Infectious Pinkeye can be caused by viruses or bacteria and is medically termed infectious keratoconjunctivitis.
Pinkeye can be brought on by stress . stress from moving/transporting the goat, stress resulting from improper nutrition/under-feeding, stress caused by severe weather or dramatic weather changes, or stress arising from an underlying illness (abortion, pneumonia) . Stress reduces the immune system's ability to suppress the outbreak of Pinkeye. Do not underestimate stress induced through improper feeding. A poorly-fed goat is a goat on the verge of illness.
Flies do a great job of transmitting Pinkeye from goat to goat; keeping the fly population down is important. Shows and sales are ideal places for goats to pick up infectious Pinkeye. The viral mechanism that causes the abortion disease Chlamydia often begins with Pinkeye. Sometimes the first recognizable sign of an impending abortion is Pinkeye. Certain types of Pinkeye, particularly Chlamydia-induced infections, tend to be chronic (recurring) because the goat becomes a carrier. . able to infect others and have repeated bouts of the disease itself.
Pinkeye can be a serious illness in a goat. Early signs of Pinkeye include runny, red, and swollen eyes. The dark part of the eye (cornea) becomes hazy and then turns opaque (clouds over). The goat begins to lose its eyesight. If left untreated, blindness can occur. If corneal ulcers appear and perforate, the eye can rupture, sink into the eye socket, and infection can travel throughout its body. If prompt treatment doesn't take place, the goat can die.
Remove the goat from its herd and put it in a clean, cool, dry, shady location out of direct sunlight. Sunlight aggravates Pinkeye and delays healing. Make sure the pen is small but well ventilated; if the goat has lost or is losing its eyesight, it needs to be able to learn its boundaries quickly so it can locate feed, water, and shelter.
If the eye has not ulcerated, apply tetracycline (Terramycin) opthalmic ointment three or four times a day (minimum: twice a day) , using disposable gloves to prevent spread of the infection to other goats or people. Tetracycline eye ointments are the recommended treatment because tetracycline has the broadest spectrum of coverage for the types of organisms that cause Pinkeye in goats. Powders and aerosols, while effective, are irritating to the eye, particularly if ulceration has occurred. Therefore, powders and aerosols are not recommended.
Non-infectious Pinkeye generally falls into three categories: (1) Abrasions caused by outside irritants such as blowing dust or by the Listeriosis organism; (2) Vitamin A deficiency; or (3) Toxins, such as locoweed poisoning ("Dry Eye") or fire ant stings. Topical opthalmic ointments cited above are used to treat these conditions; in the cases of Listeriosis and Vitamin A deficiency, the underlying problem must also be cured.
Good Luck.
