Lameness is the sign that brings you to the foot
Hoof rot — footrot — is a bacterial infection of the skin between the toes, and it rarely affects a single animal quietly. The first sign most keepers notice is lameness spreading through a group: a ewe limping at the back of the flock, a goat holding one front foot off the ground, animals grazing on their knees because standing on sore front feet hurts, or sheep reluctant to walk to feed at all. Front feet are commonly worst. Because several animals are often affected within days of each other, group lameness on wet ground should always make you pick up feet rather than assume injuries — one lame animal might be a sprain, but four lame animals are an infection until proven otherwise.
What the foot itself shows
Catch the animal and lift the foot. Hoof rot has a smell you will not mistake once you know it: a strong, rotten odor quite different from ordinary barnyard smells. The skin between the claws is where it starts — red, moist and raw-looking, sometimes with a grey-white film of dead tissue — and in established cases the infection undermines the hoof wall, separating it from the foot so the claw feels loose and pockets of decaying material collect underneath. There may be heat in the foot and a slight swelling above it. Compare with a sound foot on the same animal: the contrast between dry, pale, firm interdigital skin and the wet, sore breakdown of an infected foot makes the diagnosis much clearer.
Why wet ground and crowding drive it
The bacteria involved thrive where feet stand in moisture and mud for long periods, and damaged, waterlogged skin between the toes lets them in. Outbreaks follow wet seasons, muddy gateways, heavily stocked pens, and the churned ground around feeders and water troughs where every animal in the flock queues daily. Newly bought animals can carry it into a clean flock, which is why feet should be inspected during quarantine before a newcomer ever stands on your pasture. Long, overgrown hooves make matters worse by trapping mud and moisture against the skin, so herds whose trimming has slipped are often the herds that get hit hardest.
Responding, and when to bring in the vet
Start by inspecting every animal in the group, not just the lame ones, and trim away loose, separated hoof horn so air can reach the tissue; isolate the worst cases on dry ground where you can treat and re-check them, and move feeders to cleaner ground. Repeated cases, lameness that does not improve, swelling climbing the leg, or an outbreak racing through the flock are all reasons to involve your vet, who can judge whether the whole group needs a coordinated approach and whether what you are seeing is straightforward footrot or a look-alike condition. Record each animal's treatment dates, trimming notes and the vet's advice in KinsLe's Pet Passport, so when feet are checked again next month you know exactly which animals improved and which are repeat offenders worth a harder look.