Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
feet will not eat as well, will be in pain, and are susceptible to other leg problems. A normal
cow's hoof should be rounded at the tip — not overgrown on the sides — and the skin
between the toes should be a healthy pink-white. An unhealthy hoof will be overgrown at the
tip and sides. The skin between the toes might ooze fluid from infection, might have reddened
tissues, or might have a foul odor.
If a cow is allowed to exercise, foot problems should be minimal. If a cow does become lame
or its hoof overgrows, plan a foot trimming session. You can attempt to trim the hoof yourself,
or you can hire a professional to do the job. A large-animal veterinarian should be able to ex-
amine your cow's hoof. Another option is to hire a hoof trimmer who has the tools to come to
your farm to restrain and examine your cow's feet. Either professional will check for such
things as sole ulcers, injuries, warts, or infections. They can instruct you as to the best treat-
ment strategy for your cow and likely will trim the cow's hooves.
Mastitis
Mastitis in dairy cattle causes considerable economic loss to the dairy farmer. Bacterial infec-
tion is the main cause of mastitis. Many factors contribute to mastitis in dairy cattle, including
poor milking techniques, teat injury or sores, faulty milking machines, and high exposures to
bacteria. Signs of mastitis include swelling, heat, and pain in the udder. Severely sick cattle
will lack an appetite, be weak, and may not be able to stand. The milk from the affected
quarter(s) may be watery, chunky, or have flakes. Other cases of mastitis will be a subclinical,
chronic form, which will not make the cow sick but will cause increased somatic cell counts
in the bulk tank.
A California Mastitis Test (CMT) kit will help you determine if your cow has mastitis. This
kit comes with a paddle with four shallow wells. Milk from each quarter is stripped into each
well, and a solution is squirted into the milk. The paddle is swirled. Milk with mastitis will re-
act with the solution and cause gelling. These kits can be purchased at livestock veterinarian
offices, at farm supply stores, or through online farm supply companies.
Staphylococcus aureus
causes a large amount of mastitis cases, both acute and chronic, in
dairy herds. It is a hard bacterium to eradicate from the quarters.
Streptococcus
bacteria also
cause mastitis and are spread from cow to cow or through dirty living environments. Coliform
mastitis can cause a cow to become extremely ill through the release of toxins. The cow will
become weak and may not be able to stand. It will stop eating and cease to have rumen con-
