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4

11

| Introduction by the Author

| Hoof care mindset for success

| Conclusion

Contents

Dear Reader,

Thank you for your interest in my eBook.

I often get asked the question: ‘What inspired you to write this book? Well, the short answer is that I simply have a passion for helping YOU to achieve YOUR

goals in your dairy herd by sharing my expertise as a hoof trimmer.

Introduction

Lameness is a major culling factor in more than a few herds, and it’s an issue that costs the industry more than we could imagine. If you consider all aspects involved: culling, treatments, production loss, etc., the cost for lameness is between 200-400 dollars per case.

In this book some commonly asked questions and hoof problems are presented. Please share your progress with others, and if anywhere down the path you’re feeling lost, do not hesitate to contact me and together we’ll work on your success!

To your hoof management success,

Koos VisDiamond City, AB

I’m glad to know that you are interested in learning how to reduce lameness in your herd. Lameness is an economic loss in prosperous times, but it’s even more serious when times are tough: it shows no mercy.

Hoof Care mindset for success

Lameness: how do we deal with it?-- Where to start?

First of all, I would like to clarify the main point of all lameness issues: a cow is only ‘good’ if you can keep her up on all four feet and walking. Otherwise, before you know it, she moves from ‘good’ to ‘average’ and eventually to ‘cull’.

You may compare treating lameness with treating mastitis: Would you wait to treat a cow with mastitis if you noticed it one morning? Probably not! The quicker you determine the cause of lameness and deal with it, the better the chances of successful treatment.

You might ask: ‘how can I hold the cow’s foot?’ The easy and safe way to handle the cow is by putting her in a hoof trimming chute. Don’t try to trim feet in your milking parlor — it is so much harder on your back and you’ll be prone to getting hurt.

Would you wait to

treat a cow with

mastitis if you

noticed it one

morning?

To help prevent lameness issues, make sure that all of your animals are trimmed at regular intervals, as excessive horn growth can cause sole ulcers and other problems. If lameness problems persist, ask your hoof trimmer or veterinarian for professional help.

The complexity of the hoof care issues that cause lameness will not allow me to explain everything in this eBook — Stay connected and my Hoof Care eTraining will be available soon.

Right now, though, I’m sure you’ve already tried various options to manage hoof care in your herd. The following 3 Steps will give you a short overview on a good approach for controlling and preventing lameness. If lameness problems persist, ask your hoof trimmer or veterinarian for professional help.

1It’s detrimental that you know what is causing your herd’s case of

lameness. To find this out properly, you should lift the foot and check for sore areas in the sole or skin. Do this procedure safely and easily by using a chute: make it a fun learning experience. Some basic understanding about the various hoof problems and how to recognize them is in the back of this eBook. The purpose of a proper diagnosis is to let you apply proper treatment and prevention protocols.

To illustrate the above better, I’ve included the following example:

If a cow is down in milk and your employee calls you about it, would you immediately call the veterinarian to perform a DA surgery? I’m sure you would first ask some specific questions to allow you to come to some sort of conclusion (e.g., does she have a high temperature? when did it start? is she still eating? how is the manure? etc.).

30%

Did you know that 30% of the cows in our herds have hoof problems?

Would lameness detection be no different?

Proper diagnosis

2After coming to the proper diagnosis of lameness, you need to take steps for treating and helping your cow. Some cows need just a corrective trim, some need a block, and some cows might need a wrap to correct the problem. It’s important to take action ASAP to avoid your cow from crashing further.

The purpose of this ‘individual cow care’ approach is to emphasize that only depending on a footbath to cure a lame cow is a shaky foundation. It is too risky to depend on a footbath when the foot has not been monitored all along. Imagine the problem is not cured after 3 weeks of bathing? Then your cow is still at square one; you’ve lost your time and money; and you still have to lift the foot.

Proper corrective trimming is a MUST in dealing with all hoof defects, including Digital Dermatitis. The key is to keep on it and monitor the healing process: it’s exactly like mastitis — treat lameness as soon as you notice it and keep on checking.

Individual cow care

Should the approach to lameness really be no

different than mastitis?

It is too risky to depend

ONLY on a footbath to

manage hoof health.

3 Preventative measuresThe preventative approach is to ensure prime hoof health is

maintained by overall herd management and covers areas like:

Housing environment: proper laying area/stalls, flooring, manure management, ventilation, etc.

Feeding and nutrition: forage management, balancing rations, ‘slug feeding practices’, water quality and availability, etc.

Dry cow and heifer management: how are they entering the milking herd? Body score for condition, retained placenta & ketosis are all areas to monitor.

Overall herd health: what is the body-score condition of your herd? Are there other herd challenges that might have an effect on your herd’s hoof health?

Hoof trimming: how often are the cows trimmed or rather ‘checked’? Professional trimming is an important aspect to keep the balanced weight distribution in the hooves and thereby prevent pressure points. Trimming will also prevent early lameness challenges from escalating into a whole-herd problem.

Is this something you would like?

Send us an email if you would think that videos on hoof care would be helpful.

Much appreciated!

Continuous Preventive chores:• Use preventive products to control infectious hoof diseases as

the individual cow method when a foot is lifted in the chute or on trimming day.

• Use spraying methods on a weekly basis to control infectious diseases and focus on monitoring overall hoof health.

• Use foot bath methods to manage infectious diseases.

Preventative measures (continued)

Use 3 preventative steps for

continuous control hoof health in

your herd.

You bet!....read on and I will share my trimming experience:

Do not skip Steps 1 and 2 in this book: they are also part of the prevention. Digital Dermatitis will continue to spread in your herd, and should be taken care of TODAY.

Some herds will do great with just whole herd spraying, where even the last cow through the parlor, through the robot or in the stanchion barn receives a clean and 100% pure solution. This method should be done weekly and it’s a great way to monitor the hooves of the whole herd at the same time.

The use of a footbath is also a great preventative way to control hoof health. There are many baths and various bath products on the market and these should always be used according to the manufacturers’ recommendations.

Does the product need a daily approach? How many cow passes are recommended before changing the solution? Is the product corrosive or does it cause irritation on the cow’s hoof and

udder? Does the product have a potential to KILL YOU?

You also need to note the danger of environmental contamination caused by dumping the contents of the baths onto fields. Antibiotic resistance in animals and humans is also a concern and should be avoided.

Are the products we use SAFE for

YOU and your KIDS?

Can you still achieve results with a foot bath?

Are the products in my barn SAFE?

In the appendix of this book, you’ll find an overview of the four most common hoof diseases, provided as a reference to gain understanding of lameness challenges in your herd.

A special THANK YOU to my instructor, Mr. Pieter Kloosterman (of the Hoof Care training Centre in the Netherlands) for his professional training and advice over the past years.

I also want to thank my colleague hoof trimmers for sharing their findings and experiences over the years.

The drive of the Hoof Trimmers Association and the different researchers is also much appreciated.

Last but not least, a big ‘THANK YOU’ goes to all producers who have helped in any way by giving feedback on hoof care management in their herds.

Helping you with your herd’s hoof care challenges is my passion and goal!

Sincerely,

Koos Vis

Conclusion

Hoof disease overview

1 Digital Dermatitis (Hairy (Heel) Warts – Mortellaro Disease)

DESCRIPTIONDigital dermatitis is an inflammation of the skin around the hoof of a cow. It is most commonly found at the back of the foot between the bulbs of the heels, but the disease can spread around the foot and into the cleft between the claws. Digital dermatitis is a very painful condition that results in lameness and subsequent reductions in food intake, milk yield, and fertility. The first sign of digital dermatitis is the presence of matted hairs just above the bulbs of the heels. This is often referred to as a 'paintbrush' lesion. Ninety percent of cases occur in the hind feet.

CAUSESMost researchers agree that heel warts are caused by invasion of the hoof skin by the Treponema bacteria (Spirochete), often in combination with various environmental factors.

Treponema penetrates deeply into the dermis of the skin tissue of the hoof (as a cork screw).

Digital Dermatitis (Continue)

PREVENTION Maintain clean alleys to keep feet clean and dry. Use of

alley scrapers is recommended. Purchase ‘clean’ animals and know where they come

from; quarantine and examine new arrivals, especially heifers.

Avoid overcrowding of facilities. Ensure proper ventilation and dry bedding to achieve a

fresh barn climate. Prevent zinc and magnesium deficiencies. Have individual hoof care in place for EVERY cow. Be sure to have footbath and/or spray programs in

place. Ask your professional hoof trimmer or veterinarian for assistance.

Hoof disease overview

2 Interdigital Dermatitis (heel erosion-stable foot rot)

DESCRIPTIONInterdigital dermatitis is like a wet eczema and has a characteristic smell. Infections in the interdigitalskin (particularly the bulb area) cause extra blood circulation in the bulb area which, in turn, triggers extra horn formation. The extra horn formation leads to V-shaped splits in the bulb area. The disorder is most frequent when the animals are housed inside and exposed to wet conditions.

CAUSESA chronic infection caused by Dichelobacter nodosus

PREVENTION Avoid overcrowding of facilities. Ensure proper ventilation and dry bedding to

achieve a fresh barn climate. Maintain clean alleys to keep feet clean and dry.

Use of alley scrapers is recommended. Have individual hoof care in place for EVERY cow. Be sure to have footbath and/or spray programs in

place. Ask your professional hoof trimmer or veterinarian for assistance.

What are you doing PREVENTITIVE on

trimming day to control infectious hoof

problems?

Hoof disease overview

3 Interdigital Infections – Foot rot – Foul Foot(Necrotic Pododermatitis)

DESCRIPTIONThe sudden onset of lameness is usually combined with fever and production loss. The skin between the claw and above the foot is swollen, painful, and warm to the touch.

CAUSESThis condition is caused by Fusobacterium necrophorumand Bacteriodes melaninogenicus. These bacteria are found in most housing facilities. They enter the skin via small wounds between the claws and subsequently cause inflammation.

PREVENTION Maintain clean alleys to keep feet clean and dry. Use of alley

scrapers is recommended. Avoid small stones, uneven floors, and overcrowding of facilities. Ensure proper ventilation and dry bedding to achieve a fresh barn

climate. Have individual hoof care in place for EVERY cow. Be sure to have footbath and/or spray programs in place. Ask your

professional hoof trimmer or veterinarian for assistance.

RAPID ON-SET and CENTERED

swelling above the claws are

common in Foot rot

Hoof disease overview

4 Laminitis – including sole ulcers, white line defects & double soles.

DESCRIPTIONThe claws are often warm; the animal stands and walks uncomfortably, and will often lie down. Arched back and slow movement are also common. In later stages, the claws grow flatter and show 'growth rings' on the hoof walls, which indicate a laminitis attack.

CAUSESLaminitis is caused by bacterial toxins released in the laminae during dietary disturbances, ill health, or other types of stress. Mostly imbalanced rations, milk fever, mastitis, metritis or environmental stress cause oedemaand reduced blood flow in the claw; therefore poor horn production. Sole ulcers, white line defects, and double soles are often a result of laminitis and/or heel erosion, whereby excessive pressure is put on mostly the hind outer claws.

Hoof disease overview

Laminitis – including sole ulcers, white line defects & double soles. (continued)

PREVENTIONEnsure that the rations are well balanced, forages are of premium quality, and avoid excessive quantities of concentrates. Special caution should be taken around calving and peak lactation. Dry cows and heifers should also receive proper care as you'll need them in the future! In cases of laminitis, it is important to restore the claw to its normal form and balance between the two digits by trimming all four feet. Combat the possible factor(s) that contributed to the problems.

Avoid excessive weight to reduce calving problems and extra weight on the claws.

Minimize waiting times for milking. Perform preventive balancing of the claws (2-3 times trimming

per year). Your nutritionist should be contacted to ensure proper

balancing of the rations. Your veterinarian should be consulted at regular times for

proper health management and treatment. Allow time for exercise off the concrete to stimulate blood flow

in laminae. Reduce excessive waiting and standing for all animals. Ensure enough stalls for proper rest and avoid overcrowding. Make sure water quality and supply are good and there is no

stray voltage.

Tutorials on Hoof Care coming soon