39 Follow us on Twitter: @PrairieFarming Better Farming | February 2024 Livestock between the sole and the hoof and it’s usually in the hind feet.” Schwartzkopf-Genswein explains how some of these diseases enter the feedlot. She says that digital dermatitis has increased more recently alongside an influx of dairy calves entering feedlots. “An emerging issue is digital dermatitis, which is more traditionally a dairy cattle foot lesion, but now we see it in the feedlot. Because we have had more dairy calves coming in over the years, we believe that’s where it’s coming from.” She specifies that in studies in Western Canada, digital dermatitis is most commonly observed at approximately 104 days on feed. “Toe tip necrosis tends to happen in younger receiving calves. We think it happens on the truck, where the tip of the toe is abraded, and it gets down to the white line and bacteria can get into the hoof that way,” explains Schwartzkopf-Genswein. “It can get into the bone and travel up the leg and you typically see it two to three weeks after entry into the feedlot.” Schwartzkopf-Genswein adds that foot rot can be observed at any time in the feedlot due to its association with environmental conditions. With a variety of categories and causes, how can feedlot producers identify and diagnose different types of lameness? Identification and diagnosis Assessing gait score is the first step in determining if a feedlot animal is lame. Catching lameness early is also important. “It’s easy to pull out a severely lame animal, but sometimes at that point treatments aren’t as effective,” says Schwartzkopf-Genswein. “As a pen rider, you should try to catch those animals as early as possible.” It can be more difficult to identify the signs of lameness early in feedlots with uneven walking surfaces, such as frozen outdoor yards, icy or bumpy surfaces or packs. After lameness is identified, proper diagnosis is required for producers to determine an appropriate treatment plan. “It’s easy to pull out the lame heifer or steer, but then to diagnose these conditions you really need to do a more thorough exam in a chute to look at the foot and leg,” says Miltenburg. “Swelling above the foot is most commonly associated with foot rot. On the foot, I’d be looking for redness between the claws if the foot is clean enough, as well as heat, and bad smells. “If you’re looking up the leg and seeing swelling on the joints, that would put up infectious arthritis on my list.” “In terms of digital dermatitis, you need to look between claws and at the back of the heel to find that raised lesion.” Schwartzkopf-Genswein says that with an increase in combination lesions, diagnosis and treatment can be more difficult. In the case of multiple infected animals within a pen, it is necessary to discuss with the herd vet to determine an appropriate treatment plan for those infected, as well as a prevention plan for the rest of the pen. Prevention Any environment or event that compromises the skin or hoof barrier will increase the risk of infectious lameness. Knowing and minimizing risk factors is an important aspect of preventing lameness in feedlot cattle. A few risk factors include body weight, placement time, season and standing time. “From research in Western Canada we see that heavier calves have an increased risk of lameness,” says Miltenburg. “Fall placed calves also have a higher risk than spring placed calves. There INSIGHT® is a registered trademark of ISK BIOSCIENCES CORP. REGISTRATION NO: 34234 PEST CONTROL PRODUCTS ACT. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS. Speak with your retail or Gowan representative to learn more. SCAN FOR MORE INFO ABOUT INSIGHT! Earn up to 50 cents/acre off Insight Liquid SC instantly!! Discover what your pre-seed burndown Has Been missing Wild Oat Predator Praires there is a new on the
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