I recently received a question by telephone about rubber flooring and what it does for the animal. I would like to share this conversation with you – from a hoof trimmer’s perspective. I have to admit that it is a subject with differing opinions, environments, climates and you name it, and that I certainly do not have all the answers to the flooring options available. I would like to start with a statement: “If you have a lot of lameness in your herd and that is the reason you want rubber in your alleys, then you are one station too far.” It is so important to understand the underlying reason for the lameness before deciding on any flooring option.

We all know the signs of a clinical salmonella case – sudden weight loss, weakness, fever, explosive diarrhea and dehydration. If a cow produced 50 pounds of milk last night and none this morning, you know that salmonella could be the cause. Although clinical cases are easy to spot, they can be only the tip of the salmonella iceberg. Other animals may harbor subclinical salmonellosis that can be just as damaging to your bottom line.

According to the current USDA data available in 2008, cull dairy cows accounted for just over 7 percent of all cattle slaughtered in the U.S., but were responsible for approximately 90 percent of carcasses in which drug residues were detected. Some of the more common reasons leading to having a carcass condemned for drug residues include: 1. Changing the dose or route for Procaine Penicillin G: The label dose for PPG is only 1 cc per 100 pounds, or about 15 cc total. When a cow is given higher doses or treated subcutaneously (under the skin), the slaughter withdrawal time can increase from the label four to 10 days up to several weeks.

BVD disease is one of the most complicated viral diseases in dairy cattle worldwide. Terms associated with BVD such as “cytopathic” vs. “noncytopathic,” “persistent infection” vs. “transient infection,” “types I and II” and “immunosuppression” make understanding this virus a difficult task. However, the results of this disease are very clear – economic losses due to poor performance, loss of milk production, open cows, abortions, calf sickness and death. In order to control this problem, producers must first know if the virus is circulating in their herd.

It doesn’t matter how you explain it away, it just comes back as the most irritating thing about the business of hoof trimming. Whether the farmer decides to retire and sell out or the young man ran out of financial options and his path out of the dairy business is chosen for him by his banker, it still personally bothers me way too much. However, if Dairyman Smith decides to switch to another younger, faster trimmer with a new chute – LOOK OUT! – I will be out to lunch (so to speak) for a week and a half. My mood will be less than positive (to say the least) and I will always be looking for something sweet to eat.