# Best Hoof Rot treatment



## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

I have a friend who uses this mixture for hoof rot:
500ml LA200
16 oz of DMSO
mixed and put in spray bottle and spray on hooves.

Question is....is this the best treatment for hoof rot or is there something better???

Thank you in advance for your thoughts on this.


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## sassykat6181 (Nov 28, 2012)

I've found Nustock works wonders


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## canyontrailgoats (Jan 4, 2014)

I hear the product Kopertox is effective against hoof rot.And a lot of people use an iodine dip, it's cheaper.


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## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

Thanks so much for these ideas!!! We really appreciate it! We use NuStock for mite prevention and treatment. they hate it! Any other comments everyone?? What do you use for foot rot??


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I'd say Koppertox....


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Making sure feet dry out daily and culling of repeatedly prone animals. I know that sounds a bit harsh to a beginner. You get a little more pragmatic about things after 20 years. Some things are not worth fighting with every year.


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## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

Ok I will ck out koppertox.....
Goathiker: I completely understand what you are saying....you have alot more experience than I do regarding all this stuff! I am not sure I could ever cull an animal.....they are part of our family! =)


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

There are prevention things that can be done, The hoof rot attacks a damaged hoof or a damaged immune system. Keeping their minerals up to par goes a long way towards preventing it. Making sure they can get their feet dry everyday in the winter but, also making sure that they have moisture available to them in the summer. In the summer I run the trough over about once a week so that they can get some moisture on the hooves while drinking. Hard dry hooves are damaged, soft mushy hooves are too, there's a balance. 
In the winter keep any little holes and edges trimmed out of the feet monthly and spray the bottom of the feet with bleach water or vinegar water, let dry before turning them out again. 
If you do get one that is prone you can file the feet flat weekly and apply Pine Tar on the bottom and about 1/4 way up the edges to keep the germs out.


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## sassykat6181 (Nov 28, 2012)

I myself, knock on wood, haven't had an issue with hoof rot with any of my goats. I dip their feet in Dr Naylors after trimming

A friends goat is here and she had a bad case of hoof rot that he tried all sorts of treatment for....la200, coppertox, and blukote, to name a few. His yard/fields are very wet. I think her drier conditions here, along with the Nustock helped her


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

Although I've never had to deal with foot rot, I would be very very careful with the DMSO. It alters the permeability of the skin and allows things to be absorbed through the skin that would not otherwise be absorbed. If I ever have a case of footrot, I will stick to plain old iodine and systemic antibiotics combined with proper foot trimming.


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## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

Wow you all are giving us some amazing advice! Thank you thank you thank you! I really love to hear what people do for foot rot because it is something that we as goat owners more often than not have to deal with.

Goathiker....yes our goat with foot rot he is the one that had cocci so bad....came to us from the FFA program. I am not saying that is bad...but I do not think they really took the best care of him. When we got him he was underweight and they 'didn't know why'....well I am sure they probably had thoughts it was cocci. Anyway I had his poo tested and he had cocci so bad that the doc could not count them all on the slide. Maybe that is common. Not sure. Anyway the odd thing is he didn't have diarrhea really so there were not really any major signs other than he was low weight. So....he was on Albon....and a long course of it. The doc had said for a shorter time frame but he needed a longer dose which we gave. It kicked the cocci. And so I am sure his immune system isn't the greatest.....which makes me wonder if that is the connection then to his foot rot. 

The other thing is the farm he is on is very very wet....poor drainage. Not all the land is that way but some of it is. Our farm isn't that way really. So I think once I get him here (soon) his feet may be better. It is impossible when it is raining there to really keep his feet dry. Here we can do that. We made sure our barn is very drained.....larger 3" rock base with sand and then straw on top of that. Hoping to keep his feet dry here.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Is this the boy that Megan wants to train for packing? Best thing in the world for his feet is to bring him down to the beach and hike him in the sand a few times during the spring and summer. Anytime you want to come, let me know. I'll bring a couple of my trained boys and help Meg out with him. 

Pacific City is very goat friendly with trailer parking, trails to the beach for livestock, a hitching post by the bathroom, and 800 acres of sand dunes and beach to explore. The people are friendly and interested and keep their dogs under control. I love going down there.

I wasn't being all selfish about moving on goats that are prone to hoof rot. My property is much like your friends, maybe even wetter. They must cross water constantly in the winter. We are dry here about 3 months out of the year. It wouldn't be fair to keep an animal who would be in pain. 
My barns are built on stilts with wood floors so they are dry inside.


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

farmerjon said:


> I really love to hear what people do for foot rot because it is something that we as goat owners more often than not have to deal with.


Not necessarily. My place used to be a feedlot and has about a hundred years worth of cow manure accumulated, so I can't install a drainage system without having the EPA on my butt. Instead, I make sure the areas around the feeders and under the shed are built up enough to prevent water from accumulating under or around them. I've also built up a path to the waterer so the girls don't have to slog through muck and water to get a drink. At the same time, when we clean the pens we take more out of the center of the pen so the water has somewhere to go and the girls don't have to tromp through it. I realize that we do not have any where near the rain fall that you do, but a little planning ahead of time goes a long ways towards preventing foot rot. The number one cause of foot rot is weeds around an overflowing water tank and the 2nd most common cause is constantly having to stand in water.


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## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

MsScamp not sure you understood my comments above.....not all people have to deal with foot rot but alot do. You are right it is something that definately can be prevented. Where we are....our barn has alot of sand on top now of the rock underneath it. It will be good for their hooves to walk through the sand I am sure.....like goat hiker stated above as well. Where our goats are now though they are often in water. They are being boarded where they are at now. Once they are here I think their hooves should be alot better. Granted we do get alot of water in Oregon....but there are things we can do.

Goathiker that sounds fun! Yes that is the boy our daughter is talking about turning into a pack goat. =) He is a funny one! Our first goat.... So....we are really trying to get him in good health. It would be fun to take him to the beach! We don't have the capability of doing that yet.....

Thanks for all the ideas and comments here....looking forward to anything else anyone might want to share regarding how to treat foot rot. It is good to hear what you all use.


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