Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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METHOD FOR THE TREATMENT OF ANIMALS WITH HOOVES
Technical Field
The presently claimed invention relates to treatment of animals
and more particularly to a method and system for automatically
providing treatment fluids to hoofed animals,
Background Art:
Control and management of insects and other pests on
domesticated animals has proven challenging, costly, often elusive,
and frequently ineffective. Pests among dairy herds dramatically affect
the economics of animal production and milk production, a commercial
industry constituting a significant contribution to the gross national
product of the United States, It is estimated that the dairy cattle
industry, for example, produces $36 billion annually. Failure to deal
with pests can cause a number of problems, including irritations to
cows so severe that milk production suffers, disease pathogens
transmit from cow to cow, and a variety of regulatory rules and
regulations are violated for failure to treat such pests. The present
invention has provided exemplary solutions for solving problems arising
from pests among dairy herds as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,660
issued May 15, 2001; U.S, Pat, No. 6,651,589 issued November 25,
2003; 2001; U.S. Pat, No, 6,779,489 issued August 24, 2004; and U.S.
Pat. No 7,194,980 B2, issued March 27, 2007 (collectively, "Prior
Applications and Patents").
The problems solved by the Prior Applications and Patents
include a wide range of diseases, infections, and injuries to the feet
and other anatomical regions of animals and mammals, including cattle
that are part of dairy herds. In addition to treating diseases, infections
and injuries on the feet of dairy cows, it is useful to apply various
ingredients for preventative treatment to achieve resistance to diseases
and lacerations, to harden hooves to resist physical injury, and to
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achieve similar and related objectives. Livestock in a dairy herd are
susceptible to forming a variety of warts, abscesses, sole ulcers, foot
rot, heel cracks, and variations of lesions or infections on their feet
and/or hooves. These problems individually or collectively cause
livestock to suffer lameness, clubbed hooves, loss of body weight,
decreased milk production, and a decreased rate of conception. In the
present invention, the term "animal treatment problems" includes these
problems, but is not limited in any way.
U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 11/458,935 for an ANIMAL
FOOT TREATMENT SYSTEM filed July 20, 2006, and U.S. Publication
No. and US/2008/0121189 Al, published on May 29, 2008, present
exemplary solutions to such problems.
U.S. Patent No. 8,276,545 82, for ANIMAL FOOT TREATMENT,
issued October 2, 2012, presents another solution; however, this
system is complex and requires several external components to
provide control for the efficient application of the medicinal fluid to the
location of each hoof. The present application presents significant
improvements to this prior art patent, minimizing the complex
electronics, and simplifying the sensor mat.
Alternative apparatuses and methods suggested as solutions for
application of ingredients to animals are potentially hazardous both to
humans and to animals. For example, a common way to apply topical
solutions to hooves of animals is a form of bath, footbath. tub, or
container (in this document, "bath") through which an animal walks.
Concentrations of ingredients in baths used for chemical treatment of
animal foot problems render ineffective results because debris
deposited in the ingredients in the form of animal waste passes through
the bath. Accordingly, to insure continued efficacy of a bath, baths
need to be regularly cleaned and refilled with fresh ingredients.
Unfortunately, the cleaning and refilling of baths is generally a
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manual chore often ignored. After a short period, this results in an
inefficacious bath. Therefore, until development of the system shown
in the present invention, applying and maintaining precise
concentrations of ingredients has proven problematic,
Bath application methods are comparatively expensive and
inefficient: therefore, in an effort to achieve appropriate coverage and
treatment, excessive quantities of expensive chemicals and chemical
combinations are incorporated. Debris deposited in the bath acts to
reduce the efficacy of the footbath solution. As more animals pass
through the bath, the debris deposited continually degrades, rendering
the bath contents inefficacious. Therefore, to compensate for this
effect, the chemical concentration in the bath must be at sufficient
strength to insure that the contents of the bath will still be efficacious
when the last animal traverses the bath. Thus, the concentration of the
solution in the bath must be much stronger than required for the first
animal passing through the bath to be effective enough for the last
animal passing through the bath because of the degrading effect of
continuous debris deposition.
Baths in which animals place their feet may also cause pollution
and injury to animals and/or humans. For example, copper sulfate
commonly used in treating cows and the discharge of copper sulfate
from bath treatment systems into adjacent lands may cause significant
damage to croplands and is not sustainable because the legal limit for
discharge cannot exceed a determined parts per million. Another
chemical used extensively in the dairy industry is formaldehyde, which
causes burns to humans and animals, and can result in the loss of
eyesight and even death among workers. For these reasons, the
European Union has called for a ban of the use of formaldehyde, a
decision made more compelling because the United States recognizes
it as a known carcinogen. Formaldehyde in comparatively large
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concentrations in a bath application system may damage the feet of
cattle. Use of the animal treatment system disclosed in the present
invention eliminates those problems and others associated with
contamination, pollution, and injury caused by excessive
concentrations of one or more chemicals in a footbath system. At the
same time, it decreases the costs of effective applications of
ingredients.
For example, studies show that the animal treatment system
disclosed in the present invention may reduce the quantities of
expensive chemicals. The result is a significant reduction in the use of
costly chemicals, potential pollution, and accompanying costs.
As indicated, the animal treatment system disclosed in the
present invention is capable of selective discharge and application. A
consequence of selective targeting of expensive chemicals reduces the
overall costs of contending with animal treatment problems. The
animal treatment system of the present invention, therefore, provides
flexibility by allowing use of precise ingredients to treat a precise
problem.
Another problem with the prior art methods of treatment is that
all of the animals are treated equally during any treatment cycle.
However, certain animals may require more frequent treatments due to
certain or more severe conditions. Thus, a system to apply treatment
to predetermined animals more frequently than others is necessary.
One example among many is the treatment of digital dermatitis
also known in the dairy industry as hairy heel warts. Over 90% of the
time digital dermatitis generally occurs on the back of a cow's rear feet,
but is also known to occur between the cow's toes and/or claws and on
front feet as well. In the present application, due to the animal
treatment system's ability to selectively target specific anatomical
regions of a cow for treatment, studies have shown that chemical
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usage, as a result of this animal treatment system, can be reduced by
70% -90%. For treating digital dermatitis, the animal treatment system
of the present invention appears to be at least four times more efficient
to use than any other known footbath or bath treatment system.
Yet another advantage of the animal treatment system of the
present invention is treatment of varying conditions of an anatomical
region during varying cycles of an animal treatment regime. In a dairy
herd environment, the hooves of cows change solidity in direct
relationship to the lactation cycle of the cow. The term "lactation cycle"
refers to the period during which the mammary glands of a cow
produce milk. A cow entering commencement of a lactation cycle may
not have had foot treatment for the 2-4 month "dry period" before
calving and not being milked, and therefore was not passing through
the footbath. During that period, a cow's foot may become softer than
it was during the lactation cycle when routinely passing through a bath.
Softness may later result in development of significant abscesses,
ulcers, or erosions that will ultimately have to be treated. Additionally,
because cows typically are not exposed to baths during the "dry
period", certain foot lesions or diseases become more pronounced.
Use of the animal treatment system of the present invention allows
changes in chemical compositions of applications of ingredients to
reflect such varying problems, which are unique to the dairy industry.
The systems, apparatuses, and methods disclosed, illustrated,
and claimed in the previously filed patent applications by the Applicant
have proven useful for the intended purposes and applications
described in that document. However, the present disclosure provides
significant improvements to the actuating and delivery methods and
systems. The prior art systems work well in providing the treatment,
but the mat structure tended to wear out and fatigue after repeated
use. Therefore, a system was needed to prevent these conditions.
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The drawing figures, additional contributions to the art disclosed,
illustrated, and claimed in the present invention provide other
optimizations and embodiments in which the principles of operation,
with different configurations, result in additional features and uses.
Consequently, additional advantages, of the animal treatment system
disclosed, illustrated, and claimed in the present invention will become
evident. None of the currently available suggestions for addressing
animal treatment problems is as effective as the suggestions disclosed
in the presently claimed invention.
It is apparent that a need exists in the industry for a new and
useful system to treat animal feet and/or hooves that is capable of
applying precise amounts of ingredients, at precise times, and during
precise lengths of time. The applied
treatment is for selected
anatomical regions of animals to achieve a cost-effective and
treatment-effective application of these ingredients to overcome animal
treatment problems. Further, there is a need for the system to avoid
unnecessary complexities in the system. Additionally, to improve blood
flow in the hooves of animals that prevents or reduces swelling in their
feet, the present invention discloses an improved chemical compound.
Disclosure of the Invention
The presently claimed invention solves the aforementioned
problems. The
presently claimed invention provides for several
improvements to the pnor art systems. First, a chemical is presented
that improves blood flow in the hooves of animals to prevent or reduce
the swelling in their feet. Secondly, a simplified hoof treatment system
is implemented to make it practical and less expensive to manufacture.
This system does not require expensive electronic devices on the
footpad and relies on the properties of the footpad construction for
activation of the spray regime. Additionally, the mat structure has been
improved by stop bars on either side of each pressure sensor to limit
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the distance of compression on the pressure sensors. The pressure
sensors have also been redesigned with a firm flexible rubber tube, like
a PVC pipe, encased in a compressible material, such as rubber.
When pressure is exerted on the pressure sensor, the firm flexible
rubber tube presses against the top contact, that ultimately makes
contact with the bottom contact. This operates essentially as a switch,
activating the specific spray nozzles that are related to the pressure
sensor. Finally, a method and system are presented to treat only
selected animals so that the entire herd does not need to be treated or
to provide specific treatment to specific animals with specific
conditions.
Other objects, advantages, novel features, and further scope of
applicability of the presently claimed invention will be set forth in part in
the detailed description to follow. The description is to be used in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and in part will become
apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or
may be learned by practice of the claimed invention. The objects and
advantages of the claimed invention may be realized and attained by
means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed
out in the appended claims,
Brief Description of the Drawings
The features of the invention, and its technical advantages, can
be seen from the following description of the preferred embodiments
together with the claims and the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1A shows the preferred animal treatment system.
Fig 1B shows a blow up of the spray nozzle_
Fig. 2A shows a portion of the mat without hoof
compression.
Fig. 26 shows a portion of the mat with hoof compression.
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Fig. 3 shows the preferred spray pattern and location on
a hoof.
Fig. 4 shows a top view of the preferred mat.
Fig. 5 shows an exploded view of the mat and cover,
Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments
Loqical Sensor mat for Applinq liquids
As used in this disclosure, the term "foot" means not only the
terminal part of a vertebrate animal's leg, but also the hoof, the pad,
the pastern, the dewclaw, the hock and the portion below the knee or
hock on an animal such as a domestic bovine, Although the examples
discussed in this disclosure are limited to dairy cows, the claimed
invention includes treatment of any type of animal.
The claimed invention relates to the use of incorporating
spraying logic into the sensor mat to detect and apply various liquids
onto the feet of an animal or human. The system described in US
Patent 8,276,545 (hereinafter '545 patent) is complex and has sensitive
electronics that are not conducive to harsh dairy environments.
Another shortcoming is the cost and complexity making it only suitable
to be deployed in 500 cows, larger dairies or other large-scale
applications, Another disadvantage is that the electronics are very
complex and would require a trained technician to service and maintain
them. The presently claimed logic-sensing mat solves these problems
by eliminating expensive load transferring relays and associated wiring,
and vastly simplifies and reduces programmable logic requirements to
a very small compact disposable unit that can be replaced by service
personnel without intensive training
In the '545 patent disclosed above, the system used a mat with
11 sensors. When pressure was applied to those sensors, a signal
was sent to a processor that would in turn determine which valves
where to be opened to spray a desired pattern. In addition, there was
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settling time to allow the foot to fully land, and for foot rotation time,
meaning a continued spray after the foot lifted. All of these events
were controlled by a computer. The present design does not require
this complex system because the timing can be controlled by the
properties of the pressure sensors as well as timers.
Fig. 1 shows a typical system installation. Figs. 2-5 show the
new mat design. In mat 10, the compression of the foot or hoof 12 is
studied for depression and load bearing whereby pressure sensors 14
and spray nozzles 16 are placed at the correct spacing and angle to
provide the spray coverage necessary. Mat 10 as shown in the figures
is configured for dairy cows. Mat 10 in this embodiment has nine (9)
pressure sensors 14a through 141. Each pressure sensor 14 runs
along the length of mat 10, as shown. Spacing 18 between each
pressure sensor is optimized preferably so that each hoof 12
compresses at least two pressure sensors as shown in Figs. 2A and
2B. Pressure
sensors 14 essentially are switches, that when
depressed by a weight bearing hoof 12, establishes contact between
top contact plate 20 and bottom contact plate 22 that in turn activates
corresponding spray nozzles 16. Each
pressure sensor 14 is
configured to activate at least two spray nozzles, a first nozzle 16'
aimed towards a front 24 of hoof 12 and a second nozzle 16" aimed at
a rear 26 of the hoof 12.
Pressure sensors 14 are preferably configured semicircular
members 32, although any other configuration can be utilized.
Running along length 28 of each sensor 14 is a firm flexible rubber
tube 30, in the preferred configuration a PVC pipe, such as a flexible
Santoprene tube or the like. Firm
flexible rubber tube 30 is
embedded within semicircular member 32, as shown. Each
semicircular member 32 is constructed from a compressible or highly
elastic material, such as rubber. The elasticity or compressibility of the
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material should be optimized for the weight bearing or force exerted
upon it. For example, a full-grown male bovine can weigh up to 3000
pounds and have a vertical jump of 3 feet or more landing with a force
of over 20,000 psi. Thus, a thickness and type of compressible
material for semicircular member 32 needs to be selected based on
these criteria. The depth of firm flexible rubber tube 30 embedded in
semicircular member 32 should also be optimized to avoid breaking or
damaging firm flexible rubber tube 30 when in use. Also embedded in
semicircular member 32 is top contact plate 20. Top contact plate 20 is
preferably disposed directly below firm flexible rubber tube 30 so that
when pressure is applied to a top of firm flexible rubber tube 30, it
forces or pushes top contact plate 20 towards bottom contact plate 22.
Once sufficient pressure is applied, contact is made between top
contact plate 20 and bottom contact plate 22, essentially closing a
switch. Attached to top contact plate 20 and bottom contact plate 22
can be valve assemblies for allowing the flow of the treatment liquid to
hoof 12. Once the downward force is removed when the animal steps
off pressure sensor 14, the contact is opened and the spray is stopped.
A timer can also be utilized to turn off the spray, if desired. A delay in
activating and deactivating the spray nozzles can be included due to
the compression properties of the elastomers or via timers as
discussed above. In the alternative, instead of the sensors described
above, load cells can be utilized to detect pressure of the animal's foot
and to activate the spray regime as discussed above.
Another feature in the presently claimed invention are load
bearing or stop bars 34 that are disposed next to each side of each
pressure sensor 14, running along length 28 of sensor 14. Stop bars
34 are designed to prevent contraction of pressure sensors beyond a
predetermined distance 36. Stop bars 34 prevent damage to pressure
sensors 14 and lessen the amount of compressible material required to
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protect firm flexible tube 30 and top and bottom contact plates 20, 22,
Height 38 of stop bars 34 should correspond to distance required for
achieving contact between the top contact plate 20 and bottom contact
plate 22, hereinafter predetermined distance 36. Stop bars 34 can be
constructed from any type of rigid or semi-rigid material, again
depending on the force exerted by the animals being treated.
Preferably, a top cover 40 is disposed on top of all of pressure
sensors 14, as show for additional protection of pressure sensors 14
and to keep debris and moisture from pressure sensors 14. Top cover
40 can be constructed from a compressible or highly elastic material,
such as rubber. By using a compressible material for top cover 40, the
thickness of semicircular members 32 can be lessened_
The preferred mat as described above determines a settling
time before the valves activate. In addition, the hardness firm flexible
rubber tube 30 in mat 10 provides for a specific delay in operating the
valves, as discussed above. Thus, no external timing control is
required, only different types of material. This material timing system
also operates to provide a timing delay in turning off the valves by
providing differing "rebound' times when the force of the hoof is
removed causing pressure sensor 14 to return to its original condition.
These advancements negate the need for costly and complex
electronics, thereby reducing the cost and simplifying the device to be
used by smaller facilities, and applications that are more diverse.
Topical Anti-Inflammatory/Vasa Dilator
During acidosis, brought on by "slug" feeding bovines, acidic
levels change and trigger histamine reactions within its body, one of
the points that are sensitive to this change are in its hooves. During
those changes. capillaries reacting to histamines constrict to stop blood
flow and release microphages and other white blood cells to counter
what the animal's body is reading as a forging invasive organism. This
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leads to swelling in a space where a stiff horn wall surface does not
allow expansion. As swelling starts, the swelling leads to compression
and hemorrhaging of the cells on the micro level, leading to laminitis,
lameness, white line disease, abscess, and ulcers on the macro level,
It was discovered in the field that the frequent use of topical anti-
inflammatory/vase dilation could successfully prevent this condition to a
large degree. Therefore, a solution of 1,5%-7.5% of magnesium
sulfate in water was used in the field test. Although this disclosure
discusses magnesium sulfate any well known anti-inflammatory
solution can be used. The number of treatments applied by a hoof
trimmer to correct laminitis issues to a herd of 3200 cows was as
follows:
= In 2011, untreated animals required 462 surgical
operations that were performed to remove large amounts of the
cow's foot so that the blood and inflammation could drain and
then a block was adhered to the treated foot to remove the
pressure from the surgical site over a 5-month period.
= In 2013, with treatment using the disclosed topical anti-
inflammatory in the same herd, only 237 cows required surgical
operations described above for a similar 5 months period.
= Thus, a difference of 48.7% between untreated cows to
treated cows,
Identification For Treatment of Specific Animals
In dairy herds, there are different hoof problems that exist that
only affect a small number of animals in a herd at a given time;
typically, the number would be 30-100 incidents per 1000 cows, A
footbath is common for the prevention of these diseases, meaning only
after the cow has a lesion of 4 mm or larger will these prevention
methods be ineffective. After that, a stronger and more concentrated
formula must be used to cure these diseases. Typically, these cows
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are introduced into the herd when they start their first lactation or
during non-lactating periods and then re-introduced into the herd.
During these times, preventative hoof treatments stop and re-infection
can and does occur. This system gives the producer the ability to tag
or choose an animal that the system will recognize and alter its normal
preventative function to an effective treatment function. This can be
seen in Fig. 1A. A tag 42 can be placed on an animal for this special
treatment. Tag 42 can be a transmitting sensor recognized by receiver
46 causing a computer or controller to initialize the treatment system
for actuation upon hoof pressure on the mat as disclosed above. Tag
42 can be a microchip using radio frequency identification (RFID) or
any other well-known system. The tag can also be visual or audio,
whereby a user can manually initiate the treatment system. Another
benefit of this treatment on dairy animals is stress that can induce
worse problems such as laminitis, abscesses, ulcers, and white line,
but can be prevented by allowing the treatment to be done without
disrupting the animal's normal eating routine.
Without this system, an animal that has an infection needs to be
sorted out of their pen, and placed in a pen where a hoof trimmer
comes and cuts away the lesion, then applies a concentrated topical
powder, and then wraps the hoof. During this time, the animal is under
stress, in a strange area, with strange cows, which are seeking to
establish a new social order, causing the cows to reduce feeding until
the order is established.
Although the claimed invention has been described in detail with
particular reference to these preferred embodiments, other
embodiments can achieve the same results. Variations
and
modifications of the presently claimed invention will be obvious to those
skilled in the art and it is intended to cover all such modifications and
equivalents.
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-11-27
