Morck DW, Olson ME, Louie TJ, Koppe A & Quinn B
Comparison of ceftiofur sodium and oxytetracycline for treatment of acute interdigital phlegmon (foot rot) in feedlot cattle.

J Am Vet Med Assoc, 212(2): 254-257, 1998
ISSN: 0003-1488 Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Abstract
Objective - To determine whether ceftiofur sodium would be useful for treatment of acute interdigital phlegmon (foot rot) in cattle. Design - Randomized controlled trial. Animals - 308 cross-bred yearling steers with clinical signs of acute interdigital phlegmon (ie, lameness with interdigital swelling, interdigital lesions, or both). Procedure - Steers were randomly assigned to 1 to 3 treatment groups: ceftiofur at a dosage of 0.1 mg/kg (0.045 mg/lb) of body weight, IM, every 24 hours; ceftiofur at a dosage of 1.0 mg/kg (0.45 mg/lb), IM, every 24 hours, and oxytetracycline at a dosage of 6.6 mg/kg (3 mg/lb), IM, every 24 hours. All animals were treated for 3 days; treatment was considered successful if animals were no longer lame on day 4. Biopsy specimens were collected prior to treatment from 5 animals in each group and submitted for anaerobic bacterial culture and histologic examination. Results - Success rates for he high-dosage ceftiofur (94/129; 73%) and oxytetracycline (87/128; 68%) groups were significantly higher than that for the low-dosage ceftiofur group (5/50; 10%), but there were no significant differences between the high-dosage ceftiofur and oxytetracycline groups. Anaerobic bacteria most frequently isolated from biopsy specimens were Porphyromonas levii and Provetella intermedia. Clinical Implications - Use of ceftiofur at a dosage of 1.0 mg/kg for treatment of cattle with acute interdigital phlegmon was as effective as use of oxytetracycline at a dosage of 6.6 mg/kg. However, ceftiofur has a negligible withdrawal time and, therefore, may be a better choice for treatment of near-market weight animals.