Foot rot is an infection that causes sudden swelling, heat and inflammation in the foot, resulting in severe lameness. Dr. Matt Miesner of Kansas State University says the primary pathogen, Fusobacterium necrophorum, is always in the environment because it lives in the digestive tract of cattle and passes in feces.
“There may a combination of intestinal bacteria contaminating the environment. Fusobacterium necrophorum is usually the one causing severity of clinical signs in the foot but often there are multiple pathogens working together to get the infection going,” he said.
Some years there are more cases. There may be variations in the strain of bacteria; some may become more pathogenic, but varying incidence of disease may be more related to environmental factors.
“If there’s a lot of moisture, feet become soft and more easily punctured, scratched and bruised. We see cases when cattle are on stubble and get scratched/poked between their toes. It doesn’t take much of an opening for bacteria to get into the tissues,” said Miesner. Walking on gravel or sharp ice may create nicks and abrasions. You might see foot rot any time of year because the bacteria are always there, but it usually takes moisture to soften the skin.
“Once you get a few cases, the bacteria may be spread around more (from draining lesions) with higher concentration in the environment, and this tends to amplify it,” he said.
Foot rot can affect cattle at any age—small calves as well as older cattle. “They may be in a wet, boggy pasture in early spring, or vulnerable in hot, humid weather in summer.”
Sometimes we assume an animal has foot rot because it is suddenly lame, but it’s wise to look at the foot and make sure of the cause, in order to deal with it properly. Sudden three-legged lameness is the classic sign of foot rot, but could also be due to fracture, snakebite, puncture in the bottom of the foot, abscess, or some other type of infection.
“I’ve occasionally seen cattle with a rock or stick jammed between the toes, making the animal reluctant to put weight on the foot,” said Miesner.
Examine the foot before giving antibiotics, in case it’s something else.
“Swelling of the foot and lower leg may be due to snakebite or other injury, but in some cases of foot rot the swelling starts traveling up the limb because of the inflammation,” he said. Snakebite will usually show fang marks in the swollen area, and those may be draining. By contrast, any oozing/drainage from foot rot is generally right between the toes, with very foul odor.
Foot rot will generally respond quickly to antibiotics, especially if treated early. “If the animal doesn’t improve in a few days, we need to take a closer look to see if it’s some other problem,” Miesner said.
Treatment
He recommends lifting the foot and using a piece of gauze soaked with Betadine to floss between the toes. This gently opens the tissue to the air, which tends to inhibit bacteria that love anaerobic conditions.
“The organisms that cause foot rot are still very responsive to antibiotics. There are several labeled for foot rot, including oxytetracycline and penicillin, as well as some of the newer ones. Most people still use long-acting oxytetracycline or Procaine penicillin because they are cheaper, saving the ‘big guns’ for more serious problems.”
Systemic antibiotics generally work very well, and a person can also clean up the foot and apply a topical antibiotic such as oxytetracycline. “Anti-inflammatory medication can help relieve pain, swelling and fever. Now we have topical (transdermal) Banamine, labeled for pain and fever, being used for foot rot,” Miesner said. Earlier, this drug was only labeled for intravenous use in cattle.
“If the animal is not greatly improved (no longer lame) within three to four days after antibiotic treatment, I start looking for some other cause of infection and lameness or if it’s gone into deeper tissues.”
If it is foot rot and you detect and treat early, it should resolve quickly. If you don’t see cattle often (such as in big range pastures) and a case of foot rot has been going on for awhile, it may be harder to clear up.
“The infection will hopefully break out and clear up on its own, but sometimes it keeps going deeper and may get into the rest of the foot and the joints. What we call second-stage foot rot or ‘super’ foot rot can be challenging, when it gets into the coffin bone or joint. We can treat those, but it takes a lot of care and aggressive intervention,” he said.
Prevention
“There are some feed-through antibiotics labeled for preventing foot rot. If the veterinarian or producer is anticipating issues with foot rot in certain situations, this might be something to consider, if the cattle are already being fed (in a feedlot) rather than out on pasture,” Miesner said.
It also helps to isolate any animal with foot rot. Keep it separate from the herd during treatment, until the infection resolves, so it won’t be spreading the bacteria around. The pathogen can live in the environment for many months.
“There are vaccines against Fusobacterium necrophorum as a preventative against liver abscesses and foot rot in feedlot cattle. My experience is that vaccination may help reduce problems, but won’t eliminate them,” he said.
It’s frustrating to have a group of steers ready to sell and then some of them develop foot rot. They can be treated, but there are withdrawal times for the antibiotic—and you might not be able to sell those animals when planned. Prevention can be important.
Moisture and abrasive surfaces are the combination that leads to foot rot.
“In a pasture it’s hard to avoid mud some times of year. One thing that can help limit spread of this disease is to keep cattle from congregating in a small area. If they are being fed the places they congregate can become wet and mucky (and heavily contaminated with manure, which contains the pathogens). If you can move the cattle, rotate feeding areas, find ways to dry out wet spots, this may help,” said Miesner.
Try to minimize abrasive footing—rocky areas or stubble. If cattle are on cornstalks or sharp stubble that may create scrapes on the interdigital space between their toes—and then they walk through water or boggy areas—they may be vulnerable.
“Look at the environment the cattle live in and find the best way to manage moisture and abrasive surfaces—and limit the crowding/congregation of animals,” he said.
Nutrition is also important. Mineral deficiency can lead to soft feet/weaker skin and hoof horn. “If a producer experiences a lot of foot rot, I evaluate the trace mineral program. Research shows that if an animal is low in zinc, copper, selenium, etc., this can lead to weaker skin and feet,” said Miesner.
Iodine is also important. “Feeding a fortified salt helps, and most of the trace mineral supplements contain iodine. Biotin also helps with hoof horn quality. It is important to make sure there are no nutritional deficiencies causing weakness in the feet.” It’s often hard to avoid water and mud in their environment, but we can make sure cattle have adequate nutrition for hoof health. — Heather Smith Thomas, WLJ correspondent
