Herd Health
Cows & Buffaloes
FMD (Muh-Khur) — Soft Feeding Through the Mouth-Sore Weeks
Updated 26 Aug 2026 • By Falah Nutrition Desk, Animal Nutrition Advisor
Foot and mouth disease rarely kills adult cattle — but it starves them. Mouth blisters make every bite agony, foot sores make standing at the trough painful, and a fortnight of near-fasting wrecks milk, condition and sometimes the whole lactation. Vaccination prevents; when it strikes anyway, kitchen-soft feeding saves the season.
Common Signs
- Sudden heavy drooling with smacking lip sounds
- Blisters then raw sores on tongue, gums and dental pad
- Lameness — blisters between claws and at the hoof band; animals shift feet or refuse to stand
- Fever, dullness, and milk crashing
- Animal approaches feed hungrily, then backs off after a painful attempt
Possible Causes
- A highly contagious virus spreading on breath, saliva, people, vehicles and shared water
- Cloven-hoofed livestock all susceptible — it runs through mixed sheds
- Missed vaccination rounds leaving gaps in protection
- Markets, mixing and movement seeding new outbreaks
- Recovered and carrier animals maintaining regional circulation
What the Farmer Should Check
- Vaccination record: are the twice-yearly FMD rounds up to date?
- Mouth and feet of a drooling or suddenly lame animal (with clean hands, gloves if possible)
- Separation: can sick animals be isolated with their own bucket and trough?
- Is the animal drinking? Fluids fail before feed does
- Daily condition through recovery — is she nibbling more each day?
Feed Guidance
During the sore weeks the ration must chew itself: soft green chaffed fine, warm wet bran mash, well-moistened compound feed made into a soft slop, tender fodder over coarse straw, everything fresh and offered several times daily. Lukewarm water constantly available — sore mouths refuse cold water long before they refuse food. Feed at comfortable height so an animal with sore feet needn't shuffle, and bed generously so lying is easy. Absolute discipline on separation and shared utensils, since everything the sick mouth touches becomes infectious. As sores heal over one to three weeks, walk feeding back toward normal gradually. And when the vaccination round next comes to your area — be first in line; twice a year, every animal.
Relevant GOKA Products
Dairy Cows & Buffaloes
Under 15 liters/day
Best when green fodder is scarce
Dairy Cows & Buffaloes
10-15 liters/day
Maintains milk fat, prevents repeat breeding
When to Contact a Veterinary Doctor
Report suspected FMD to your veterinary doctor promptly — for care of secondary infections, guidance on outbreak control, and because containment protects every neighbour's herd too.
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