pink eye or just a cold

[LibauKid]

Hi there,

This past week it snowed here and coincidentally at the same time our goats started getting watery red eyes. Im assuming its pink eye but Im curious if it could be anything else.....(ie, could it be a cold or something).

As well, someone suggested using polysporin (the liquid eye drop formula) to cure this eye problem. Has anyone else tried this?

Thanks,
Carol

[UdderlySaanens]

I use Gentamicin Sulfate Solution for pink eye. Just 2 drops in each affected eye 2 times a day and they clear up in just a few days. Also you can use this drug as a shot for colds/Pneumonia. It is cheap and effective. I don't feed roll bales anymore because my goats tend to have eye problems from it. Since I have switched to square bales I haven't had any eye problems.

[bumpus]

.
For pinkeye I would just open the eye, and fill it full of salt.

It makes a great and cheep cure, and work real good.

I have used it on cattle too.

Salt will clean out and kill the infection, and help save the eye,
which will pop and bust if not taken care of.

.

[Stacy Adams]

Wouldn't salt crystals scratch the cornea??? and my DH, a PA, says that the salt would burn.. :no:

[mary,tx]

eeewwww I couldn't use salt either. Where do you get the Gentamycin Sulfate Sol? Is that script?
mary

[okiemom]

A warm salt water rinse will help( like natural tears). The salt will naturally kill secondary infections from occuring. It is much less painful. I don't dr. them w/ anything else because pinkeye will generally run it corse in a week to ten daysand they will recover just fine. If possible seperate that goat until symptoms dissapear. Just watch out for secondary infections. Wash hands because it is transferable. katharine

[LibauKid]

Thanks everyone for your helpful replies.

This weekend we had to try something so we've been wiping their eyes with a saline solution then applying a few drops of polysporin. Seems to have helped a bit because all except for two of the goats are back to normal.... The last two seem to have more severe of an infection so I think I will look into the gentamicin sulfate solution.

Thanks as well for the comment about hay bales. Never occured to me that could be the source of the problem. With the snow they don't go outside much and the hay bales are pretty dusty this year (bad hay crop year ) Makes so much sense its sad I didn't think of it....

Thanks again for your help!