The Bovine Bugle

The cows love music, but not this "wrap"

I had to do a little vet work today on Sunflower, the last animal to calve in December. She had started with a slight limp the other day, and today it was much worse. After milking, my Dad put her in one of the pens in the maternity room so that I could have a look at her. I hoped it wasn't anything serious.

The sore foot was her right rear foot. I had suspected hoof rot, a fungal infection that causes soreness in the foot, but I found a cut in the hoof that was causing the problem. I used the same treatment I would have used if it had been hoof rot. I washed the foot, dried it, and then applied a dressing with a big goop of icthamol, a drawing salve. I then wrapped the foot with hoof wrap, a wrap that sticks to itself as you put it around the foot. The hoof wrap comes in a rainbow of colors--but the cows have never really let me know which one they like the best.

I'll leave the wrap on for three days, then remove it to check the progress. If the foot looks good, I'll leave it alone. If not, I'll rewrap the foot for another three days. As I said, this treatment always works for hoof rot. Before becoming an organic farmer, I would always give the cow a shot of penicillin for the infection. Now I see that it really wasn't necessary. Too often with cows, antibiotcs are overused for things that could be taken care of in a much simpler way.

--Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

Left: Sunflower shows off her jazzy new hoof wrap.

Learn about other organic dairy farmers and the Organic Valley family of farms.

ABOUT THE BOVINE BUGLE

Subscribe by using the box at the upper left.

To unsubscribe, send a note to chalvorson@stonyfield.com

Posted by Blogger Chris at March 14, 2005 08:43 PM