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Foot rot, also called infectious pododermatitis, foul claw, or hoof rot,
is an acute or chronic infection of cattle characterized by lameness, swelling, and
inflammation of the skin of the coronary band and the skin between the claws. The disease
is seen most commonly in feedlot cattle but may also occur in cows, calves, and bulls on
pasture. Occasionally, an outbreak affecting 80-90% of the cattle in a feedlot will occur.
The disease causes economic loss by reduced body weight, delayed gain, labor, and cost of
treatment. Bulls which are affected with foot rot often will not breed because of pain in
the affected foot.
Foot rot is caused, at least in part, by a bacterium known as Fusiformis
necrophorus. Trauma and irritations caused
by small stones, frozen ground, mud, urine, and manure predispose cattle to this
infection. Because of occasional explosive outbreaks in feedlots involving a high
percentage of the cattle, it is felt that a virus or other primary cause such a laminitis
may trigger the infection. The disease is seen most commonly in winter and spring months
when mud, urine, and manure are the greatest problem, although it is also seen in warm,
dry summer months.
Clean, well drained lots are important in the prevention of foot rot.
Areas around feeders and waterers should be paved and well drained. Liberal use of slaked
lime in these areas is helpful. Five to ten percent copper sulfate foot baths in areas
where cattle must walk may be helpful. In severe outbreaks, feeding one mg. of Aureomycin
per lb. body weight per head per day for seven days followed by one half this dosage for
another seven days is useful. Use of Ethylene Diamine Dihydroiodide (EDDI), a tamed
iodine, at the rate of 50 mg. per head-per day is often used as a preventive measure.
Early treatment of affected cases is very important. In untreated cases, the infection
often invades the coffin and pastern joint, resulting in severe chronic lameness and poor
feedlot performance. When this occurs, surgical removal of one entire claw is usually
necessary. Penicillin, streptomycin, and tetracyclines are used to treat foot rot. Many
veterinarians prefer the intravenous use of one grain per lb. body weight of sulfapyridine
in severe cases. The animals may be treated the second and third day at one half this
dosage. This drug cannot be given as an intramuscular injection.
- BSE: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
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- Approved Practices in Beef Cattle Production - by
Elwood M Juergenson - Publication Date: February 1980 - List: $26.60
- Beef Cattle Feeding and Nutrition - by Tilden
Wayne Perry, Michael J. Cecava (Editor) - Publication Date: July 1, 1995 - List: $74.95
Booknews, Inc. , 03/01/96:
Helps ranchers and feedlot managers maximize yields by offering information about feeding
and nutrition of beef cattle from breeding to finishing. Describes cattle's requirements
for vitamins, minerals, and protein; computer methods for calculating and monitoring
rations; feed stuffs, including pasture and forages, hay, silage, and concentrates; the
breeding herd; and aspects of the finishing process. Updated and augmented from the 1980
edition. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
- Beef Cattle - by Alvin Ludwig Neuman -
Publication Date: July 1986 - List: $80.95
- Beef Housing and Equipment Handbook/Mwps-6 - Publication Date: February 1987 - List: $7.00 + $1.85 special surcharge
- Beef Production and Management Decisions - by
Robert E. Taylor - Publication Date: July 1993 - List: $89.00
The publisher, Prentice-Hall Career & Technology :
The text examines the primary biological principles that contribute to raising productive
beef cattle and discusses the biological and economic principles that serve as the
foundation for effective management decisions. The text's integrated approach to the
various sectors of the beef industry gives students a more unified perspective. The second
edition continues to examine management issues in great depth. Chapters are devoted to
topics such as commercial cow-calf management decisions, yearling-stocker management
decisions, feedlot management, and retail beef products and consumers.
- Beef Production from Different Dairy Breeds and Beef Crosses - by G.J. More O'Ferrall (Editor) - Publication Date: January 1983 -
List: $113.50
- Beef
Production from Silage and Other Conserved Forages (Longman Handbooks in Agriculture) - by J.M. Wilkinson - Publication Date: June 1986 - List: $5.95 + $1.85
special surcharge
- Lameness in Cattle - by Paul R. Greenough
(Editor), A. David Weaver (Editor) - Publication Date: January 1997 - List: $75.00
- Nutrient
Requirements of Beef Cattle (Nutrient Requirements of Domestic Animals (Unnumbered).) - Publication Date: June 1, 1996 - List: $29.95
- The Lasater Philosophy of Cattle Raising - by
Laurence M. Lasater - Publication Date: January 1, 1993 - List: $12.00
- Tropical
Cattle : Origins, Breeds and Breeding Policies - by W. J.
A. Payne, John Hodges - Publication Date: July 1997 - List: $110.00
- Applied Animal
Nutrition: Feeds and Feeding - by Peter R. Cheeke
- Publication Date: August 1998 - List Price: $92.00
Booknews, Inc. , June 1, 1991
Cheeke (Oregon State) discusses the agronomic, nutritional and toxicological properties of
temperate and tropical feedstuffs and gives a solid grounding in the fundamentals of feed
processing, diet formulation and feed manufacturing. He covers a broad range of species
from livestock and poultry to fish and wildlife. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc.
Portland, Or. --This text refers to the hardcover edition of this title
From the Back Cover
KEY BENEFIT: Suitable as either a book for undergraduate courses in Animal Nutrition or a
reference for professional animal nutritionists, extension agents, veterinarians, and
livestock producers. KEY TOPICS: This book has a two- fold objective—(1) to describe
the properties of feedstuffs used in the feeding of domestic animals and (2) to provide
information on feeding practices for a variety of domestic and exotic animal species.
- A Guide to
Raising Beef Cattle (Storey Animal Handbook) - by Heather
Smith Thomas - Publication Date: June 1998 - List Price:
$18.95
- The Use of Drugs in Food Animals : Benefits and Risks - by
Subcommittee on Drug Use in Food Animals, National Research Council -
Publication Date: November 1998 - List Price: $34.95
Synopsis
The book overviews why and how drugs are used in food-producing industries--poultry,
dairy, beef, swine, and aquaculture; discusses the prevalence of human pathogens in foods
of animal origin; and addresses the transfer of resistance in animal microbes to human
pathogens and the resulting risk of human disease.
This page was last updated on
November 16, 2002