This document discusses goat hoof health and management. It covers the importance of regular hoof inspection and trimming to prevent issues like lameness. Factors that influence hoof growth like genetics, environment and diet are outlined. Common hoof diseases in goats like footrot, foot scald and foot abscesses are described along with their causes and treatments. The document provides guidance on developing a prevention and treatment plan for hoof diseases that includes quarantine of new animals, foot bathing, clean pastures and culling infected animals.

1. GOAT HOOF
HEALTH AND
MANAGEMENT
SUSAN SCHOENIAN
Sheep & Goat Specialist Emeritus
University of Maryland Extension
sschoen@umd.edu |Facebook @MDSmallRuminant
sheepandgoat.com | sheep101.info | wormx.info

2. Hoof health
• Hoof health is an important aspect of
goat management.
• Hoof health can affect an animal’s
performance, health, and welfare.
• Hooves should be check regularly for
disease and excess growth.
• Animals with excessive or abnormal
hoof growth and chronic hoof disease
should be culled.

3. Why do you need
to trim hooves?
• To prevent lameness.
• To allow air to reach the hoof, to
eliminate the bacteria that can cause
infections.
• To create a flat sole surface,
removing trapped mud and feces and
reducing the possibility of disease.
• To promote proper hoof growth and
body soundness.

4. How often
should you
trim hooves?
• It depends. The need varies from never to
every couple of months.
• The need for hoof trimming is affected by
different factors.

5. Factors affecting hoof growth
GENETICS
• Individual
• Breed or type
• Color of hooves (?)
• Structure of hooves
ENVIRONMENT
• Soil moisture and characteristics
• Terrain
• Climate, season, and rainfall
• Housing
• Diet

6. Special consideration
for dairy goats
New Zealand study
Published 2023
Eighty 5-month-old
housed Saanen cross does
• Hoof growth rate was similar in front and hind hooves, and slowed when the
goats were pregnant.
• Front hooves grew 4.39 mm per month; hind hooves grew 4.20 mm per month.
• Trimming goats early in life had only minor effects on hoof growth (5 vs. 13
mos.)
• Trimming every 4 months was not sufficient to prevent hoof overgrowth, the
development of poor conformation, and detrimental changes in joint positions,
particularly in the hind hooves.
Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030222007354

7. When
should you
trim hooves
• Not during late
gestation.
• In conjunction with other
management tasks.
• Before show, not day of
show.
• Preferably not in the
milking parlor.
• When hooves are soft.

8. What you need
to trim hooves
• Hoof shears
• Hoof knife
• Small brush
• Disinfectant
• Pump or spray bottle
• Tight-fitting gloves
• Method of restraint
• Time (labor-intensive)

9. Tools for
trimming
hooves
• Hand-held hoof trimmers (shears)
• Hoof knife
• Hoof rasp
• Power trimmers (e.g., PowerParer®)
• Electric hoof knife (e.g., Hoof Boss)

10. Proper
restraint
of goats
for hoof
trimming
• While goat is on its side
or rump.
• While goat is standing on
the ground with its head
secured.
• On a milking or fitting
stand.
• On an elevated platform
in a head lock.
• In a turn or tilt table or
squeeze (manual or
automatic).
 Tipping goats on their
rumps or using a deck
chair doesn’t work as
well for goats as sheep.

12. Hoof Anatomy

13. Proper hoof
trimming
• Clean hooves with tip of closed shears, hoof
knife and/or small brush.
• Trim excess growth; small pieces at a time.
• After you’ve finished, spray hooves with zinc
sulfate solution
• Disinfect tools between animals
• Some animals may need multiple trimmings to
get their hooves shaped right so they’ll grow
right.
• Avoid overzealous hoof trimming (drawing
blood).

14. Trimming procedure for a goat’s hoof

15. Primary
diseases
affecting
hooves of
goats
1. Hoof abscess
2. Foot scald
3. Foot rot

16. Moisture/Trauma
Softening, damage to hoof keratin or interdigital skin
Invasion by Actinomyces
pyogenes or other
anaerobes
Invasion by Fusobacterium necrophorum or other facilitator
Invasion by
Dichelobacter
nodosus with aprB2
Invasion by
Dichelobacter
nodosus with aprV2
FOOT
SCALD
BENIGN
FOOT ROT
VIRULENT
FOOT ROT
DIAGRAM DEPICTING DIFFERENCES AMONG FOOT ABSCESS, FOOT SCALD, AND EITHER BENIGN OR VIRULENT FOOT ROT
Benign and virulent strains of D. nodosus differ in a gene that codes for a protease (an enzyme that degrades protein) in the bacterium. Virulent strains express
a very invasive form of the acid protease 2 gene called called AprV2, whereas benign strains express a far less intense variant of this protease called AprB2.
FOOT
ABSCESS
=
Source: Michigan State University
(interdigital dermatitis)

17. About the bacteria
that causes hoof
disease
• The causative organism of foot scald (Fusobacterium
necrophorum) lives in the soil for extended periods of
time OUTSIDE THE ANIMAL.
• The causative organism of foot rot, Dichelobacter
nodosus, has a more limited life span outside of the
animal such that soil that has not had infected sheep
or goats on it for 2 weeks is considered CLEAN.
• This 2-week isolation period is an important factor to
understand when implementing an eradication plan.
• There are at least 20 strains of D. nodosus, with
varying pathogenicity.

18. Foot abscess
• Occurs when Actinomyces spp. bacteria (or
other anaerobes) invade tissue already
weakened by an interdigital infection.
• Causes lameness, pain, swelling, and heat.
• Affects mostly mature and heavy animals.
• Usually only one hoof or digit is affected.
• Trim affected hoof (avoid over-trimming) and
clean abscess to allow drainage.
• Administer antibiotics and anti-inflammatories
under advice of veterinarian (Vx).

19. Foot scald
• Also called interdigital dermatitis,
benign footrot, or strip
• Caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum.
• An inflammation and redness between
the toes (claws).
• No (or minimal) involvement of the hoof.
• Can be precursor to footrot and foot abscesses.
• Outbreaks occur during periods of wet weather.
• Need to identify risk factors and reduce or eliminate
them.
• Similar treatment as footrot.

20. Footrot
Footrot is caused by the
interaction of two anaerobic
gram-negative bacteria:
1) Dichelobacter nodosus
(formerly Bacteroides nodosus)
2) Fusobacterium necrophorum
There are two kinds of footrot:
1) Benign
2) Virulent
Footrot is highly contagious!

21. Benign footrot
“not harmful”
• Caused by a more benign strain of D.
nodosus.
• Similar to foot scald (or interdigital
dermatitis) – can be difficult to
differentiate between the two.
• Some odor
• Occurs mostly seasonally when
conditions are wet.
• Usually controllable with foot bathing
or moving to dry area.

22. Virulent
Footrot
“Extremely severe or harmful”
• Caused by more virulent strain
of D. nodosus.
• Affects the horny tissue of the
hoof, causing separation of hoof
from underlying tissue
• Usually both toes are affected
• Has foul odor
• Significant welfare issue.
• Control and eradication can be
difficult and time-consuming.

23. Sources of footrot
PRIMARY
• In the hooves of infected goats
SECONDARY
• On contaminated equipment.
• In contaminated bedding at sales, fairs,
and during transport.
• In the hooves of sheep
and cattle.
• On pasture and in barn lots.
• On footwear.
• From service personnel

24. How do hoof diseases
get established?
• Irritation of interdigital tissue caused by moisture or
trauma allows entry of F. necrophorum.
• Other disease-causing bacteria invade tissue already
weakened by interdigital dermatitis.
• Predisposing factors:
• Warmth (>45°F, 7°C) + moisture
• Overgrown hooves
• Abnormal hoof growth
• Infection or exposure does not provide natural
immunity.

25. Preventing footrot
• Strict biosecurity - written
biosecurity plan recommended.
• Do not buy animals from herds
with a history of foot diseases or
noticeable lameness.
• Do not buy animals with unknown
origins and histories.
• All newly-acquired animals should
be suspected of having footrot
and be quarantined before being
introduced to the farm and other
animals.

26. Quarantine
• Quarantine all new animals for
at least 30 days.
• Quarantine animals returning
from a show or exhibition.
• Quarantine area should be
away from the main herd.
• Quarantined animals should be
taken care for last.

27. During
quarantine
• Observe all new animals for lameness (as
well as other problems).
• Carefully inspect each hoof.
• Trim hooves, if necessary.
• Soak or spray each foot with a solution of
20% zinc sulfate.
• Another option is to give all new entries an
injection of a long-acting antibiotic (Rx)
from the Macrolide family (Vx).

28. At the end of the
quarantine period
• Re-trim (if necessary) and
thoroughly examine hooves for
signs of infection.
• If there is any evidence of
footrot infection, all animals in
the group should be foot
bathed with a 10% solution of
zinc sulfate.
• No animal should be released
until and unless it is CLEAN.

29. How do you get rid
of footrot if you
already have it?
• Hoof trimming
• Foot soaking (bathing)
• Separation of clean and infected (or exposed
animals).
• Clean, dry places
• Topicals
• Antibiotics
• Culling
• Do not sell animals with footrot except to a
terminal market (immediate slaughter).
Methods may vary by size of herd.

30. Day 0
• Trim, inspect, and score hooves of all goats
• Separate goats into clean and infected groups
• Foot bath all goats. After soaking put goats in drying area
• After drying, put groups into separate “clean” pastures (or barn areas).
Day 7
• Repeat foot bathing and drying protocol
• Observe animals and check for limpers
• Check and trim feet of limpers in clean group and move them to infected group.
Day 14
• Inspect all goats. Trim hooves (if necessary).
• Move infected animals that have recovered to clean group and vice versa.
• Repeat foot bathing and drying protocol.
• Move groups to separate “clean” pastures (or barn areas).
Day 21
• Repeat foot bathing and drying protocol.
• Observe animals and check for limpers.
• Check and trim feet of limpers in clean group and move them to infected group.
Day 28
• Inspect all goats. Score each hoof.
• Repeat foot bathing and drying protocol
• CULL any animal that is still infected.
4-week protocol for eradicating footrot
University of Maine Sheep Foot Health Project (2010-2014).

31. Foot bathing
• Many ways to create foot baths.
• Long handling chutes will make process more labor
efficient for larger herds.
• Zinc sulfate is preferred solution for foot bathing:
mix 8.5 pounds of zinc sulfate in 10 gallons of
water + 1 cup of laundry detergent (as a wetting
agent)
Copper sulfate and formaldehyde have also been used in
footbaths, but are not preferred.
• Create a “soak” pad in bottom of footbath (wool or
sawdust) to prevent splashing and loss of solution.
• Goats should stand in foot bath for at least 5
minutes, preferably longer.
• Put animals in drying area after soaking.
• Put animals in clean pasture or lot after soaking.

32. Use of clean
pastures or lots
• The bacteria that causes
footrot has a limited
lifespan outside the hoof
(animal).
• A clean pasture (or lot) is
one that has not had
infected (or exposed) goats
(or sheep) on it for at least
two weeks.
• This 2-week isolation period
is an important factor to
consider when
implementing a footrot
eradication plan.

33. Hoof lesion scoring
• Foot scoring is a means of objectively describing
the severity of lesions
• Used in diagnosis and to determine impact of
treatment
• Needed to make genetic selection decisions
• Different scales are used (e.g., 0-5, 1-3).

34. Treating footrot
with drugs
• Antibiotic containing penicillin or
tetracyclines.
• Long-acting antibiotic of the macrolide
family (10-14 days): gamithromycin
(Zactran®) or tulathromycin (Draxxin®)
• Anti-inflammatory medications for pain
relief.
 Must work with veterinarian (Vx) to
use these drugs (Rx).

35. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37106937/
Selecting for foot
health and foot
• Studied mostly in other species.
• Breed differences identified in sheep.
• Moderate heritability has been estimated for ovine
footrot, generally between 0.20 and 0.30 depending
on breed and phenotypic scoring method.
• Research is being used to develop EBVs and marker-
assisted selection for sheep.
In dairy goats
• Moderate heritability suggests selection against claw
disorders and lameness is possible in dairy goats.
• There are weak to strong genetic and phenotypic
correlations between lameness and claw disorder
traits with milk traits.
• More research is needed.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37106937/

36. Genome-wide association with
footrot in hair and wool sheep
(in press)
University of Maine Foot Health Project (2010-2014)
Teaching producers how to eliminate footrot
• First genome-wide study examining footrot susceptibility
using hair sheep and the first to identify multiple genome-
wide significant associations with footrot.
• Results provided insight into mechanisms that may affect
footrot susceptibility and resistance
• Results provided a foundation for developing predictive
genetic marker tests for selection of sheep before infection
and disease transmission occur.
• More research is needed.

37. A few other diseases
that can affect the
hooves of goats
• Laminitis
• White line disease
• Blue tongue
• Foot-and-mouth disease

38. Laminitis
(founder)
• Laminitis is a metabolic disorder that affects
the soft tissue structures of the foot
• Acute Laminitis occurs if the animal ingests
feeds high in energy and carbohydrates,
resulting in a condition called ruminal acidosis.
• Subclinical laminitis is by far the most common
form of laminitis in goats. It occurs when goats
are overfed for a prolonged period of time.
• Chronic laminitis develops if acute or subclinical
laminitis is not recognized early enough. This
occurs when the hoof wall and sole horn
formation is disturbed.
• Treat with proper nutrition and environment
and antibiotics and anti-inflammatories (Vx).
Images: Lifestyle Vet Auckland NZ

39. White line disease or “shelly hoof”
• Defect of the hoof wall
• Hoof wall pulls away from sole of
foot forming pockets where mud
and stone can get stuck.
• Not usually painful but can lead to
serious problems.
• Can come and go.
• Poorly understood, multi-factorial:
nutrition, genetics
• Similar treatment as other diseases.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07STUxJCAAc

40. Best management
practices: hoof health
• Strict biosecurity.
• Regular checking of hooves, trimming as
needed.
• Hygienic environment (dry)
• Culling animals with hoof problems.
• Proper nutrition: energy , protein, vitamins,
and minerals (esp. zinc).
• For chronic problems, periodic foot bathing
or walk-thru foot baths (wet or dry).
• Vaccination to reduce incidence and
severity of disease (vaccine availability?)

41. Thank you.
Questions?
Comments?
SUSAN SCHOENIAN
Sheep & Goat Specialist Emeritus
University of Maryland Extension
sschoen@umd.edu
www.sheepandgoat.com
www.sheep101.info
www.wormx.info
Facebook @MDSmallRuminant