puss in eye (Highland)

[boyd5212]

It started a week ago, one Highland cow 4 years old had puss in her left eye; over the next couple days we observed left eye cleared up and right eye was goopy and within a day or so it cleared up.

Now our other Highland cow, 6 years old, has puss in her left eye. Little bull looks fine right now.

We don't see any other problems; the eyes look clear otherwise. The animals appear healthy, eating good, active. We are in temperatures of 0 to -15 C (32 to 10 F).

Any input would be appreciated.

[wr]

Do you happen to be feeding coarse hay with a ring feeder? Occasionally, when cattle eat from a feeder, they'll have some eye irritation. Dust in your feed can also cause little eye infections. I would watch it closely and if it persists, I'd likely either treat or call the vet and look for suggestions.

[Jennifer L.]

There's a host of diseases in cattle that it could be. They generally all are grouped under BRD (bovine respiratory disease). If your cows show no more than the problem with the eyes they don't sound like they are in any danger from it. You might want to get them vaccinated before next winter, though.

Jennifer