Pet Factsheets

Regular foot bathing is effective at cleaning mud, slurry, bacteria and other environmental material from skin and the interdigital space, thereby reducing the risk of skin damage.

Cows walking through a footbath ©Roger Blowey who wishes to acknowledge Provita for their assistance with this image.

Regular foot bathing may help to prevent heel horn erosion and thereby improve general claw condition. Foot bathing also helps to prevent superficial foot infections such as digital dermatitis and foul. Lameness is a significant economic and welfare issue for the dairy sector. Regular foot bathing is an important tool to help minimize lameness issues and maximize productivity and cow comfort.

There are a number of chemical choices to use in footbaths. Choices depend upon the conditions you are concerned about in your herd, environmental factors for disposing of solutions, availability in your locality, cost and safety to staff and animals. Most footbath solutions should be maintained between 3.5 and 5.5pH (slightly acidic) for optimal efficacy. Healthy skin has a pH of 4 – 5.5, so matching the pH of skin will also help to minimize irritation. pH meters are inexpensive and can be used to check footbath acidity.

Formalin

• Concentration: 2-4%.
• Formalin is banned in some countries due to concerns regarding human health and safety:
  • Class 1b carcinogen (cancer causing properties).
  • May cause chemical burns (to cattle and humans) at high concentrations (over 5%).
  • Noxious fumes – use only in a well-ventilated area and always follow the COSSH datasheet. Gloves, goggles and respirator should be used by the person mixing the solution.
  • Handling training required (covering points outlined in UK Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) sheet or other equivalent local regulations in other countries).
• Eventually breaks down into water and carbon dioxide.
• Stings when in contact with damaged skin, so cows may try to avoid placing feet in the solution.
• May be less effective in cold conditions (under 50^oF/10^oC).
• Effectively kills bacteria and bacteria do not develop resistance.
• Hardens hoof (through reduced moisture content; increases risk of slips and falls).
• Formalin footbaths are proven to reduce the incidence and severity of hoof lesions.
• Inexpensive.
• When introducing formalin, build the concentration up gradually to allow the herd to get used to it, i.e. 2% strength for a week, then increase to 3 or 4%.

Copper sulfate and acidified copper sulfate

• Concentration for copper sulfate solution: 5%.
• Concentration for acidified copper: 1-2%.
• Copper sulfate solutions have been preferred in some regions due to the lower human health risks compared to formalin.
• Copper sulfate is banned as a biocide in some countries due to the risk of waterway contamination and accumulation of high levels of copper in the soil. Copper sulfate is toxic to some aquatic life.
• Fields receiving contaminated slurry can be toxic to some crops and to animals grazing those fields.
• Copper stains blue and erodes galvanized metal.
• Residual action on skin means it can be used intermittently.
• Copper comes in crystal form and requires dissolving in water. In cold conditions, this may require warm water and the use of an acidifier to drop the pH to around 4, to increase the biocidal activity. Sodium bisulfate is commonly used to acidify copper sulfate footbaths, titrated to the optimal pH using a pH meter. In larger herds, the pH of the footbath may need to be checked and adjusted throughout milking to ensure that contamination of the footbath does not result in a suboptimal solution. Using acidified copper sulphate reduces the amount of copper sulfate used which is better for the environment and more cost effective.
• Inactivated by organic matter, so mud and slurry will quickly inactivate copper sulfate solutions.
• Acid may erode and damage concrete footbaths.
• Copper sulfate has antimicrobial and hoof-hardening properties.
• Relatively inexpensive, but costlier than formalin.
• Evidence indicate that regular use does effectively control infectious hoof lesions.

Zinc sulfate

• Concentration: 10%
• Zinc sulfate is occasionally preferred to copper sulphate as it is deemed less environmentally harmful. None-the-less, zinc is a heavy metal and careful consideration should be made about fields receiving slurry containing the spoilt foot bath solution.
• Generally higher concentrations of zinc sulphate are required to achieve similar results in the field compared with copper sulfate.
• Like copper, acidification aids the ionization of zinc (increasing biocidal activity).
• Can be hard to dissolve.
• Antibacterial and hoof hardening properties.
• Relatively inexpensive.

Peracetic acid and hypochlorite (parlor washings)

• Concentration of hypochlorite: 1-2 %.
• Concentration of peracetic acid: 1-3%
• Peracetic acid and hypochlorite are not recommended for footbaths, and have demonstrated little to no effect in improving foot health
• Peracetic acid and hypochlorite are easily inactivated by organic matter, so mud and slurry will quickly inactivate hypochlorite solutions.
• Peracetic acid may erode and damage concrete footbaths.
• Pungent odor.

Soap/detergent

• Can be effective in small, low challenge herds with additional good spot treatment, particularly in rotation with a residual biocide like copper.
• Inexpensive.
• Safe to use but soap may soften skin making it more susceptible to infections.
• May be slippery.

Organic acid solutions

• Available in commercial solutions for foot bathing use, and are suitable for organic herds
• Often contains tea-tree oil
• May be used successfully in low risk environments to help maintain foot health.

Antibiotics

First calculate the volume of your footbath by multiplying the length in cm, by the width in cm, by the depth in cm (depth that the solution is/will be, not the total depth of the footbath), ie: In this example:

• Depth: 12 cm (for sloping footbaths, take the average depth from the middle).
• Width: 80 cm.
• Length: 250 cm.
• 12 cm x 80 cm x 250 cm = 240,000 cm³.
• Divide by 1000, to change from cm³ to liters = this is a 240 liter volume footbath.
• Using 2% formalin as the example for a 240 l footbath, calculate how much formalin to add to the full footbath.
• To find 1% of 240 l, divide by 100: 240/100 = 2.4 l
• To make a 2% solution, multiply by 2: 2.4 l x 2 = 4.8 l.
• Therefore, 4.8 l of neat formalin need to be added to a 240 l footbath full of clean water to achieve a 2% solution.

Footbath chemicals should be stored safely and securely near the footbath.

Regulations for disposing of footbath solution vary between countries and are subject to change. It is advisable to seek advice from your local environment agency. At the time of publishing, the regulations in the UK allow for footbath solutions to be disposed of by mixing with slurry, which can then be spread on land in accordance with The Water Code (MAFF 1998).

Your vet should be your first port of call for information on foot bathing and foot health.