At this time of year when cows are housed, mortellaro disease can spread rapidly in any herd unfortunate to have it.
When a lot of animals are concentrated together in a small area, there is a big accumulation of faeces in the passageways. In other words, the more slurry/faeces on your cattle’s feet, the more infections you are liable to have. This is why it’s almost exclusively the hind feet that are involved, as they are the dirtiest naturally.
Any farmer who has had an outbreak of mortellaro will say it is nearly impossible to get rid of. The only way to deal with it is to try and control it by:
Keeping the passageways absolutely clean (I know some farmers who have almost eliminated it by doing this).Checking the hind feet in the parlour and treating any cow with a sign of it immediately, usually with a spray. Footbathing regularly. The problem with foot bathing is it’s not done properly and in severely infected herds it should be done at least every second day. The type of footbath is important.
In my experience, plastic footbaths are a disaster. I have seen many of these thrown away because farmers hate putting their cows through them. The fact is plastic plus water is slippery. Corrugations make it extra slippery, causing nervous cows to defecate into footbaths, making them useless and a waste of money and time.
Footbaths should be put where the cows normally walk, ideally from the parlour, and be 3m x 1m to contain liquid at least 10cm deep. The sides can be made with concrete blocks, but must have no sloping edges. Footbaths should never be below ground walking level.
Alternately, there is at least one company making an excellent pre-cast bath, costing less than €500, that cows walk through without being afraid.
Whatever mixture you use, it should be changed after a maximum 150 cow passes, as faeces negates its effectiveness.
Footbathing is a waste of time and money if not done correctly
Jim Kelleher MVB MRCVS, CertDHH works at Riverview Veterinary Group, Bandon, Co Cork. Riverview Veterinary Group is part of XLVets. XLVets is a group of progressive practices which are working together to achieve a better future for agriculture and veterinary in Ireland. For more information, see the website at www.xlvets.ie.
At this time of year when cows are housed, mortellaro disease can spread rapidly in any herd unfortunate to have it.
When a lot of animals are concentrated together in a small area, there is a big accumulation of faeces in the passageways. In other words, the more slurry/faeces on your cattle’s feet, the more infections you are liable to have. This is why it’s almost exclusively the hind feet that are involved, as they are the dirtiest naturally.
Any farmer who has had an outbreak of mortellaro will say it is nearly impossible to get rid of. The only way to deal with it is to try and control it by:
Keeping the passageways absolutely clean (I know some farmers who have almost eliminated it by doing this).Checking the hind feet in the parlour and treating any cow with a sign of it immediately, usually with a spray. Footbathing regularly. The problem with foot bathing is it’s not done properly and in severely infected herds it should be done at least every second day. The type of footbath is important.
In my experience, plastic footbaths are a disaster. I have seen many of these thrown away because farmers hate putting their cows through them. The fact is plastic plus water is slippery. Corrugations make it extra slippery, causing nervous cows to defecate into footbaths, making them useless and a waste of money and time.
Footbaths should be put where the cows normally walk, ideally from the parlour, and be 3m x 1m to contain liquid at least 10cm deep. The sides can be made with concrete blocks, but must have no sloping edges. Footbaths should never be below ground walking level.
Alternately, there is at least one company making an excellent pre-cast bath, costing less than €500, that cows walk through without being afraid.
Whatever mixture you use, it should be changed after a maximum 150 cow passes, as faeces negates its effectiveness.
Footbathing is a waste of time and money if not done correctly
Jim Kelleher MVB MRCVS, CertDHH works at Riverview Veterinary Group, Bandon, Co Cork. Riverview Veterinary Group is part of XLVets. XLVets is a group of progressive practices which are working together to achieve a better future for agriculture and veterinary in Ireland. For more information, see the website at www.xlvets.ie.
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