Monday, March 19, 2007

What's happening to my feet??!!!

I'm so so so lucky... Why would I said that? Because, my feet is now an official victim of "Foot Rot".

Did a research on the Internet for the desciption of "Foot Rot"

Term
Foot rot, as the name suggests, it rots away the foot of the animal. More specifically it occurs between the toes of the infected animal. It is extremely painful and contagious. It can be treated with a series of medications but if not treated others can also become infected.

The technical term for foot rot is infectious pododermatitis and it is an inflammation of the soft tissues between the toes and the feet.

The cause of the infection in cattle is two anaerobic bacteria (grow without oxygen), Fusobacterium Necrophorum and Bacteroides Melaninogenicus. Both bacteria are common to the environment that animals live in and the Fusobacterium is present in the rumen and fecal matter of the cattle themselves.

Usually there is an injury to the skin between the hooves that allows the bacteria to infect the animal. Another cause of foot rot may be due to high temperatures or humidity causing the skin between the toes to crack which will let the bacteria infect. This is one of the reasons that foot rot is such a major problem in the summer.

Signs
First sign of foot rot is swelling of the skin within 24 hours of infection. The skin between the toes may be very red and tender & The foot will have a foul odor.

Treatment
Suspected infected person must Clean the infected area thoroughly and seek medical attention as soon as possible. Next, keep the wound clean & dry and apply anti-biotic ointment to prevent further spreading. Repeat this process until the wound heals completely.

Prevention
Always dry both feets immediately afte a bath or shower [Especially in-between the toes].
If there's a need to wear socks for long hours, powder both feets and socks well, to absorb any possible moisture. Do the same for sweaty feets.
Change socks daily, to improve personal hygenie.

I guess I will have to be EXTRA careful for the next few months...

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