Trichloroacetic Acid Spray for the Treatment of Foot Ulcers of Foot and Mouth Disease in Cattle

An attempt was made to evaluate the therapeutic effect of trichloroacetic acid (TCA) for ulcers of the hooves of 120 cattle affected with foot and mouth disease (FMD). Each hoof was cleaned and washed with water before using the TCA spray (2%) once daily. Biopsies were taken from the soft tissue lesions before and after10 days of treatment. These tissue specimens were processed routinely for histopathological examination. A marked improvement was seen in the pain inflicted by palpation of the affected hoof. Microscopically, coagulative necrosis of the soft tissue of the hoof was seen. An advanced stage of healing of the hoof ulcers was observed on 10th day post–treatment. It was concluded that 2% solution of TCA was an effective treatment of ulcers of the hooves of cattle affected with FMD.