Diseases of the hooves in cattle are ubiquitous and are an urgent problem in animal husbandry. This disease state reduces the productivity of cows - milk production decreases or completely stops. How to recognize the first symptoms of common hoof diseases and prevent them in a timely manner - information in the article.
In 98% of cases, hoof disease occurs in livestock held in inappropriate conditions.
Severity of hoof disease
Severity of ungulate diseases
Main reasons
Considering the fact that cattle spend most of their lives standing in the pen (in winter), or in pasture (in the warmer months), a heavy load is placed on the limbs, which may cause hoof pathologies.
The main reasons may be:
- Walking Injury - the animal can injure the limb, moving on bumps.
At the time of livestock walking on pastures, the main part of the risk of injuries falls.
- The condition and height of the litter, the quality of the flooring in the barn. While lowering the limb, the animal focuses on the outside of the hoof. If the coating is soft - the weight of the animal is distributed evenly over the entire area. On a hard surface, distribution does not occur, and the entire weight of the cow falls on the outer part of the hoof, which leads to a number of diseases.
The hard flooring in the barn dooms the animal's limbs to an unevenly increased load, and as a result, mechanical and traumatic diseases.
- Improper conditions and neglect of sanitary standards. High air humidity, untimely cleaning of manure, infectious agents entering the wound can cause the disease. About the norms of keeping cows on the farm - read here.
- Cows exclusively in the barn. This may include hoof deformation: when stalling without a walk, the sole of the hoof does not grind properly, which leads to improper positioning of the limb and, as a result, to lameness and some diseases.
- General condition of the cow. The weakened immunity that arose after the transfer of complex diseases (mastitis, gastrointestinal diseases) can lead to a weak local immune response, which gives rise to the development of inflammatory processes.
In the cold season, hoof disease is more common.
First signs
Any problems with hooves make the animal uncomfortable, and depending on the severity of a disease, the symptoms can be very diverse. But there is a general symptomatology inherent in most diseases:
- lameness is observed when moving, the animal puts more emphasis on a healthy leg;
- with soreness of several limbs, the animal can lie for a long time;
- a sick limb during examination may look swollen, with an increased local temperature;
- with severe pain, decreased appetite;
- the amount of milk is falling, even a complete cessation of lactation is possible;
- when the infection penetrates the wound, an increase in body temperature is possible.
Common diseases and pathologies
There are about a dozen diseases affecting the hooves of cows. Consider the most common of them.
Injuries
Any trauma to the sole of the hoof can lead to inflammation of varying severity and is the founder of almost all of the diseases listed below.
In turn, injuries are divided into 2 groups:
- Open. Hoof injuries are cuts of the soles of various depths with a sharp foreign object (pieces of metal, nails, broken glass, pointed stones). In severe cases, the tip penetrates deeper, damaging the structural elements of the hoof. The greatest danger is crumb injuries in the middle part, due to the location of the finger tendons, ungulate joint and other elements in this area.
- Closed. Injuries are internal injuries to a limb - muscles, tendons, joints (dislocations, sprains, etc.). Occur due to a careless attitude to the animal, herd driving along dug up, uneven surfaces or on rocky terrain. This pathology develops in a short time, causing the cow discomfort and pain.
Subdermatitis
This disease manifests itself in two forms:
- Aseptic skin inflammation. It occurs after long hauls of cows on bumps, as well as during long-term transportation without the possibility of rest. Hooves can suffer from bruises, squeezing at the base of the skin of the sole (so-called capes). I can also launch dislocations, sprains and other injuries.
- Purulent pododermatitis. It occurs after infection of damaged parts of the hoof (the area of the sole, corolla, crumb), as a complication of aseptic skin inflammation. Or as a result of cracks in the hoofed horn.
Signs of the disease are:
- moderately elevated body temperature;
- lameness when walking - limb set aside;
- at rest - the limb is bent and the emphasis falls on the hook part.
Phlegmon ungulate nimbus
The inflammatory state of the subcutaneous tissue of the corolla, which does not have clear boundaries, is called phlegmon. Its causative agents are often staphylococci, less commonly Escherichia coli and other microorganisms. After penetration into the subcutaneous layer, pathogens multiply, capture and affect overlying tissues that become inflamed.
The gates for infection are any violations of the integrity of the hoof - crack of the corolla, wound of the skin. The disease can also begin as a complication of purulent pododermatitis.
The characteristic signs of hoofed phlegmon are:
- general poor condition: lameness, fever, decreased appetite and milk yield;
- when viewed in the inter-experimental gap, a swelling is found, hot and dense to the touch.
The prognosis for phlegmon depends on the degree of inflammation and the volume of purulent lesion.
Ungulate erosion
Hoof erosion is a condition in which deformation of the “fingers” occurs - the outer part grows and becomes larger than the inside. In this case, the load is distributed unevenly.
You can detect the disease while walking:
- the cow is limping;
- her legs are bent;
- gait becomes shaky.
With advanced cases, it is possible to develop inflammation in various parts of the hoof.
The main preventive measure, in this case, is the use of special pads, which do not allow the hoof to grow, and give the limbs the right set.
Hoof heel
Strawberry disease
This pathology got its name due to the fact that the kind of inflammatory process is like a strawberry - a piece of skin in the area of the hoof cleft is covered with tubercles and acquires a red tint.
At the initial stage, the disease does not pose a serious threat and resolves on its own with good care, nutrition and maintaining cleanliness.
In case of neglect - around the hoofs the skin becomes very inflamed, even fistulas may appear.
Available vaccines against strawberry hoof disease are ineffective.
Laminitis
Laminitis is the pathology of the hooves, manifested in young animals, livestock, pregnant cows. Difficult calving provokes the disease, or serious violations of the diet and walking.
The main feature of the disease is that several hooves are affected at once.
When laminating, you can observe:
- the animal sinks onto a sick limb;
- tense gait;
- the presence of tremors in the muscles;
- painful changes occur in the structure of the hoof, in which the stratum corneum stratifies, is deformed and the hoof bends upward;
- with pressure on the stratum corneum, the animal experiences pain;
- local temperature is elevated.
Treatment
The main criterion for treating hoof diseases is the creation of favorable conditions for the animal. Before starting treatment, it is necessary to analyze what contributed to the disease, for example, the litter must be replaced, the floor covering should be made as comfortable as possible for livestock, and the diet should be adjusted.
The scheme of measures for the treatment of hooves includes the following actions:
- Cleansing the hoof. To clear the hoof, the limb is fixed. During this procedure, the specialist cuts off the overgrown parts with a hoof knife, giving the hoof the correct shape, cleans ulcers, foreign objects, and removes cracks.
- Disinfectant treatment. Next - the cleaned surface is treated with disinfectant solutions (Furatsilin, Betadin, Hydrogen Peroxide).
- The use of local medicines. If necessary, wound healing ointments are applied, for example, Ichthyol.
- Bandaging the limbs. Dressings are changed daily until wounds heal.
- Antibiotic therapy. With damage to the tissues of the hoof by infection, large foci of damage, or a severe pain reaction, the animal is treated with novocaine-antibiotic blockades.
- Immunity boost. A general strengthening complex is introduced, for example, Katozal injections.
- Symptomatic treatment Includes antipyretic and analgesic drugs.
In the case of the forced use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, milk is prohibited to use, the cow is decanted separately.
Prevention
As preventive measures, the following is performed:
- timely cleaning of wet, contaminated litter;
- checking the litter for the presence of foreign objects that could be harmful to health (construction nails, wood chips, broken glass);
- timely repair of floors - the floor covering is in good condition, repair work in the barn is carried out as often as the first irregularities are detected.
Also, the basics of prevention include:
- Frequent inspection of limbs and general condition of livestock.
- Timely trimming of hooves. They clean the old layer with a knife, smooth the walls with forceps, smooth the surface and walls with a file.
- Foot baths. Spend every 3-4 days. For these purposes, use containers with a capacity of up to 200 liters. One container with plain water is needed to clean the hooves of dirt. Then the animals are transferred to a container with a disinfectant - formalin, copper sulfate or ready-made special products. One such bath is prepared for 200 goals, over - the solution is updated.
Although hoof diseases are a fairly common occurrence both on large industrial farms and on small farms, it is possible and necessary to deal with them. Fulfillment of all sanitary and hygienic procedures, maintaining a stable correct diet, taking into account the energy needs of dairy cattle, proper walking and timely livestock inspections, are the key to animal health.