Mistral used in Footbaths

Mistral is used in the dairy industry to keep the foot dry and the skin healthy, therefore helping to prevent hairy heel wart.  A dry foot is less likely to be a breeding ground for the bacteria that cause hoof infections.

Mistral also absorbs ammonia, which is a major cause of open foot sores due to burning.  The reduction in ammonia will remove one of the direct causes of sore feet in dairy cattle.

Mistral contains essential oils that moisturize and sanitize the skin of the foot.  Keeping the skin healthy is the first step to protecting the animal’s natural defense system.  The oils in Mistral also serve as an insect repellent. 

Lameness is the third most significant cause of economic loss in the dairy industry, behind reproduction problems and mastitis. Pain from weight bearing on sore feet can cause a decrease in feed intake, milk production and body weight.  The combined effect of all these factors can also influence reproduction.  The longer the pain lasts, the greater the economic loss.

Hairy heel wart, or Papillomatous Digital Dermatitis, is a major problem causing lameness in dairy cattle. It is estimated that 70% of all US dairy herds have hairy heel wart.  The disease is not fully understood, but is believed to come from a spirochete-type anaerobic (non-oxygen utilizing) bacterium that produces wart lesions.

The lesions from hairy heel wart are usually found at the back of the rear feet, near the heel bulb, or between the dew claws. The hairy heel wart bacteria proliferates in the anaerobic environment of slurry and enters through open sores in the cow’s foot.

A primary cause of open sores on the cow’s feet is ammonia gas.  The ammonia hydrolyzes from the urea in urine, and burns the hide on the cow’s heel.  This burning of the heel tissue results in open sores that are susceptible to invasion by the heel wart bacteria.

Keeping the hoof dry and the skin of the legs healthy will dramatically reduce the incidence of foot problems in dairy cattle, saving the producer valuable time and money. Mistral is the choice of dairy production specialists world wide when it comes to keeping the environment for livestock sanitary.   

Mistral used in footbaths will keep the hoof dry and the skin healthy therefore preventing, or healing, open sores before wart causing bacterial infection sets in.