How To: Trim Your Goats’ Hooves

Trimming your animals’ hooves may seem like a daunting task to begin with, but once you get the hang of it, you will see that it is an easy and fast way to keep your animals happy and healthy! Find information about the basics below and then watch our “how-to” video to see a real example.

What are the basics?

• A goat’s hooves are made of the same material as your fingernails and like fingernails, hooves continue grow and need regular trimming.
• How often you need to trim your goats’ hooves will vary from goat to goat. At Pasado’s Safe Haven, we trim our goats hooves once a month, but some goats may be able to go a little longer between trims.
• Doing a hoof trim every 4-6 weeks is a good practice! It will help keep out debris and tidy up ragged edges. Doing so keeps the goat’s hooves healthy and ensures you find possible issues, like hoof rot or wall separation, faster.
• When a hoof is overdue for trimming, the outside wall curls under. This traps mud, manure, and moisture, which can lead to infection and lameness.
• When you finish trimming, the bottom of the hoof should be level and parallel to the growth rings. The two toes should be the same length.
• The easiest time to trim is after hooves have been softened by grass dampened from rain or dew.
• Trimmers can be purchased at your local feed store and should be sanitized between goats.

What happens if you don’t keep up with hoof trims?

• HOOF ROT – Hoof rot is a bacterial infection on the surface of the foot that is more prevalent in wet, rainy climates such as the PNW. When trimming, any of the hoof that looks like it is affected with hoof rot should be trimmed out. You may also need to rinse the area with a copper sulfate solution (we use Hoof n’ Heel although there are other types available). If the infection is deep in the hoof, it may need to be rinsed using Hoof n’ Heel for a few days.
• DISCOMFORT – If hooves are not trimmed, they will continue to grow and make it uncomfortable (and eventually painful!) for the animal to walk.

Have further questions about adopting or caring for a ruminant?
Email us at Adoptions@PasadoSafeHaven.org or call Pasado’s Safe Haven at 360-793-9393.