# Foot rot vaccine



## nzw tom (Oct 7, 2009)

I see that Jeffers livestock has a vaccine for foot rot (cattle). Has anyone ever used this for their goats? It is called Fusogard.

Tom


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## Squeaky McMurdo (Apr 19, 2012)

I can see where this might be useful for people with huge herds that run their animals through swampy terrain and don't check or clean their hooves often, but for the average goat owner keeping their feet clean and dry is a much healthier alternative than relying on drugs. JMHO


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

It's not a drug, it's an immune stimulating vaccine.  

I was thinking of using it, myself. We get REALLY muddy in a lot of high traffic areas and though we move the hay bale regularly and try to keep the water troughs out of mud, the main pathway out of the barn usually gets pretty muddy. 

Other options are to put down gravel for drainage and to keep the hooves up and out of the muddy areas. 

Obviously it will not replace good management - clean and dry is important for hoof health. But in our situations where the muddy area is on a hill, we may just see the gravel moved down the the base of the hill and thus still have muddy areas. 

See if you can improve what the goats are standing on first. Then if you're still seeing issues, consider a hoof rot vaccine. I've never heard of anyone using it on their goats, so response and dose would be an unknown.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

In my area it does not do it to provide drier footing. I have rubber mats running in lines from sheds to gates all over the place but simply being out on the constantly wet grass is enough to make this a constant battle for me. I think I've just got it licked and then a new section of rot shows up when the trim reaches it. I treat and trim till it gets better then it pops out somehwere else.
I just wonder if the vaccine will improve immunity to the specific bacteria in each location and whether the seperation between the foot and hoof wall can be helped by this. I keep thinkng about it but haven't done it.


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## Copperhead (Sep 12, 2011)

Ok, here goes . . .

I vaccinated my entire goat herd (15 meat goat crosses) last September with Fusogard. Over half my herd had some form of hoof scald and I had two severe cases of hoof rot. The worst hoof rot resulted in a complete separation of hoof from quick. 

My goats are pastured on a 20+ acre hillside with cattle. There is a creek at the bottom and a ridge at the top. This summer was quite dry by our WV standards, but we almost always had dew in the mornings. 

I gave each goat a 2ml injection SQ over the ribs -- and that was my last case of hoof rot or hoof scald.

I figure that goats aren't meant for our moist, temperate weather. Rather instead, they are bred and developed for the dry, rocky desert. It's just too bad that I need them to control the multi-floral rose, japanese honeysuckle and autumn olive that threaten to choke out the grass on my pasture. . . and besides, they're just too cute


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Did you give the second dose as the instructions say?


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## Copperhead (Sep 12, 2011)

Alice In TX/MO said:


> Did you give the second dose as the instructions say?


 
Yes, thanks for reminding me, I DID revaccinate at 3 weeks. :kiss:


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

Very good info. In the wet, I have bad hoof rot like what you said - hoof wall separates from the quick/sole of the foot. Big gap on some that just packs with soil. I clip it away, figuring at least that way the wet/mud doesn't get packed in there and just fester. And I do the thrush-x applications with a paintbrush.

Thus far only one has ever been a 'limper' though it's my doe in isolation with a wound on her side that she WON'T stop messing with unless she's wearing a 'goat coat'. Long story short her hay feeder location was mush, would have been fine in better weather but it's just wet all the time. Moved her hay feeder recently, hopefully that will help. 

My current boer buck has no feet problems thus far. Granted he's only just going to be 2 years old, bu this feet are always perfect and the buck pen is oddly one of the muddiest pens out there, despite moving hay feeders and even the buck house as often as we can. I have a daughter of his I kept last year, may keep more this year. Replacing does with bad feet or other issues as I go along. I think it's mainly a mud issue though, when they are forced to go through it for 5 months in a row, I see problems. When dry, they're perfect.


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## Copperhead (Sep 12, 2011)

Whether in winter paddock or spring/summer/fall pasture, I was having to treat at least one goat every other week for hoof scald. After the two applications of fusogard back in September, I haven't had any trouble at all.

I plan to give everyone a booster in March when I turn them back out to pasture. We paddock them over the winter to keep a closer eye during inclement weather and because we traditionally get about 3 feet of snow. Yes, I have snowshoes. Yes, I have used them to drag unwilling goats to the truck so I can bring them home for the winter:whistlin:


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## LFRJ (Dec 1, 2006)

Squeaky McMurdo said:


> I can see where this might be useful for people with huge herds that run their animals through swampy terrain and don't check or clean their hooves often, but for the average goat owner keeping their feet clean and dry is a much healthier alternative than relying on drugs. JMHO


Wish it were just that easy. 
- PacNW "Seattle is cloudy an average of 226 days per year and averages 158 days of measurable rain".

Copperhead, thanks for the feedback. I'm very interested now. We too are seeing some bad signs again this year, and strangely enough, its our Kiko with some limping, that said though she's also the one that's most likely to go out in the rain to forage, so could be her habits encourage the issue.


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## harvestmoonfarm (Nov 24, 2012)

Does anyone know the withdrawal time on Fusogard? I'm having terrible issues with my herd right now due to the extremely wet winter and, thus far, spring. I am, however, milking the 2 goats having the worst problems with it, so I want to make sure before placing an order.

ETA: Never mind - DUH! It's a vaccine... It's been one of *those *days! :ashamed:


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## Goat Servant (Oct 26, 2007)

Thanks Copperhead Im gonna look into to it as well.
Relatively speaking, LFRJ & we are neighbors.
There's NO keep anything dry around here.
Ideally we should be trimming every 6 weeks but the buck pen is a muck pen.


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## paintpony (Jan 5, 2013)

Not so long ago people here jumped all over me for getting the foot rot vaccine. I did use it on the sheep first, as I believe they are the ones that initially brought it on the property. Then with all the rain we had this winter and the barn flooding was worried about the goats getting foot rot. So, gave it to the sheep and waited till time for the second shot to decide if I would go ahead and give it to the goats. The sheep never had any issues with the vaccine. I then gave it to my 8 yr old wether and waited to see if any problems came up. He didn't have any issues. He does still have a lump at one injection site. Finally, I did give it to the two milkers. No problems. On the bottle it said not to give it to anything under 6 months, so the Boer buck kid didn't get it. Of all the animals, only the Boer buck kid and the 8 yr old wether (Boer/Nubian) are having issues with foot scald. I believe their hairy feet are more conducive to holding moisture. All their feet are trimmed regularly, no over grown feet here. They are healing slowly.


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## harvestmoonfarm (Nov 24, 2012)

paintpony said:


> Finally, I did give it to the two milkers. No problems.


What was the issue? Why were people giving you a hard time? Were your does in milk when you gave it and, if so, did you continue milking without a withdrawal? I'm having a heck of a time finding any info. :stars:


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## paintpony (Jan 5, 2013)

They were telling me there were all kinds of health issues. Nothing specific. The girls were in milk. I didn't find a buck to breed them to so am milking through. I did continue to milk with no withdrawl. I'm not selling though either. Milking once a day. It never dawned on me to withhold at the time, being that it's a vaccine and not antibiotics or wormer. I never tasted a difference. Maybe I'm vaccinated for footrot now


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## Goat Servant (Oct 26, 2007)

Paintpony, is it sort of like a cdt lump? Why do you think there was a lump? Not getting through layers?
Just picking your brain here.
Im interested in knowing more about his stuff.


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## paintpony (Jan 5, 2013)

Goat Servant,

Yes, it's like a cdt lump. About the size of a nickel, I'd say. I don't know why, the first shot didn't cause a lump. I purposely gave each shot on different sides so I'd know if anything was a problem. It never became hot or anything, just a lump.


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## Copperhead (Sep 12, 2011)

As a followup, the vaccine worked wonderfully, for about a year, then we started seeing more hoof scald (not necessarily hoof rot), again. Instead of repeating the vaccine, we have started Copper Soap baths. At our local Southern States, we can get Copper Soap (Copper Sulphate) made by Bonide for controlling fungal issues in Organic gardening. Turns out, the stuff works well for anything fungal, whether plant, animal or human.

For hooves, I mix 1 part Copper Soap with 2 parts water in a coffee can with a lid. After trimming, I dip the hoof in the solution and swish it a bit. The "soap" part makes it sticky and help everything adhere well for a few weeks. If I have hoof scald or mud between the toes, I use a toothbrush and scrub and then dip some more.

For skin and plant issues, I mix 1 part Copper Soap with 10 parts water in a spray bottle and spritz away. If you have dry crusty skin, the tooth brush comes back into play. White powdery mildew disappears completely from the rose bush. Spraying the soil while seedlings are sprouting prevents "Damp Off".

Works really well for Athlete's Foot. Just one treatment (aka quick spritz between the toes and a good "rubbin") Stops the itch and begins the healing process. Sure beats twice a day for 2 to 4 weeks


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## harvestmoonfarm (Nov 24, 2012)

Copperhead - do you think the vaccine would continue to work if given annually?

Interesting info on the copper soap, thanks. My husband has problems with his feet because he wears work boots every day (he's a heavy equipment mechanic). I'll let him know to get some on his next trip to SS.


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## Copperhead (Sep 12, 2011)

Since giving the vaccine a year and a half ago, we haven't had much, if any major hoof rot, just hoof scald (the smelly, gunky mess between the toes). The Copper Soap has worked so well we haven't given the vaccine much additional thought!!!

Interestingly, the vaccine is to arm the bodies defenses against a specific (flesh eating) bacteria while the Copper soap targets a fungus. I'm thinking the fungus opens the door for the bacteria . . . but I have been watching a lot of House, MD on Netflix, lately


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