True or false: 1) It is normal for a cow coming off a hoof trimming table to limp a bit until she's used to her 'new feet.'
True or false: 2) You can't cure hairy foot warts.
True or false: 3) Hoof trimmers can't help you prevent future hoof problems. They only treat symptoms of lameness.
1) False. This misconception, spread by ill-taught trimmers and accepted by unknowing producers, has been around too long. A cow receiving a routine trim should not limp away from the table or chute. If she is, blame poor trimming. Usually, lame cows that have their feet therapeutically trimmed and/or blocked walk immediately without limping.
2) False. Hairy foot warts are the hoof disease bane of the century. If one cow has them, at least 20% of the herd becomes infected within 10 to 20 days. Researchers are still working to find the cause. Warts are difficult to cure, but you can do it with proper trimming, a clean environment and a good footbath.
3) False. Properly trained hoof trimmers can help you prevent future hoof problems. They've studied bovine lower leg anatomy and know how to therapeutically trim. They know how to block a cow's hoof to allow for healing.
Progressive trimmers encourage producers to set up a hoof maintenance program to minimize lameness problems. Plus, they promote a hoof care team approach among the producer, trimmer, veterinarian and nutritionist. This is important since diet and environment directly affect hoof health. High-energy, low-roughage diets can cause acidosis, which may lead to laminitis. And slippery, sloppy yards and alleys predispose cattle to hoof rot and other disease.
"Farmers have been conditioned to accept a high degree of lameness," says Bill Kopperud, an Eleva, Wis., hoof care instructor and trimmer. "Studies indicate that 74% of all cows slaughtered show clinical signs of lameness postmortem. Only 2% of all cows show radical symptoms of lameness."
The top three reasons for culling cows are mastitis, reproductive failure and lameness, Kopperud says. Mastitis or reproductive failure may have prompted a producer to call the cattle hauler. But after looking at the cow's health history, lameness may have been the root of the problem. Think about it. A cow with a sore foot isn't going to stand to eat or drink for 20 minutes while her teat sphincter muscle closes. Nor is she going to stand if she's in heat.
That's why it's so important to take care of lameness immediately, says Bob Gauger, herdsman for the Krug brothers' dairy and an independent hoof care provider, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
"The sooner you catch it, the sooner you can do something about it. And the sooner she'll heal," Gauger says. "If the foot already is in the air, there's probably a 20% to 30% drop in milk production." After adding reproductive losses and premature culling to the lost milk, research estimates the cost of lameness per incident at $90.
Gauger knows first-hand the value of skilled hoof trimming and care. As herdsman, he has seen mediocre trimming jobs performed on his cows. That's what prompted him to attend the Dairyland Hoof Care Institute, a week-long hoof trimming school (see sidebar). And now as a hoof care provider hired by other producers, he has cleaned up after some sorry-looking attempts at trimming.
"I see the worst stuff on my first visit to a farm," he says. "The natural instinct is for me to fix all the bad cows first. That takes some time. At my second and third visits, things go smoother."
While on the initial farm visit, Gauger talks to the producer about the importance of hoof maintenance. This is usually the first time Gauger's clients hear a trimmer talk about bovine foot care. All have been receptive to his suggestions.
"If I can help a producer deal with the maintenance and care of his cows' feet, it'll be a good return on his investment and save him a lot of hassles," he says.
Care that Gauger suggests include:
• Trimming a cow's feet about once a year, depending on her environment or genetics. Her feet should be trimmed when she is least stressed, preferably at the end of her lactation or in the early dry period.
• Using a footbath properly. Know its size and how much solution it will hold. If preparing a footbath for hairy warts, make sure you're using the solution in the right concentration. Rotate solutions to prevent organisms from building up resistance to the solutions.
• Keeping the cows' environment clean and dry. Bacteria loads are tremendous in manure. Look at walking surfaces, too. Rough, uneven concrete abraid feet. New concrete grinds feet. A surface that's too smooth makes a cow shuffle, which wears down the sides of her hooves.
• Catching lameness problems early by paying attention to cow movement. Is it normal or does she seem to favor one foot? For example, if a cow has an abscess on her back foot's outside toe, she'll try to carry her weight on the inside toe. This will make her walk and stand with her sore rear foot further out.
Gauger also teaches his clients how to identify hoof diseases, such as white line disease and hairy warts, so they can take action.
"Research shows that cows on maintenance care last one lactation longer," he says. "I've got several cows in my barn now that wouldn't be here if not for the Dairyland method of hoof care. Now they are productive members of the herd."
Sidebar: Upgrading the trimming profession
It's a physically demanding, dirty job that relies on performance, repeat business and referrals. One wrong snip and you could send a customer's best milker to the stockyard. Make that mistake too many times and you'll be out of work.
Hoof trimming is no longer a viable profession for those who learn the art from a neighbor trimming an occasional cow on a tilt table. These days, people serious about hoof care go to school and/or join a professional organization, such as the Hoof Trimmers Association.
"The Hoof Trimmers Association was started to provide support for people in the industry in the hope that trimmers could learn from each other and remain associates, not competitors," says Karl Burgi, a hoof care instructor and trimmer, Baraboo, Wis.
The fourth national trimmers' convention was held in January in Texas. It featured U.S. and U.K. lameness specialists and attracted 200 people. Next August, the convention will be in Batavia, N.Y. To learn the art and science of hoof care, future trimmers go to school. Burgi and fellow instructors Bill Kopperud and Dave Olson run the Dairyland Hoof Care Institute, in Eleva, Wis. The intensive five-day course covers everything on bovine hoof care: lower leg anatomy and physiology, functional and therapeutic trimming, and hoof diseases. Sessions include lectures and daily hands-on lab work.
"We want to instill confidence in people so they will know what to leave, what to remove and why," Kopperud says.
Instruction focuses on trimming to keep the cow's feet in balance. Trimmers are taught to look at each foot—the length and angle of the claw and depth of heel—to determine where to trim. Cows with sore feet get therapeutic trims. This means giving the unstable claw a chance to rest and recover. So trimmers shape the hoof in a manner that transfers a cow's weight to the stable, weight-bearing claw.
Therapeutic hoof trimming and balancing is the heart of the Dairyland method. It evolved from the instructors' own trimming experiences; Olson's master ferrier and equine veterinary work; and from Burgi's hoof training in the Netherlands. There they've routinely therapeutically trimmed cattle feet for years. Plus, the Dutch trim cattle in a special chute, rather than on a table. Reason: They can see the inside and outside claw better to balance it.
For more information about the trimmers' association or the Dairyland school, contact: Bill Kopperud, N47522 County Highway Y, Eleva, Wis. 54738; or phone 715/287-4570.
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