marbocile and funixin for three days but not working she is now in the isolation pen as worried if she goes though parlour she may get knocked over its now day ten and infection got worse running up leg and won't stop!!! She has had hundreds of pounds of drugs and every one seems out of ideas!! Foot stinks tryed poltusing it as you do with horses but does not seem to draw it... Any ideas..

 

[buffalo_soldier]

Have you ruled out Toe necrosis?

Have had something similar a bit back the solution was to amputate the affected claw.

 

[spin cycle]

firstly i'm no expert on cows feet so please feel free to disregard/rubbish etc.....but i had 2 rams in oct each with front foot problems so bad we wrote one off....in the end in desparation i tried a footbath of formalin/cuso4 every couple of days sorted it.....i was using a bucket and standing the foot in and had ppe on cos of the formalin.....will she stand still with her foot in a bucket do you reckon?

 

[happycows]

Metacam will at least make her feel better and is my preferred painkiller . Marbocyl is more for acute pneumonia or mastitis and flunixin much the same.
Whole bottle of Tylan on day one in 4 sites and another bottle in following 3 days. Cheap and if no improvement time to get rid and concentrate on the rest. Sounds like infection could have got in the joint by now which could be the end.

 

[12000 litre]

Yep agree formalin a fantastic product we have a deep 3 inch foot bath that's 10 foot by ten foot that we foot bath every third day with formalin and that would usually sort any foul / foot root but this is like super rot!! Cow form of MRSA

 

[bovine]

Have you had the vet look at her? Also have you taken the block off the other claw?

 

[12000 litre]

O I did not know tylan worked on feet... Will try that.. How easy is it to remove clet and is it successful

 

[bovine]

You need a diagnosis first. Stop randomly injecting the cow with drugs. Spend the Tylan money on getting her looked at. So far you have apparently wasted a lot of money trying to save the cost of an examination.

Tylan doesn't kill certain bugs.

 

[RobFZS]

O I did not know tylan worked on feet... Will try that.. How easy is it to remove clet and is it successful

we had one done last month, cut off blood supply , anesthetic and then cheese wire to cut it off, but the cow went abit sh!t after 2 weeks of getting better, so had it shot, the treatment must have knocked it

 

[12000 litre]

Yes vet seen her but some times you shake your head!!! Vets are good at operating after that you start to wonder... I am told we have good vets but in the summer I asked advice on some downer heifers and was told it could be muscular or skeletoetal damage!!!! O dear!! Similar response with the foot..

 

[12000 litre]

You need a diagnosis first. Stop randomly injecting the cow with drugs. Spend the Tylan money on getting her looked at. So far you have apparently wasted a lot of money trying to save the cost of an examination.

Tylan doesn't kill certain bugs.

Thank you for your fantastic advice we are not randomly injecting her. We have the animals best interests at heart and strive for perfection.. I apologise We are not as perfect as you and hang my head in shame for asking other people for advice when all else has failed!!

 

[bovine]

(I despair with some vets - their lack of interest is a let down to the profession in general.).

If I looked at her I'd want her in the crush. Take temperature. Lift foot. Remove block if still on other claw. Clean off well. Inspect both claws and check between claws. See if infection between the toes, located to one claw - or some trapped under the block (seen that a few times!). Try and improve drainage at the foot (I would do that under intravenous local anaesthetic).

How high up the leg? Can you get a couple of pictures from the side and of the foot (lifted)?

Tylan is appropriate for foul (interdigital problem) but generally less suitable for infections in the foot. If you are going to use it, do so at the licensed dose rates. I would also give something like metacam or generics.

 

[12000 litre]

And the block is still on but she not good!

 

[Scholsey]

Could it be 'superfoul'? 50ml of hexasol la

 

[bovine]

Superfoul would be treated with Tylan. Hexasol not for use in milking animals. If it's a milking cow she will weigh more than 500kg so needs more than 50ml.

 

[12000 litre]

O its not coming from left claw def from right claw I felt the heat in it .., she seems to have a hole in her foot right in middle of claw and the entire claw is squidgy could it spread to other cattle.. I wish we left her alone but sh!t happens

 

[12000 litre]

Yes is there such a thing as super foul I didn't know that! Will give her tylan if that works will google super foul.

 

[bovine]

Sounding like a claw off job. They do better if removed before infection spread up the leg - but still worth doing.

50% of cows survive 2 years after amputation - there was a study done with a couple of cows living 7 or 8 years after an amputation.

 

[happycows]

I've got 2 cows with one toe. First broke it as incalf heifer messing with a buller now in her 4th going strong. Had 5th calver done last year with necrosis in front toe. She's back incalf and made a very quick recovery. Looks harsh but both of these were well worth doing.

 

[David.]

Surely they cannot manage with a front digit removed?