# Hoof Rot



## naturalgoats (Jan 3, 2011)

Hello,
I have a goat w/ what I think is mild hoof rot. What do you guys like to use for this? hoof-n-heal and coppertox are two that I have heard about... any opinions?

I was also wondering what the difference between hoof rot and hoof scald is.
Also, what causes hoof rot? I've seen people suggest the use of both fungicides and antibiotics...??!! :whatgoat: 

Thanks,
Miranda


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I use hoof n heel when needed.
Clipping all the hoof away from any pockets and a good soaking helps heal.
Most often it's wet ground that will cause problems, even those with excellent management can end up with one or two goats that get a soft pocket in the hoof wall, dipping cleaned hooves into a bleach/water mix helps with killing any bacteria too.


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## Bellafire Farm (Jan 5, 2010)

Wet damp ground makes foot rot arise like crazy!

On the horses we've used Hydrogen Peroxide as a preventative or at the first signs of it...it's worked great and it's SO cheap compared to Koppertox which is our choice for bad cases. For some odd reason, I've only used the Koppertox on the goats feet...not by choice but just because it's what I had in my hand at the moment...so I know it does work well.

Foot rot is a nasty little bugger too...once you pick it up from somewhere/someone it's darn near impossible to eradicate!


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

We had problems with this back in the late spring. I bought a doe that had severe hoof rot thought she'd never get better!
Coppertox was GREAT. Try to keep the foot dry and open, so you have to cut away all the dead stuff and let air get to it. On muddy days I remember using animalintex poultice <dry> and duct tape to hold it on, and I treated the area with thrush buster when I did these hoof packs. 
But again I only did that when I couldn't keep the foot dry otherwise.
I cleaned infected feet with a hoof pick ever day and sprayed it with bleach/water combo. The bleach needs to be strong - I know people that will use straight bleach! Let it dry for a few then use the coppertox <I know I am spelling it wrong>.

We never used any antibiotics although I was sure at one time we might need to.

Hoof scald is an area usualy between the toes that gets wet and from what I understand if left untreated it can turn into hoof rot. It will be sore, and have a mily puss on it. Coppertox is great, and if the ground is dry so is thrush buster <It's blue/purple that goes on and dries>.
I treated every day, and checked feet morning/evening to make sure nothing was getting worse. You have to stay with it or it can get worse very easy.

JMO  Good luck because I remember how frustrating it was when we were dealing with it!


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

Are you feeding them free choice loose minerals? Getting the correct minerals helps prevent hoof rot. In fact, Pat Coleby (author of Natural Goat Care) declares that a goat that gets enough copper will not get hoof rot even if it is up to its knees in mud all winter.


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## icboers (Dec 6, 2010)

I trim off as much of the rotten part as I can, and make sure to clean out any pockets that can't be trimmed. I pour Apple Cider Vinegar on the hoof making sure to get into the pockets, if there are any left. I have also used this on my horses to prevent thrush.

Karla


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## imaginationacres (Sep 27, 2009)

This may be a silly question but what does hoof rot look like? Does it have an odor or particular color? I trimmed all my goats hooves today and thankfully have never had any issues with hooves *knock on wood* but am always trying to be prepared and aware of potential issues. I hope you're goat is better soon Miranda!


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## Bellafire Farm (Jan 5, 2010)

Hoof rot does has a nasty smell to it, much more so on a horse probably because they've got bigger feet... but it's sorta mushier, grayish-white and/or black spots on the soft part of the hoof, usually in the nooks & crannies like up against the hoof wall.

I tried to search the web for some basic foot rot pics...but all I found were hard to see pics or SUPER NASTY foot rot pics... neither would have done any good... but if you google foot rot you'll get an idea but most of those pics are SUPER extreme cases...
I think you'd know it in your animals if you saw it....just keep the description of it in mind and watch when your trimming feet.


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## ()relics (Dec 25, 2010)

As I understand, Foot rot is cause by 2 different bacteria. The first is Fusobacterium necrophorum which is present nearly every where, causes foot scald if not attended to properly. The second necessary bacteria is Dichelobacter nodosus. It is not as available as F.necrophorum but is around to be found. 
So the condition starts with F.necrophorum causing foot scald issues because of improper foot care, sanitary issues, what have you. If present alone foot scald will run it course and can be controlled BUT if D.nodosus is present or introduced to any animal that has any sort of foot issue, foot rot follows. 
Symtoms include the obvious rot of the hoof but also the unwillingness of of goat to stand on its front feet. Continuosly kneeling goats suggest a potentially seriuos problem.
Treatment can be along several lines but essentially once you have it in your herd, It remains. Recently I attended a seminar on goat health put on by Purdue U, Kentucky ST, Langston U, and Maryland U. They addressed foot rot/scald as a major issue in herd health. Their treatment ideas were prevention based and avoidance. One of the treatment lines suggest elimination of the entire herd based on the number of animals, then the subsequent sterilization period for the pasture or any general population areas. 
In My Opinion , the key would be NEVER introduce a suspect animal into your herd, EVER...They more than likely carry the D.nodosus bacteria and if it is not already present on your farm; You surely don't want to introduce it. It has been suggested that foot rot could be "the next worst goat issue", never mind cae/cl....Simply because animals with chronic foot rot are sold sometimes to unwary buyers, who then proceed to infect their own farms. How many times have you seen a goat at a farm/stockyard that is down on its knees? How many of those animals are "infected"? Hoof rot is treatable but the complete eradication is not so cost effective and therefore seldom done properly. Most often the chronic criples are dumped at the sale barn for someone else to worry about. Hence the snowball effect.
AGAIN JMO
I wanted to and a link that I found in some of the literature that was associated with the seminar series. http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedi ... ootrot.pdf


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## Bellafire Farm (Jan 5, 2010)

Foot scald is located between the digits of the hoof, and foot rot is on the sole of the hoof itself. Both are nasty... and can be picked up at any facility like shows, fairgrounds, new animals brought in...even on the soles of visitors and veterinarians shoe's!!



> Foot scald, also referred to as benign foot rot or interdigital dermatitis, is an inflammation between the toes caused by F. necrophorum.





> Foot rot is primarily caused by the microorganisms Dichelobacter nodosus and Fusobacterium necrophorum. Dichelobacter nodosus can be found in contaminated soil.


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## naturalgoats (Jan 3, 2011)

Thank you all for the info.
SO. please tell me what you think of my plan.
I've ordered hoof-n-heel. For now I'm picking out the holes and using some hydrogen peroxide. I'm going to cut out the side of the pocket so dirt can't collect. When I get the hoof'n'heel I'll apply it...*HOW OFTEN?* 
A friend who has been struggling with white line with her horses suggested I try doing a hoof soak with white lightning (http://www.grandcircuitinc.com/proddeta ... =GOSHGCWL8) which I think would serve a similar purpose to bleach...

from what ()relics says I may be stuck w/this for a while. So I will probably alternate different chemicals to avoid building up resistance.

Thank you all again,
Miranda


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