The Hoof-Tec Complete™ Footbath System

The easy-to-use Hoof-Tec Complete™ Footbath System combines an all-in- one, pre-mixed liquid solution with an innovative pump that dispenses the solution into water at just the right concentration for simple, effective and uniform hoof treatment of dairy cows.

This system uses Hoof-Tec Complete™ a pre- mixed liquid blend of anti-microbial copper, safe acids, and hoof conditioning salts and minerals that eliminates the guesswork and errors when using dry products and water to prepare the footbath.

There’s nothing to measure or mix, no toxic chemicals to handle and no broken and empty bags to dispose of. Plus, it’s easier to use and less expensive than electric auto- mated pump and footbath systems, reports Rosemary Smithyman, who helped develop this system. “After cleaning the old solution out of the footbath, you just turn a valve to fill it back up. The pump is pre-set with the correct dosage,” she says.
Smithyman is one of the owners of Hoof- Tec™ Footbath Solutions. Based in Shreveport, La., the company develops, manufactures and markets products to help prevent and minimize infectious hoof conditions, such as digital dermatitis, foot rot and heal erosion.

Hoof-Tec Complete™, the all-in-one, low pH chemical solution used with the footbath system is highly effective against bacteria without causing tissue damage that can slow down the healing process and lead to infection, she notes. It contains no antibi- otics, requires no additional copper or zinc and its performance is unaffected by cold weather. The system itself features a water- driven, non-electric pump, which automati- cally mixes the concentrated liquid solution with water at the correct dosage. A hose line connects the pump to a footbath.

“You get a properly mixed footbath solu- tion every single time, regardless of the size of the footbath, for a more successful foot- bath program on your dairy,” Smithyman says. “It’s very simple, neat and affordable. Also, because our footbath blend contains no formaldehyde or similar substances, it’s safer for your cows and your workers. In fact, it’s safe enough to use by hand.”

Due to more efficient use of the solution, treatment costs with this system tend to be less than when using copper sulfate by itself, she notes. Once the Hoof-Tec Complete™ Foot- bath System is installed, she figures a single treatment costs about 7 to 10 cents per cow.

When installing the Hoof-Tec Complete™ Footbath System for a new customer, the effective- ness of the solution in the footbath is moni- tored several times during the milking shift using pH strips or meters. Depending on the amount of manure and volume of water in the footbath, a fresh 50-gallon footbath typically will treat 350 to 500 cows before it needs to be replaced, Smithyman reports.

The solution used with the Hoof-Tec Complete™ Footbath System is available in 50-gallon drums or 260-gallon totes through many dairy suppliers nationwide. No modifi- cations to the dairy facilities are required to install the system.

This system includes more than the hard- ware and the chemical solution. “We are a very hands-on company,” says Smithyman, who has had training in hoof trimming. “You’re not just buying a product and installation. You’re also buying our service. We work in partnership with the producer, the herdsman, other employ- ees and hoof trimmers to create a customized footbath program that works for them. We come to the dairy and help develop the most effective footbath program for their operation, and we follow up with regular farm visits to make sure they continue to get good results.” n