Feet
What are the causes of foot rot
Local injury of the claw skin followed by bacterial infection
Fusobacterium necrophorum infection
traumatic lesions caused by stones, stubble, wood
Softening of skin by water, feces and urine may predispose claw to injuries
What are sandcracks? risk factors? treatment? causes? prevention?
Vertical fissures
risks - increasing age, weight and claw size, claw position
Benign, occasionally infected and get a painful abscess
treatment - rarely do they cause a problem, antibiotics if abscess forms
causes - dry conditions, genetics, trauma, biomechanical forces, trace elements, nutritional disturbances
Prevention - not possible
What is toe-tip necrosis
Unknown cause
Occasionally occurs in outbreaks of feedlot calves
often severely lame after arrival at feedyard
May be simply due to severe abrasion of toe during handling
treatment is unrewarding
many animals must eventually be destroyed
primarily hind feet affected
Infection usually with environmental bacteria
Whats the difference between anesthetics and analgesics
Anesthetics - short lived numbness in local region
Analgesics - block/inhibit pain for hours/days
What are the causes of abortion in sheep? how to diagnose
Chlamydia abortus
Campylobacter fetus subsp fetus
Q-fever
Salmonella spp.
- all zoonotic so take precautions
Submit placenta and fetus
What are the clinical signs of foot rot
Rapid onset, extreme lameness in 1 limb
uniform swelling
claws separated
splitting of interdigital skin
elevated temp
rapid response to antibiotics
What is laminitis?
Inflammation of sensitive laminae of foot
Associated with nutritional changes
What are possible painful procedures ruminants face
Dehorning
Castration
Branding
help with Calving
What is meloxicam
NSAID - anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti-pyretic properties
shot - for pain relief following disbudding
oral - pain and inflammation following surgical and band castration
What are the two types of worms to deworm for
Teladorsagia - abomasal worms (diarrhea), treated with most dewormers
Heamonchus contortus - abomasal blood suckers (anemia, sudden death), multi drug resistant
How do you prevent foot rot
Avoid wet areas if possible
Changing pasture if outbreaks
Pen management in feedlots
Feeding chlortracycline in feedlots
Vaccine
What is white line disease
Following either rotation or sinking of P3, the white line becomes wider and weaker
If bacteria reaches corium an abscess develops
How do you mitigate pain associated with castration
Use pain control to mitigate pain in bulls older than 6 months
Castrate calves young (less than 1 week)
must be performed by competent personnel
Seek vet guidance
What is Flunixin meglumine
NSAID - with anti-inflammatory and anti-pyretic properties
Control fever with BRD, endotoxemia and acute bovine mastitis
What is ovine foot rot
profound lameness, multiple animal affects, separation of the hoof
Scald - exposure to prolonged wet leads to interdigital inflammation similar to bovine foot rot
Ovine needs scald as a primary infection, hard to manage, rare in western canada (to dry)
What is septic arthritis of the coffin joint and its signs, and treatment
Any bacterial infection of the foot that results in infection of the deeper structures of the foot
may have a sole ulcer, sole abscess, or infected sand crack
signs - severe lameness, swelling, heat, may see pus
treatment - hopeless = slaughter
How do you diagnose an abscess? deal with it? prevention?
Lameness, heat, hoof testers
deal - no antibiotics, need to drain it
abscesses grow horizontal in cattle
avoid predisposing factors, regular foot trimming can help
How do you mitigate pain associated with dehorning
beef = Disbud as early as possible, done by competent personnel, and seek guidance on pain control, use pain control after horn bud attachment
dairy = done before 2 months of age, banding is not acceptable, local anesthesia and systemic analgesia must be provided
What is ketoprofen
NSAID - anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti-pyretic properties
Treatment of fever, pain and inflammation
What is hypothermia
#1 killer of lambs
Keep lambs alive with colostrum
What is digital dermatitis
Pathogenesis?
signs?
Treatment?
Most common lameness
infection on the heel skin primarily
etiology is not well understood
Pathogenesis - infection spread in wet conditions, associated with poor hygiene
Signs - severe, lesion between the heel bulbs, grey necrosis, granulation tissue, smell, pain
Requires antibiotics
What is interdigital fibroma
results from stretching of interphalangeal ligament
firm fibrous mass between claws
How do you mitigate pain associated with branding
dairy cattle must not be branded
must be performed with proper equipment, restraint and by competent personnel,
no branding wet cattle
What is lidocaine
Local anesthetic agent for infiltration, nerve blocking or epidural anesthesia
Why does biosecurity matter, and the big diseases it helps with
Most production limiting diseases are infectious and sheep associated
Abortion, lameness, parasites (internal and external), caseous lymphadenitis, pneumonia, orf