Lameness is common in beef cattle during summer grazing.
Producers might want to rush to treat the problem, but often the condition does not need treatment.
I supervised 90 dry cows on pasture last summer and treated only one of 12 cases of lameness I encountered. The rest cleared up uneventfully.
Producers often use the all encompassing term foot rot, yet most lameness is not caused by foot rot.
Producers who spot a lame animal should try to get close so they can observe it for a while.
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First determine which leg is lame. Look for signs of swelling, the degree of weight bearing on the affected leg and how the animal moves.
Check out the hoofs for evidence of cracks, toes spread apart, corns, long hoofs or curled toes, all of which may cause pain in the foot.
Record the description of the animal including colour, ear tag and other distinguishing features to make it easier to find on the recheck.
A course of action can be determined once the cause of the lameness is known.
Treatment with antibiotics will be effective if it is true foot rot with swelling between the toes and, in advanced cases, dead rotting flesh.
Many antibiotics are effective, so the producer and a veterinarian will determine which is best suited to that particular situation.
Several of the long-acting products are effective against foot rot and often one shot can cure it if the disease is caught early.
Some newer products need a veterinary prescription if used against foot rot.
Many other causes of lameness fall into two categories: those that need more complex treatment and those that will clear up with simple convalescence.
The former include broken legs, sole abscesses and septic arthritis.
Older animals with broken legs may need emergency slaughter. Younger animals may need casts or splints.
Casts and splints have a high success rate in young calves, so long as the break is found early, before the bone has broken through the skin.
Animals with sole abscesses will put no weight on the leg, but often no swelling is evident. These cases should be brought home for a therapeutic foot trim performed by a veterinarian in which the abscess is opened and drained.
We often see this with bad feet or a crack in the wall that allows infection to enter. Placing weight on the foot is painful because the infection is enclosed and just under the sole.
It is up to the producer and the veterinarian to decide whether to give painkillers.
Sometimes limping with convalescence allows the condition to heal quicker rather than removing the pain and having a false sense of improvement followed by a return of the condition once the painkillers wear off.
Septic arthritis occurs when the last joint just beneath the hoof has been infected. The condition has often been treated with antibiotics with no improvement.
The infection breaks out just above the hoof and the solution usually involves amputating the toe or drilling out the joint.
Either procedure requires restraint and local anesthetic and is best done at a clinic. Follow-up care is also required, so the animal will need to be removed from pasture.
Most of the other lameness problems are transient. It might be best to leave them alone and avoid stressing the cattle by catching them.
Just like people, cattle can sprain or strain themselves in many ways. Stepping in gopher holes, slipping on wet terrain and rock bruises can all lead to transient lameness problems.
Cattle with poor feet, long hoofs and abnormal gaits are definitely more predisposed.
Hoof abnormalities such as cracks, corns and long hoofs ripping off too short will also lead to lameness. A good hoof trimming in the spring will reduce the potential for problems developing in summer.
Producers can prevent problems with lameness by maintaining a herd hoof care program and selecting breeding stock for good feet and legs, especially the herd bulls.
Don’t rush for the antibiotic syringe when lameness appears without first closely assessing the actual cause.
Emergency slaughter is an option for cases that can’t be treated, as long as drugs have not been given.
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