Monday, July 23, 2012

A different approach to footrot

According to British researchers, traditional methods of footrot control have not been very effective (in the UK) and gathering, foot bathing, and foot trimming increases the transmission of the bacteria that causes footrot (Dichelobacter nodosus).

The University of Warwick conducted a study in which they compared the methods of treating footrot. Their research showed that PROMPT treatment of infected sheep with a long-acting antibiotic, used in conjunction with an antibiotic foot spray, was the most effective treatment and that trimming of the hoof at any stage slowed down the healing process.

The Warwick study used 1 ml of long-acting oxytetracyline per 10 kg (22 lbs) of body weight. According to the researchers, the antibiotic injection helps the sheep’s immune system fight the infection and reduces the swelling and pain that make the sheep lame. This allows the hoof to heal and the foot conformation to return to normal.

When trimming a swollen infected foot, live tissue can get damaged, causing more damage to the hoof. In their study, less than 30% of infected sheep that had their feet trimmed recovered within 10 days vs. 90% of those treated with an antibiotic.

Watch this YouTube video to learn more.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

10 kg (4.5 lbs) -- something is off somewhere.

Susan Schoenian said...

Did the math the wrong way. Should be 22 lbs. I knew it sounded like too much antibiotic. Thanks for catching it.

Libbye said...

What kind of antibiotic spray are they recommending?
And things so much for your blog!

Anonymous said...

So they used the label dose of LA200 (4.5ml per 100 lb).

Susan Schoenian said...

Labeled dose for cattle and swine. Would be extra-label for sheep and goats (in the U.S.)

Susan Schoenian said...

An antibiotic spray (not specified) was used in the research, not an antiseptic spray.