Cow Foot bathing

Cow Hoof and foot Bathing

Various management tools are available to help reduce lameness and the losses resulting from it. Infectious lameness, however, is particularly hard to combat. Prevention of infectious lameness is far better. cheaper. and more successful than treatment and Cow Foot bathing is recommended for the control and prevention of infectious hoof disease.

In out breaks of disease, foot bathing is necessary to prevent animals from becoming chronically infected. But foot baths should always be used routinely as a measure to control infectious hoof diseases and not to cure them, just as teat dips are used daily toc ontrol mastitis. Foot baths are not a substitute for good hygiene management,but they do assist in the control of the environmental factors that make hoof management so complex.

Foot baths and solutions

Cow Foot bathing are most commonly used to prevent and control Dermatitis Digitals. The most widely used formulations including formalin solution (5-10 percent), zinc or copper sulphate and quaternary ammonium compounds, or other commercial multi-compound products, in various strengths.

Veterinarians sometimes also prescribe antibiotics for use in footbaths, but antibiotic treatment is expensive; it involves a milk withdrawal period. And it is thought that the bacteria that cause DD) can become immune toit, so it is generally advised to only use antibiotics minimally.

Some Cow Foot bathing solutions have draw backs and should be used carefully. Formalin is banned in many countries as it is known to have carcinogenic properties and is very unpleasant to handle; use of this product is therefore not recommended.

Heavy metals like copper and zinc salts are also rapidly becoming more tightly controlled due to potential damage both to animals (copper toxicity of ruminants) and the environment. As these substances build up and are completely non-bio degradable. To prevent hoof diseases effectively, while limiting the effect on the environment, bio degradable hoofcare solutions are generally recommended.

Pre-wash bath

If twin baths are used for cow Foot bathing, with a wash bath prior to the main foot hoof bath, the wash bath should be located 1.5-2 meter in front to prevent carry-over and dilution of the active footbath solution in the second bath.

It’s common for mild soap solutions to be used in a wash bath, to allow manure to be loosened and air toreach the inter digital space.

Wash baths can be easily employed in the foot bath regime but should not be used instead of chemical solutions as they do not disinfect. They do, however, mean that the foot bath solution has a better chance of getting to the desired location on the foot that needs treating.

Weather

Particular care should be taken when foot bathing in cold weather and it should never be done in freezing conditions. As the solution will freeze, making the alley ways and footbath extremely hazardous for your animals. An increase of infectious hoof disease is often attributed to the difficulty of foot bathing in the severely cold months of winter.

Spraying

Spraying in the parlour or inan automated system is another preventative measure that can be taken. Hooves should be cleaned prior to spraying so that the solution has a chance to penetrate into the infected area and using correct dosage instructions sprayed directly onto the rear of hooves/lesions. This method is often noted as more effective than Cow Foot bathing, as you have the opportunity to treat the hoof directly with a full-strength solution that is not neutralized by manure orheavily soiled with bacteria. The dilution rate spraying is often different than that for a footbath, so always read the product dosage instructions.

Hydromatic walkthrough footbaths

Walkthrough hoof baths use water jets, through medication or disinfectants are pumped at high speeds. While the cow walks through the tray, the liquid gets heavily splashed on the legsand heel sections of the hoofs, washing off contamination from wounds and out of the inter-digital spaces. The powerful jets spray streams the medication into the hard-to-reach areas between the cow’s toes and behind her heel. Some hydromatic foot bath uses two divided channels which helps the cows to walk slowly through the 3-meter-long bath. This process allows the treatment sufficient time to penetrate her feet thoroughly. This cow Foot bathing ensures full medication penetration.

Cow Hoof bathing

The bath is turned on automatically when the cow enters it. While the cow is walking through the bath and getting the medicine, and receives her treatment.As the cow walks through the foot bath this maintains the quality of the treatment from the first cow until the last cow. About ¾ Liter is consumed per cow. The system is connected to the power supply network.

Water is being filtered through a sieve with a brush for separation of solid particles from the liquid, and is then returned to the tank. Baths is equipped with a small 15 L accumulation tank, from which the pressurized liquid is supplied to the channels.This tank is constantly filled from the storage reservoir, located inside the barn in a convenient spot. Or another possibility is to connect the system to a reservoir which contains water mixed with disinfectant or medication which is located elsewhere in the barn. The system is constantly replenished by this reservoir.

Water consumption: 

Approx. 4 liters (1 gallon) per 5 cows. Remember, the hydromatic foot bath is automatically cleaned and the water recycle and refilled continuously.

Tip:

The cows quickly become familiar with the tray, however it is recommended that cows walk through the dry foot bath twice before the spray mechanism is put into operation. The two divided channels help the cows to walk slowly and carefully through the 3-meter-longbath. This process allows the treatment sufficient time to penetrate her feet thoroughly. The unit is activated when the cow enters the foot bath.

Advantages

• Powerful jets spray the liquid against the cow’s foot and heel for deep cleaning in the critical interdigital space
• The construction and length of channels help the cows walk slowly, achieving intensive cleaning and liquid penetration infiltration;
• The filtration technique and constant refilling with fresh liquid from the storage reservoir preserve high treatment quality from the first cow to the last;
• No manual labor – the system cleans and fills itself automatically;
• The system is solidly constructed entirely of stainless steel
• All substances that are soluble in water can be used
• Low water consumption – approx.4 liters per 5 cows. 
• The hydrodynamic bath is automatically cleaned, water is recirculated and refilled constantly.

Results:

• Research has shown that after 6 weeks of medical treatment, cows achieve the desired result.
• The hydrodynamic hoof baths are the perfect method of treatment and prevention of infectious hoof diseases.
• When the cow walks through the channels, the liquid is pumped through the bath and gets splashed, washing off the contamination from between the hoofs.
• From research in the field it appears that after 6 weeks of curative treatment of the cows, the desirable results will be achieved.

Material: The 3,2-meter foot bath is completely stainless steel.

Position: Permanently installed after exit from the milking parlour.

Use: For curative treatment: 3 to 7 x per week Preventative treatment: 1x per week