Ewe With Hoof Rot

[Sheepfarmer22]

My healthiest ewe is a little over a year old and has hoof rot issues with her back hoof. I do things like soak it in bleach and coppertox. Also keep it trimmed whenever i can. Any tips on helping out with this?

All is helpful. Thanks!

 

[Sheepfarmer22]

Not to mention, this also happened last year when she was young.

 

[farmerjan]

Take a syringe with 1-2 cc of LA200 (or 100 or 300... whatever you have) and squirt it directly on the hoof/foot rot area, between the toes etc... CLEAN FOOT....do not bandage and try to keep them out of any real wet dirt area... we had ours out on green pasture grass...
We use it on cattle with hoof rot, usually use a 5-10 cc syringe full, and squirt it on and in between the toes... trying to catch the cow from the back side of the hoof... and then the front side right up near where the skin meets the hoof.
It will burn/sting them a little... it will stop bothering them in a few minutes.... Have only had to do it once or twice as long as the cow did not get back into wet manure/urine slop.... Hence the out on pasture... or a drier stall etc... It will dry up fairly quickly and then they can just go on grazing...
It does not affect the milk nor have residue in the milk from getting used as a "topical treatment"...
I am NOT a vet... and this is "off label" use of the drug... do not mix it or "cut it" with anything else...

 

[farmerjan]

Also, hydrogen peroxide will do more for it than bleach... use 1/2 hp and half water.. as it will dry out the tissues... some dairies use it as a pre-dip for cows udders to kill bacteria. Too strong and it will chap it and almost "burn" it... it also bleaches out anything that it touches... like clothes....

 

[Baymule]

There is a shot you can get from the vet that will knock it out. Sorry, I don't know he name of it. I'd try the LA first.

 

[Sheepfarmer22]

@farmerjan I had just gotten some hydrogen peroxide yesterday. I will try it when I get a chance this week and let you know how it looks after a little while. Apparently, atleast where I live, you have to get LA any number at a vet as of 2023. So I will have to get that another time.

 

[farmerjan]

Yes, LA .... also known as oxytetracycline, is one of the list of antibiotics that fall under the mandatory restrictions passed for the VFD rules several years ago and put into practice in several phases with the final phase in 2023. Any antibiotic that can be used in humans is strictly regulated now for animal use by the order of a veterinarian....
I was just thinking maybe you had some LA (oxytet) on hand and could use just a small squirt of it on her hooves.
Establishing a good relationship with a vet, and not overusing any drug, will get you to a point where most vets will sell/prescribe something and you will get a bottle of it to keep on hand for when you need to treat an animal without a visit from the vet every time.
Something as simple as "MultiMin" vitamins are also vet prescribed due to the amounts of stuff being "above" what is USDA approved... The selenium in it is above the normal recommended amount, so needs a vet approval to use it. Since we are in a selenium deficient area, it is well within what we normally need, but many people that think things like a little is good, a lot is better, get into trouble with overdosing on stuff... Sadly, it is "backyard farmers" that have this mindset that have gotten the different drugs a bad rap..... Overuse of any drug or even food additive like minerals, has given the animal industry a bad name. Some of it is warranted. But it has made it hard for those that have practiced animal care for years and know that there are times when something works off label.... and things you don't need to overdo either.
Most farmers do not automatically grab an antibiotic because of things like drug residue in the milk and meat now... sometimes using an antibiotic will do the job quickly and the animal does much better than dragging out all sorts of other treatments to have to result in the antibiotic in the end that has cost time and money on other stuff...
Foot baths for cattle are either copper sulfate or zinc sulfate... common on dairy farms that the cows are mostly in confinement... constantly on concrete and exposed to urine and manure... even in the farms that scrape the barns and keep them fairly clean... but cattle get hoof rot, and strawberry warts and such.

Sorry, this is probably a whole lot more than you wanted to know...

 

[Sheepfarmer22]

Okay, I have gotten ahold of some LA 300 from a friend of mine that had gotten some before 2023. I did what @farmerjan said as well as a shot of LA 300 on the ewe and ram with hoof rot and apparently the ram has puss coming out of the rot area.. we all know that is bad. Suggestions on further treatment and is hoof rot contageous?!

 

[farmerjan]

Yes, hoof rot is contagious. If they have been together, then they are both exposed... not worth worrying about separating them... but if others do not show it then keep separate. If there is pus, then there is an injury... the hoof needs to be cleaned out and the source of the injury found. feet need to be trimmed also if they are at all long... I don't know what to tell you about treating the injury with not seeing it or knowing what caused it. Antibiotic shot is probably warranted, but that is not something I would diagnose without seeing it or anything else. It may well have to be wrapped to keep dirt out and cleaned out like every other day... but again.. too hard to make any suggestions without seeing it. I suggest a vet at this point.

 

[purplequeenvt]

I’m not sure this is the horrible, contagious hoof rot everyone is worried about. I looks to me, at least from the pictures and description; that it is potentially just an infected injury instead.

I’d do the LA300 as recommended, but stop the bleach and coppertox baths. A soak in warm epsom salt water wouldn’t hurt. Keep the foot as clean and dry as you can.

Applying a topical like Hoof and Heel wouldn’t hurt either.