When we bought our first
goats, hoof trimming was mentioned briefly. Basically
we were told if the goats have rocks to walk on,
their hooves wouldn't need to be trimmed very often.
Well, we've got rocks!! Lots and lots and lots of
rocks. Rocks grow faster than our weeds and are
everywhere – especially in the garden and
hay field and goat paddocks. No one bothered to
mention other foot problems we might face, i.e.,
foot scald and/or foot rot.
To begin with, hooves not needing trimming
if you have rocks or other rough surfaces for your
goats to walk on is a myth. Some people claim excessive
hoof growth is the result of feeding grains; we
don't accept that argument either. Although we have
been able to find no scientific proof, we are firm
believers hoof growth is a result of genetics. All
of our goats have rocks to walk on; all of our goats
are fed the same; but not all goats need their hooves
trimmed at the same rate. Indeed, we have some goats
that never seem to need to have hooves trimmed and
others who end up on the grooming stand with regularity.
While we aren't overly fond of hoof trimming, rarely
do we find overgrown hooves themselves to be a "problem."
To us, the real foot problems are foot
scald and foot rot.
Whenever we are at the barn and are approached
by a goat holding a foot in the air or when we look
out into the pasture and see a goat grazing while
standing on its knees, we know we have a foot problem
(or two, three, or four).
The most frequent condition we find is
foot scald, also known as interdigital dermatitis.
This is caused by bacteria and normally occurs when
we have an excessive amount of rain and the goats
are walking around in mud and muck. The indication
of foot scald is a white spot on the skin between
the toes; often this area is swollen. Since goats
are extremely sensitive to pain anyway, foot scald
can cause lameness, and severely affected animals
refuse to stand. This affects most facets of their
lives; they don't want to eat, and they don't want
to breed. While we have read that animals can recover
spontaneously if moved to dry pasture, our goats
haven't read this and absolutely refuse to get well
before they are medicated.
Foot rot, also known as necrotic pododermatitis,
is also caused by a bacteria. University of Missouri
researchers believe foot rot is caused by two bacterias,
Fusobacterium necrophorum and Bacteroides melaninogenicus,
but staphylococci, streptococci, corynebacterium,
or fungus may also cause the infection. While foot
rot is prevalent with wet conditions, it also appears
during times of drought. Foot rot is indicated by
swelling, redness of the tissue above the hoof,
and a distinctive odor. Often the walls of the hooves
will separate with the space becoming filled with
dirt and grime. The goat will normally have a low-grade
temperature.
To prevent foot scald and foot rot the
experts recommend keeping the hooves trimmed. That
sounds good in theory, but we've experienced both
foot scald and foot rot on goats with very well
manicured hooves as well as babies with almost no
hoof at all. Another way of preventing foot scald
and foot rot is to have excellent drainage in areas
the goats frequent such as around their watering
system or entrances to the barn. Again, this sounds
good in theory, but often our conditions do not
lend themselves to perfect drainage. Some people
recommend foot baths of copper sulfate and water,
zinc sulfate, or formalin the goats have to walk
through daily; our situation does not lend itself
to this preventative method. Probably the most practical
way to prevent foot rot is through good nutrition
– making sure the goats get calcium, vitamin
A, and phosphorus in their diets.
There is currently a cattle vaccine on
the market for foot rot. Our vet said he could not,
at this time, recommend using Volar. He has two
cattle farmers who are experimenting with the vaccine,
but they are having mixed results.
How to treat foot scald and/or foot rot?
Well, it seems everyone has their own remedy; and
we've probably tried them all at one time or another.
Some people recommend a foot bath using 10% zinc
sulphate while others recommend a foot bath using
a Clorox/water solution (we use 50% water and 50%
Clorox). Cut-Heal Hoof N Heal, Old Hickory All Stock
spray as well as Dr. Nalor's Hoof N Heal brush-on
often offer relief. Koppertox is also fairly effective
but is not approved by the USDA for use on meat
animals. Some vets recommend treatment of penicillin
or oxytetracyclines. Others recommend using a feed
additive containing chlortetracycline and sulfamethazine
– especially if you are treating the whole
herd. Terramycin injectable used in conjunction
with a sulfa bolus is yet another method of treating
foot problems.
What we found to be the most effective
treatment, though, is LA 200 – not given as
a shot but applied topically to the infection. This
year we tried an experiment treating half of the
goats with feet problems with a LA 200 shot and
the other half by simply squirting the LA 200 on
the sore. The ones with the shots showed no signs
of improvement even after 3 days while the ones
we put the medicine directly on the sore were no
longer limping after 24 hours.
