The Benefits Of Claw Care
While on a hike, you begin to notice a slight irritation and pain coming from one of your feet. You keep walking and the irritation gradually becomes worse. Eventually you are forced to stop and remove a pebble which has worked its way into your boot. Nothing else matters until you remove the rock and make the pain stop.
What you have experienced, in a very minor way, is the significant pain and production disruption which lameness can have on one of your milking cows. At some point, all dairy herds will have their production rates decline due to lameness. Dairy cattle with sore feet can result in loss of income, vet fees, medication, and involuntary culling. A Cornell University study indicated that the average incidence of lameness per one hundred dairy cattle to be thirty. The study estimated that this translates to roughly nine thousand dollars per one hundred cows. However, you can dramatically reduce the impact of hoof problems in your herd. There are three types of causes: infectious, metabolic, and environmental.
Infectious causes include foot rot, interdigital dermatitis, and digital dermatitis.
Foot rot is typically associated with wet, dirty conditions, and rough surfaces. You can prevent or minimize foot rot by keeping your cows clean, dry, and well bedded. Maintenance trimming is also a must. Usually antibiotics will clear up this condition.
Interdigital dermatitis responds poorly to antibiotics. This disease occurs in early lactation. It is probably due to the associated stresses of calving, and the changes in the weight distribution pattern on the claws of the rear legs following calving. Dairy cattle with this disease will be noticeably lame and may have a white to gray discharge leaking from the affected region. Blocking, trimming, topical dressings, and foot wraps will help.
Digital dermatitis is easily recognized as a reddened patch located just above the cleft of the hoof. The disease causes a sore which resembles a strawberry. The lesion will progress until it has raised, conical like projections featuring black hair like growths (hairy wart stage). This disease is extremely painful to the dairy cow. The treatment is a long and consistent process. As with all hoof disease, the main key in prevention is consistent hoof maintenance trimming and accurate record keeping. And to lessen the recovery time of your cow, and make her more comfortable, you should always block up the affected hoof at the first sign of a problem.
Just as that pebble in your hiking boot irritates you until it is removed, hoof problems create production problems with your dairy herd. Keeping their hooves sound is another link in the chain of efficient milk production.
What you have experienced, in a very minor way, is the significant pain and production disruption which lameness can have on one of your milking cows. At some point, all dairy herds will have their production rates decline due to lameness. Dairy cattle with sore feet can result in loss of income, vet fees, medication, and involuntary culling. A Cornell University study indicated that the average incidence of lameness per one hundred dairy cattle to be thirty. The study estimated that this translates to roughly nine thousand dollars per one hundred cows. However, you can dramatically reduce the impact of hoof problems in your herd. There are three types of causes: infectious, metabolic, and environmental.
Infectious causes include foot rot, interdigital dermatitis, and digital dermatitis.
Foot rot is typically associated with wet, dirty conditions, and rough surfaces. You can prevent or minimize foot rot by keeping your cows clean, dry, and well bedded. Maintenance trimming is also a must. Usually antibiotics will clear up this condition.
Interdigital dermatitis responds poorly to antibiotics. This disease occurs in early lactation. It is probably due to the associated stresses of calving, and the changes in the weight distribution pattern on the claws of the rear legs following calving. Dairy cattle with this disease will be noticeably lame and may have a white to gray discharge leaking from the affected region. Blocking, trimming, topical dressings, and foot wraps will help.
Digital dermatitis is easily recognized as a reddened patch located just above the cleft of the hoof. The disease causes a sore which resembles a strawberry. The lesion will progress until it has raised, conical like projections featuring black hair like growths (hairy wart stage). This disease is extremely painful to the dairy cow. The treatment is a long and consistent process. As with all hoof disease, the main key in prevention is consistent hoof maintenance trimming and accurate record keeping. And to lessen the recovery time of your cow, and make her more comfortable, you should always block up the affected hoof at the first sign of a problem.
Just as that pebble in your hiking boot irritates you until it is removed, hoof problems create production problems with your dairy herd. Keeping their hooves sound is another link in the chain of efficient milk production.
posted by Daniel Montoya at 2:28 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home