is this footrot?

[momma_to_seven_chi]

My daughter brought home a goat/kid yesterday. Mama goat is limping. I trimmed her hooves flat because they were bent over badly. We cleaned out the mud between the toes. On one foot there was a sore between the toes. No gangrene, no pus, just an open sore. I washed it in bleach water. I wasn't sure if it was a fungus or a bacterial infection, so I poured vinegar over it then drizzled some PG over it from a syringe. I separated them, we are bottle feeding baby. Mama Goat is in the barn on fresh straw. I milked her out evening and morning. She just looks rough like she wasn't cared for well at her last home.

Today she is worse than yesterday. She won't put any weight on that foot. The sore itself looks better to me, but she won't put weight on the foot. I'm not sure what to do?

We are talking about taking her to auction Thursday, probably for the chivo dealer. I would rather not inject her with Penn just incase she is marked for slaughter due to the lameness. I don't know any of her history. Her teeth look like she is about 2yo. She is of good weight, but has a rough coat. And her feet looked terrible like they had never been trimmed her whole life, and were caked in nasty mud. All her hooves had grown under to the point she was walking on them.

Do you have any suggestions about the foot issue? Is that foot rot? I hate to do anything that causes her more pain. Should I take her in for the chivo dealer or is there an easy fix to this?

[momma_to_seven_chi]

I wanted to add the kid is about three days old. *He still has the umbilical cord attached, but it is dry. I don't want him to catch this, so he is in the pantry, and daughter is bottle feeding him.

My kids always drag home livestock rather than puppies. Daughter dear is 18, and adores this little kid.

[Anon001]

I don't know about foot rot in goats but I have seen it in cattle. However, I never saw an actual sore with foot rot in cattle....

She may have been using it less after the hoof trimming if it is tender. I know that sometimes, when I trim, I may get a little too close and the hoof be tender for a bit. I would give her antibiotics and hold off selling her if it was me. She would bring more money healed than limping. Also, if she has a problem...depending on what it is, it could cause her to bring nothing even for slaughter.

Good luck. I hope you let us know what you find out about it. I'm curious.

[jonvee]

Hi Momma,

If the feet are as bad as they sound and you trimmed them close, plus cleaned out between the toes her feet may just be very tender and sore. I would give her more time to heal. Your feed store may have a root rot salve or soak that would help relieve some of her pain. And, like Paul suggested start her on Penicillin.

It's worth a try. You may end up with a nice does. Good Luck

[momma_to_seven_chi]

Jonvee-- *When you say rootrot solution, do you mean the copper? *One of my goat friends said it is foot rot, but it's under the hooves. *She thinks we should peel back more of the hoof, and soak it in a copper solution. I guess when a hoof is soft and peeling like that, it means it is under the nail.
I'm still washing it in bleach water, drizzleing it with PG. I haven't injected PG simply because I don't know if she will have to go to slaughter eventually. *I'm not sure of the withdrawl period.

The sore between the toes looks much, much better, it has started to heal over nicely. But she is still lame on that foot.
She has a major attitude too, so I don't think we will keep her unless she really develops a nicer attitude as she feels better. She stomps, kicks, bites, butts, and just acts like a mean goat with a nasty attitude. It is a shame because she looks nice and is young. Milking her is like wrestling a Tasmanian devil.

[Anon001]

momma_ to...... The bottle will tell you what the withdrawal is and I can't remember right off hand. I want to say it 21 days, but may be wrong. If you have been feeding "goat" feed or a "mineral" supplement free choice, the goats will get enough copper in most situations. But, I'm not so sure foot rot can be cured from topical treatments. I know it can't with cattle. I would call and ask a vet for advice..... that should not cost you anything, but if it is foot rot, once it gets to a certain point of no or of incorrect treatment, they will lose the hoof no matter what treatment you use. The cost of the penicillin and the keeping her for an extra 21 or so days will will not cost as much as you could lose selling her with a bad hoof.

I would still call and ask a vet what it may be and treatment without taking her in. I know in this area most vets will gladly talk to you on the phone.

Paul

[Anon001]

Momma to seven
I was just reading at Goat foot rot (http://bedford.extension.psu.edu/agriculture/goat/Goat%20Foot%20Rot.htm) and was reminded that it is similar to cattle. The hoof actually separates from the rest of the leg. Also, if it is foot rot, you will notice a foul smell. I've had it at times in cattle usually a result of stepping on a thorn or other sharp object. I had one that actually lost the hoof and just had a nub.

from the article:

Treatment
There are several different methods used to treat goats for foot rot. Typically, you need to use several methods to control foot rot. Treating goats at the first sign of any lameness and routinely running goats through a foot bath is important for controlling foot rot once it has been identified on your farm.

Foot trimming is the first step in treating foot rot. Trimming the foot will cut away any cracked areas in the hoof and help to prevent the foot rot organism from becoming established. Goats who have foot rot should be trimmed to remove all infected areas. It is extremely important to open up these areas so that the foot bath solution and air can reach the damaged areas.

Unfortunately, this may also cause some bleeding. Do not become alarmed at the sight of the blood. A small amount will help to cleanse the foot. For routine trimming, trim goats with healthy feet first so that you do not spread the disease to them. Then, as you work on the goats with infected feet, use a Clorox solution to disinfect the foot trimmers between each goat.

The foot on this animal has been properly trimmed to expose all infected areas in the foot. This will allow the foot bath solution to reach any infected areas.

Once the infected foot has been trimmed, the foot should be soaked in a foot bath for a few minutes. For small numbers of goats you may want to mix a small amount of solution in a small container and individually soak each foot. For large numbers of goats you will want to construct a foot bath that includes a system of panels to direct them into the foot bath and requires them to stand in the solution. Typical footbath solutions are made up of either zinc sulfate or copper sulfate. Follow directions on the label for mixing. Zinc sulfate is colorless, but copper sulfate will leave a bluish green color on anything it touches. You can also use other foot treatment medications to treat one animal or a small number of animals at a time. Products that you can use include Dr. Naylor’s Hoof and Heel or Kopertox.

For goats with chronic foot rot, you may want to treat with antibiotics. Penicillin, streptomycin, or tetracycline have all been proven effective at treating foot rot. If the goats with the chronic foot rot do not clear up with antibiotic treatment, you should consider culling them. Be sure to follow directions on the label for withdrawal periods prior to slaughter.

Foot rot takes a lot of time and energy, but it can be eradicated on your farm. Use several different methods and monitor the herd for lameness. Treat as soon as any goats start to limp and regularly run them through a foot bath. The effort is well worth the results.

So, I guess you can take care of it without penicillin.....

Good luck.

[momma_to_seven_chi]

Thank you, Paul. I will see how she is in a week or two. The sore itself is much better, but she is still limping. It doesn't have a bad smell. She is a nice goat in body and size, but has a nasty temper and limp. My daughter really liked the pretty little white kid, so she brought them home.

[jonvee]

Momma - the topical medication I spoke of is CopperTox. I believe it comes in an injectable form too, but may need to be perscribed by a Vet.

If the hoof is separating, you will need to trim it back so the infected area can be treated. Also feel her hoof and right above the hoof. If it is infected it will feel hot. You can trim a little each day or so, so the blood vessals have time to receed. Hopefully, this too will help with her pain.

I wouldn't be too concerned about her attitude right now, cause she's hurting. And, it never helps that everytime you come to see her you're poking, proding, or sticking her. When I had sick sheep I was treating they would not be happy to see me. Try feeding her or giving her a little extra when you treat her that way there's good to go along with the bad - at least in a goats minds:)

Keeping working on her and see what happens. Good Luck.

[Anon001]

Momma - the topical medication I spoke of is CopperTox. I believe it comes in an injectable form too, but may need to be perscribed by a Vet.

Last I knew you could get it over the counter. I could be wrong, but even though copper is spelled with a "C", the medication is spelled Koppertox. (I think). Any feed store or coop or farm and home store should carry it.

[Grizzy]

Here's another resource:

[urlhttp://www.tennesseemeatgoats.com/articles2/hoofrot,hoofscald06.html[/url]

Grizzy

[Grizzy]

Well thas not so pretty once again...

http://www.tennesseemeatgoats.com/articles2/hoofrot,hoofscald06.html

Grizzy

[momma_to_seven_chi]

Thanks all. The foot looks much better now. The goat is up and about, the sore is healed. The hooves still look shabby, but there has been great progress. Thank you all so much.

[Anon001]

Glad to hear it. Wondered how she was doing.

[bookwormom]

is she getting any friendlier? If she learns that she is treated well and gets a few petting units she should come around.

[momma_to_seven_chi]

is she getting any friendlier?


She's better than she was. *She is still not friendly though. I don't think they handled her at her last home. *My daughter brought her home because she thought the white kid was so pretty, and felt sorry for the limping Mama goat.

We have a bunch of bottle baby kids right now and two litters of puppies, so I haven't really spent a lot of time on her. We did try to give her kid back. She doesn't want to feed him, and will stomp him and nip him. *I have a 2mo old hair sheep lamb that seems to be pushy enough to nurse even if she doesn't want him to. It keeps her comfortable, so that I don't even have to wrestle her to milk her. *I just put him in with her to keep her drained.