Pnkeye running rampant...

[Rockin'B]

...in our area this year. I know of 4 herds around me that have it bad and my bull calf has come down with it now.
LA200 was given last weekend and it's improving but I think we are going to have to give another shot of another antibiotic.
This pinkeye is really troublesome for cattlemen this year. The vet reports that it is all over the place.
Unseasonably wet weather, lots more bugs and flies this year.

What a pain!

[JKB07]

Did you give him a shot of LA200? You need to put the LA200 directly in the eye. Not a shot in the eye, but squirt it i n with a saringe and hold the eye closed for a few seconds. this should take care of it.

JKB

[agmantoo]

There are two types of pinkeye. One type will spontaneously heal, this is the more frequent type. You hear tell of people doing all types of things to cure pinkeye such as putting salt in the eye, many of these "treatments" are probably worse to the animal than the pinkeye. IMO the best thing to do is to wait up until 2 weeks have lapsed. If the pinkeye has not cured itself then start treatment. The small white spot that occurs sometimes from having had pinkeye is one of the few things that is not discount for at time of sale.

[Rockin'B]

He was given a shot of LA200 Sub-Q a week ago and today the vet shot something directly into the eye. I wasn't there when he did it so I don't know what he gave.
He's on the mend now but the neighbors are really having a hrad time with it.

[G. Seddon]

I have never heard of pinkeye healing spontaneously. Our vet recommends Biomycin 200 and, in some cases, a patch over the eye. If you wait two weeks, you might end up with a blind cow. Pinkeye is very contagious, carried by flies. Keep your pastures mowed to minimize tall grass irritating the eyes and use a good fly control product (Durasect II is a good pour-on).

[ksfarmer]

Lots of pinkeye around here too. My vet squirts penicillin into the eye and stiches the eyelids shut. When the stiches degrade and come out, the eye is healed. All for just under $100, LOL. Next couple with same problem were watched for a couple of weeks, eyes healed (left white spots), cost just under nothing.

[agmantoo]

G.
We do not know each other but I post often here and have decent credibility. I do not employee the services of a vet unless I have a major problem. To date I have never had a vet on the farm. You have to trust me on this one. It is my intent to be a lost cost producer and avoiding vet bills is one of the means of doing this. Over time I have had a number of members of this site to visit. I think each one will vouch that I take care of my animals and that the cattle present themselves as well cared for grass fed commercial beef animals.

[randiliana]

We rarely have a problem with pink eye. But when we do have it, we don't wait to treat it. It can be hard enough to treat if caught early, and nearly impossible to if caught late. We have a cow that is blind in one eye due to pink eye. I will guarantee you, that we will be docked severely (if they don't pass her through) if we were to take her to sell. Calves will also be docked, because the last thing any feedlot/producer/person wants is to have pink eye running through his entire herd. Pink eye is spread by contact and flies and can start if an eye is injured or scratched, and grass seeds are a prime object for causing injury.

For treatment, we have found that a shot of LA 200 works well, but may need to be readministered. I personally wouldn't be putting LA 200 into the eye. Another treatment recommended by our vet is to inject 15cc of Long acting penicillin into the eyelid.

[Jena]

I am with Agman on this one. I usually just didn't bother treating pink eye. It was a waste of time and money.

They did not get better any faster with treatment, then they did without it. There weren't any more lasting effects with treatment than without it. I was never docked for a calf that had had pink eye, but then I wasn't selling when they actively had it either. I never had an animal become permanently blind.

I'll say it again...treating pink eye is a waste of time and money.

For those who don't know, I used to have a 100+ head herd and did cow/calf.

Jena

[JKB07]

Originally Posted by Jena

I am with Agman on this one. I usually just didn't bother treating pink eye. It was a waste of time and money.

They did not get better any faster with treatment, then they did without it. There weren't any more lasting effects with treatment than without it. I was never docked for a calf that had had pink eye, but then I wasn't selling when they actively had it either. I never had an animal become permanently blind.

I'll say it again...treating pink eye is a waste of time and money.

For those who don't know, I used to have a 100+ head herd and did cow/calf.

Jena

You sure they didnt come out blind in the infected eye? Ill tell ya, that is some terrribale advice youve given.... Blue eyed cattle are docked big time around here. I do agree if left untreated long enough and then you treat them, it is usually too late. But if caught in time you can easily treat with success and not lose they eye or money and will help with not spreading it to the rest of the heard....


JKB

[ksfarmer]

Originally Posted by agmantoo

There are two types of pinkeye. One type will spontaneously heal, this is the more frequent type. You hear tell of people doing all types of things to cure pinkeye such as putting salt in the eye, many of these "treatments" are probably worse to the animal than the pinkeye. IMO the best thing to do is to wait up until 2 weeks have lapsed. If the pinkeye has not cured itself then start treatment. The small white spot that occurs sometimes from having had pinkeye is one of the few things that is not discount for at time of sale.

Gotta stay with agmantoo on this one. I do agree pink eye may heal faster if treated but do the economics justify it??. Very rarely will a critter go blind in the eye, they do have a "blem" and may be some loss of vision , but feeders are not discounted because of it in this area. Discounting sale price only comes into play when selling breeding stock, and that's a whole nother ballgame.
I might add, don't confuse pink-eye with cancer eye!

[randiliana]

Well, treat or don't treat, it is your decision. But, here is the result of leaving a cow too long before treating her. Now, her only worth is in what she can raise for a calf. We won't be able to sell her as a cull around here. There is only one place for her when she comes up dry.



Here is some more info about it.

http://news.uns.purdue.edu/html3mont...r.pinkeye.html

http://www.cattlenetwork.com/merial_...ntentID=139126

http://www.iowabeefcenter.org/pdfs/bch/03235.PDF

[Shagbarkmtcatle]

[QUOTE=randiliana;3244963]Well, treat or don't treat, it is your decision. But, here is the result of leaving a cow too long before treating her. Now, her only worth is in what she can raise for a calf. We won't be able to sell her as a cull around here. There is only one place for her when she comes up dry.




I also agree with this, pinkeye must be treated or you end up with a blind animal with an off colored eye. This animal is docked at the sale auction in our area. If I treat early at the first sign, I have complete success with LA200 with no scaring or blinding. The ones that had been left too long and then treated will get better but they have blue-eye. A blue eye is a damaged eye.


]

[glenn amolenaar]

I also agree with agmantoo. I use preventive measures although I dont know if they really work. The main thing is keep the grass short to prevent eye issues the other I usually keep a yellow (sulfur) salt block out. Forgot the yellow block this season had our first pinkeye in several years.
Glenn

[Chaty]

I agree it is better to treat. I treat mine and had quite a few cases this year also ..never had this many before. I treated mine with LA200 in the eye and the 1's that were really bad got shots also...whats the cost of a larger bottle? Its inexpensive compared to a cow that cant see thru the blur and hurt by the others. My vet agrees with me here and has told many to do the same. I always treat if I see it and wont let it go untreated.JMO

[agmantoo]

How about a little history on the animal in the above pic? How far along is she since having caught pinkeye? More of less than 2 weeks?
I know for a fact that if I had read what I posted I would not have believed the statements had I not witnessed this first hand. I live in fly country and I have had cattle with pinkeye and I use to treat every case. I also take preventive measures. Additionally I know that most vets will recommend treatment. Possibly I would to if it were as rewarding to me as it is to them. Admittedly I am down on vets and attorneys as a rule. In my mind those two professions are the ones that aways come out ahead. I digress. I read all 3 articles referenced above. I said initially there were 2 types of pinkeye. The more common one is the type that will heal without intervention. I stated there could be a white spot. Here that is not a reason for culling. In actuality, with a brood cow I find that if she has the white spot she is unlikely to have a reoccurence of pinkeye. Contrary to one of the articles posted above I seldom, if ever, have a nursing calf with pinkeye. Have you noticed that in the discussions above that almost all of the cases refer to a treatment and then improvement? If so, then also look at the timing referenced. Treatment after having contacted pinkeye for a week or so, improvement and or results after a period of two weeks or so after observing the onset of the pinkeye. Is it coincidental that is the same period that I mentioned that the more common strain of pinkeye will spontaneous heal? How many of your vets want to worm your animals every 6 months? How many of you think it is necessary to worm each animal on a regular basis? What do you think is the impact to your pastures of dumping that pesticide treated manure on to you grazing areas? Ever wonder why the cattle pats remain so long or why your pastures do not look as good as you want them to? Maybe you need to venture outside the norm promoted by the professionals and the suppliers. You may surprised at how profitable your operation could be.

[randiliana]

That cow got pinkeye as a 3 year old, she is now over 10 years old. She has had that eye for the last 7 years. As for them not ever having a reoccurence of pinkeye, I have to disagree. She had a case of pinkeye in the other eye about 3 years ago. Was pretty bad, she was blind in both eyes. Made it pretty interesting getting her in to treat. We were fortunate, and with treatment, she healed completely. We have had calves, yearlings and cows with it, although we don't often have a real problem with pinkeye. We have had cows that ruptured they eye, although she did heal up almost as good as new, and was amazingly not blind in that eye. I have never seen a case of pinkeye heal on it's own, and as it is likely that by not treating I am reducing my gains, I believe I will continue to treat, rather than risk having an animal feel poorly or end up with a blind eye like the cow in the pic.

You can go your way, and I will continue on my way. We use some of the recommended procedures, and leave some of them on the table. We worm all our calves in the spring, it help with their growth by reducing the worm load they are carrying and keeping the flies off of them. I don't notice a big problem with cow patties on the pastures. I have a good working relationship with our vet, and think he has a lot to offer me. Doesn't mean I don't look for alternate advice if I don't agree with him, but it does mean that I consider what he has to say valuable.

[JKB07]

agmantoo, your advise stinks, and is misleading to the OP. I would just stop...


JKB

[Shagbarkmtcatle]

Originally Posted by randiliana

That cow got pinkeye as a 3 year old, she is now over 10 years old. She has had that eye for the last 7 years. As for them not ever having a reoccurence of pinkeye, I have to disagree. She had a case of pinkeye in the other eye about 3 years ago. Was pretty bad, she was blind in both eyes. Made it pretty interesting getting her in to treat. We were fortunate, and with treatment, she healed completely. We have had calves, yearlings and cows with it, although we don't often have a real problem with pinkeye. We have had cows that ruptured they eye, although she did heal up almost as good as new, and was amazingly not blind in that eye. I have never seen a case of pinkeye heal on it's own, and as it is likely that by not treating I am reducing my gains, I believe I will continue to treat, rather than risk having an animal feel poorly or end up with a blind eye like the cow in the pic.

You can go your way, and I will continue on my way. We use some of the recommended procedures, and leave some of them on the table. We worm all our calves in the spring, it help with their growth by reducing the worm load they are carrying and keeping the flies off of them. I don't notice a big problem with cow patties on the pastures. I have a good working relationship with our vet, and think he has a lot to offer me. Doesn't mean I don't look for alternate advice if I don't agree with him, but it does mean that I consider what he has to say valuable.

I agree, I will treat pinkeye in my herd, I don't use a vet either, I do it myself. I also use preventive measures. This year I experiemented and tried Redman salt mixed with kelp and I haven't used any pesticide or dusting bags with this small group of cattle and I have not had any pinkeye on this particular farm so far this year. On my main grazing farm, I've had multi cases and I am using rubs and other direct treatments to control flys but not the Redman salt and kelp. I am having to treat the cattle for pinkeye when I find it. I've had to use LA200 because of this.

[Ken Scharabok]

Be advised there is a vaccine for pinkeye. Don't have a Jeffers' catalog handy, but seems like it is/was about $.50 a treatment.