Vet on Call: If you don’t take care of your cows’ feet, be prepared to foot the bills

The feet of a cattle are a complex network of tissues comprising of horn-like material of the hoof, which is dead, hoof generating tissues, skin, connective tissues, blood vessels, nerves, tendons, muscles and bones.

It is connected to the rest of the body through the legs and a system of skin, muscles, blood vessels, nerves and bones.

The overall control of the way the feet function is managed by the nervous system with signals originating from the brain.

The feet in dairy cattle are an important asset that many farmers take for granted. It is only when feet trouble costs a valuable cow that a farmer realises the risk that feet problems pose.

Last week, I attended to Kimani’s animals that had feet problems in Murang’a. Kimani had called me to report that his two high-yielding cows had died of what his doctor had said were generalised bacterial infections in major body organs resulting from feet infections. “Doctor, I would like you to confirm to me that feet infections can cause abscesses in the lungs, liver and other organs and cause the death of cattle,” he said.

At Kimani’s farm, I noticed the floor of the zero-grazing unit was wet and had some shallow holes spread all over. The liquid retained in the holes was a mixture of urine, water and cattle dung.

A number of cows were heavily sunken on the lower back, a posture medically termed as increased lordorsis. Some of the cows had backs arched at the shoulders. I also noticed one animal with two swellings on the thigh below the knee joint.

Upon inspecting the milk and breeding records, I found the animals were producing far below their Friesian potential. I also noted the treatment frequency was high, mainly for abscesses, bacterial infections and foot rot.

After inspection, I found many of the animals had foot problems including bacterial infection, foot overgrowths, foot cracking, foot erosions and leg abscesses.

“I am in agreement with your doctor that feet problems were the cause of the bacterial infections in your cattle,” I told him after reviewing the post-mortem report.

I explained that the primary cause of the problems was the wetness of the floor and its rugged condition. The water, urine and cow dung on the floor were a good bacteria factory.

Further, the mixture produced ammonia that serves to inflame the feet of the cattle and make them easy to get infected.

PERMANENTLY DAMAGE THE FOOT

The rugged floor kept injuring the cows’ feet and further facilitated bacterial infection. Once the bacterial load was heavy in the feet, some of them found their way into the rest of the body through the blood vessels and that is why infections established in body organs causing death of the animals.

Since I had visited the farm to consult, I advised Kimani to allow his doctor carry out full treatment of all the animals, including trimming the overgrown hooves.

Kimani, on the other hand, was to fully repair the floor of the zero-grazing unit, smoothen the floor to dairy cattle standard and ensure good drainage. He would also keep the floor clean and disinfected at all times.

I informed him that I was surprised his vet had not raised the issues, and he was honest in his reply. “It is my fault. I never believed the doctor and that is why I consulted you for another opinion,” he said with a tinge of guilt.

The feet in dairy cattle are an asset a farmer only ignores at his own risk. Feet problems cause huge economic losses in dairy farming. The losses set in slowly over a period as animals lose weight, decrease milk production and are unable to feed well.

Long standing feet infections occasionally spread to the rest of the body through blood and may cause death, even with several treatments. Life expectancy and reproductive performance of a cow are also reduced due to feet problems.

There are six common foot problems found in dairy cows. First is foot rot, which is a smelly infection of the feet, and it generally occurs high between the claws.

Cattle will usually show lameness in one leg. The foot swells above the junction of the hoof and skin causing the toes to spread. Cracks and fissures develop in the space between the toes.

Left untreated, foot rot can progress into the joint space or tendon sheath and permanently damage the foot.

Second are hard and soft feet which occur when feet are too hard or too soft. Soft feet is caused by animals standing in manure and urine for too long.

Feet develop cracks which get bacterial infections resulting in abscesses and feet ulcers. Hard feet, which is not common in Kenya, occurs when cattle are kept on kiln-dried bedding such as saw dust or wood shaving.

The feet crack around the hairline. Infections set in and abscesses develop above the hoof.

PRACTICE HIGH LEVEL HYGIENE

Third is heel erosions, which begin at the heel of the hoof. They start out as pits on the surface that develop into parallel grooves that get filled in with black material and bacteria. The horn separates at the grooves forming a flap.

A new sole develops underneath with material becoming packed in between the layers. The condition is usually seen in confined cattle in wet, dirty lots and is very common in the country.

The hooves overgrow and shift the animal’s weight towards the heels. This exposes the heels to erosion since they get fully in touch with the floor. The friction causes ulceration of the foot with severe lameness.

Laminitis, the fourth, is the inflammation of the live layers of the hoof. It is mainly caused by long overgrown hooves and feeding animals on a heavy diet of grains.

Bleeding may occur in the soles and walls of the feet. The wall and soles of the foot separate and foreign material and bacteria get into the spaces created, resulting in bacterial infections, abscesses and ulcers.

Laminitis occurs with the highest rate during the first 100 days after calving.

Fifth is sole ulcers, which are raw sores occurring on the inner side of the outside claw. It is a bulge of granular-like tissue sticking through the sole.

They are usually associated with clinical manifestations of laminitis. In cases where 10 per cent of the herd has sole ulcers, it should be suspected for laminitis.

Lastly is digital dermatitis which causes pronounced lameness and affected cattle prefer to lie down most of the times. There is little to no claw swelling with this disease, which tends to affect first-time calving heifers.

The cause is not well understood but it is thought to be due to rapid introduction of concentrates, resulting in too much acid production in the rumen.

Feet problems are best managed by practising high level hygiene, proper feeding, hoof trimming, prompt detection and treatment of lameness cases.

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keeping your animal clean

A good farmer should check the feet of his animals regularly. Lift the feet, inspect them and if possible trim hooves at least once every year, particularly during drying off period.

A further inspection, experts note, should be done mid-lactation as it would be useful in spotting potential problems.

One of the things to look at is if the hooves have started to crack. If there is crack, you need to trim as fast as possible.

A tiny crack can become a major crack if left unattended leading to diseases. After trimming your animals due to cracks, try to find out from your vet why the hooves are cracking.

Trimming helps to keep the hooves in an ideal shape so that they are balanced, better capable of supporting the cow’s weight.

Besides trimming a cow’s feet, it is important to bath the animal.

Grooming cows is as important as keeping them healthy.

Beside giving cows a better look, it keeps them happier, healthier and more productive.

However, like human beings, cows fear water, especially during the cold weather.

Therefore, the animal should preferably be bathed when the temperature is warm.