Pinkeye is horrible this year!

[fnfarms1]

So last 3yrs we've had very little problems with pinkeye, had chalked it up to switching vaccines. Old vet retired so couldn't remember what vaccine it was, new vet gave me what he thought.
But a lot of guys in the area are saying same thing, it's bad this year. Caught 7-8 cows 0 calves 2wks ago for it and 6 cows, 4calves last nite.

That being said a lot of guys use Nuflor for pinkeye and swear by it. My old vet said BS, Nuflor concentrates in lungs for respiratory issues and wouldn't do much for eyes. I usually use LA300 @3cc/100, yes I could do 5cc. But I think 2cc in the eye and patch are the real healer. The 3cc/100 is just to cover basis while their caught

 

[Ky hills]

We’ve had quite a bit of pinkeye the last few years.
This year we’ve treated several calves probably 6-7, 3 cows and bull.
The seemingly odd thing is that a couple calves and the bull have had it multiple times.
Our vets are seeing similar in their herd and are wondering if the virus is staying in their noses and reinfecting them.
We’ve treated our Angus bull 3 times.
Typically we treat with LA 300 or Draxxin.
Vet says that LA 300 is currently not available and we had to get Bio-Mycin 200.
We keep a close watch and try to treat them very quick after seeing signs of pinkeye. We administer the antibiotic subcutaneously in the neck and sometimes use a patch.

 

[SBMF 2015]

LA200 was the go to for years when treating pinkeye. The last couple years it won’t touch it. Daraxxin is the new go to. Mastitis cream under their eye lids is soothing.

 

[ClinchValley86]

Free choice sodium bicarbonate. If its truly pinkeye, there's a ph imbalance in the rumen allowing the pinkeye, as well as hoof rot etc, to get a grip. Excessive protein often leads to that imbalance.

YouTube video - remineralizing cattle with Steve Campbell. He speaks on this. Makes a lot of sense IMO.

Ive had 7 calves tale chicory stalks INTO the eyeballs. Talking about a good size hole. Never did become pinkeye. Healed up within a week and vision is fine.
Ive not had actual pinkeye in 4+ years.

 

[kenny thomas]

Im gonna try the bicarbonate. I haven't had any pinkeye but not taking any chances.

 

[ClinchValley86]

Im gonna try the bicarbonate. I haven't had any pinkeye but not taking any chances.

I haven't used it yet, but ive got a neighbor talked into it. They leave protein tubs out 365 days a year. When i learned of the connection between excess protein and rumen PH, based on their frequency of pinkeye... it just made sense. So far, they've not had anymore pinkeye since leaving the SB out free choice.

It also helps maximize digestion from an efficiency standpoint.

That said, there is also something to do with apple cider vinegar and utilizing poor forage but that stuff is too expensive for my cheap a$$.

 

[Mountaintown Creek Ranch]

Free choice sodium bicarbonate. If its truly pinkeye, there's a ph imbalance in the rumen allowing the pinkeye, as well as hoof rot etc, to get a grip. Excessive protein often leads to that imbalance.

YouTube video - remineralizing cattle with Steve Campbell. He speaks on this. Makes a lot of sense IMO.

Ive had 7 calves tale chicory stalks INTO the eyeballs. Talking about a good size hole. Never did become pinkeye. Healed up within a week and vision is fine.
Ive not had actual pinkeye in 4+ years.

Excellent podcast.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[TCRanch]

Keep in mind, there are different strains of pinkeye. Even if you're vaccinating, are you protecting against just moxarella bovis? The entire county had horrible pinkeye a few years ago and my vet tested the strains and had an autogenous vaccine that targets moxarella bovis, moxarella bovoculi and mycoplasma bovis. I can't remember the last time I had to treat a cow for legit pinkeye (as opposed to an eye abrasion), but I did have a few calves during the aforementioned outbreak.

 

[farmerjan]

Pinkeye has been rough here this year also. Have been treating several at a time out to different pastures.. Dart gun getting it's fair share of use. Use Draxxin in the dart gun... we are trying to spray for flies whenever we go out to check cows, feed some grain to get them to come around and get many/most sprayed with the hand sprayer.
Talked to several farmers that say they are having a horrific time with it also.

One vet here has come up with an autogenous vaccine also... we did not know about it, this vet is not our "usual vet". But we keep a relationship with them also so we can easily pick up medicines as they are closer and I can go by there on the way to testing. Thinking about trying the vaccine next year??? Had some bad results with the last time we used a standard pinkeye vaccine, so have mostly stayed away from using it. After years of next to no pinkeye, got talked into using a standard one, and had more cases of pinkeye that year than we ever had in 10 years. Pretty much soured me on using it. Might have been our year to have problems but it was just too coincidental.
We try to keep heifers out of cows that seem resistant to it, and it seems that there is a natural tendency for certain "families" to not get it and other "families" to be susceptible to it.

 

[Dave]

I have never done it myself but have watched a number of times as someone in antibiotics into the eye. They use a fine needle and inject a small amount under the membrane layer. Clears it right up. Most of mine get a shot of draxxin from a dart gun.

 

[farmerjan]

We will use pen/dex combo under the eyelid membrane, and will use "today or tomorrow" mastitis medicine in the eye... it coats and soothes the tissues and does not sting... just a little squirt under the eye lid so when they blink it coats the eye surface. But this works only when you can get them in the chute. The ones out to pasture get darted.
If they get worked through the cute they ALWAYS get a shot of Vit A & D, also...

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

From the sounds of things it's much more common south of here.

Had a bull get pink eye this summer, draxxin and a dart fixed him right up.

That's the first case I've treated in over 10 years.

 

[SBMF 2015]

I think over the years we've tried just about everything to control pinkeye. Clipping pastures, locking cattle out of barns so they don't congregate so tightly, fly control in the mineral, CTC in the mineral, Long Range wormer, back rubbers, face flaps on the mineral feeders, double vaccinating with antagonist vaccine.
The treatments have ran the spectrum. LA200, Tetradure, injecting eye lids with penicillin and Dexamethazone, Draxxin, tetracycline puffers, some kind of spray that the vet made in their office ( tincture of lavender and gentle iodine) , sowing eyes shut, glue on eye patches.
Some of it worked pretty good for a while, some was a waste of time from the start.
Pinkeye in cattle is no different than any other disease it is always morffing into something that is resistant to the current treatment.
And if you don't have it this year just wait, you'll get another chance next year.

 

[Ky hills]

Pinkeye has been rough here this year also. Have been treating several at a time out to different pastures.. Dart gun getting it's fair share of use. Use Draxxin in the dart gun... we are trying to spray for flies whenever we go out to check cows, feed some grain to get them to come around and get many/most sprayed with the hand sprayer.
Talked to several farmers that say they are having a horrific time with it also.

One vet here has come up with an autogenous vaccine also... we did not know about it, this vet is not our "usual vet". But we keep a relationship with them also so we can easily pick up medicines as they are closer and I can go by there on the way to testing. Thinking about trying the vaccine next year??? Had some bad results with the last time we used a standard pinkeye vaccine, so have mostly stayed away from using it. After years of next to no pinkeye, got talked into using a standard one, and had more cases of pinkeye that year than we ever had in 10 years. Pretty much soured me on using it. Might have been our year to have problems but it was just too coincidental.
We try to keep heifers out of cows that seem resistant to it, and it seems that there is a natural tendency for certain "families" to not get it and other "families" to be susceptible to it.

We had a similar experience with the common conventional pinkeye vaccine, we used it last year and literally fought pinkeye all summer and fall throughout almost all of the calves and many of the cows.
Wife said never again to that. This year it’s bad and especially with certain individuals but not as widespread.

 

[sunnyblueskies]

Our Vet says Bio-mycin injection or penicillin topically.

 

[Lucky]

We had pinkeye in the herd for the first time this year. Had 1 calf that had it and gave him Draxxin. A week later we gave him another shot and then several days later noticed 6 or 7 more calves had it. Last Monday we vaccinated the whole herd and anything that looked like it had pinkeye got LA 300 injection and in the eye. Looking like it's under control now.

As @TCRanch says there's a couple different strains. We were originally told to give I-site which gets the Moraxella Bovis or summer pinkeye strain, but then advised to give the Moraxella Bovoculi or winter pinkeye vaccine. Ended up going with the Moraxella Bovoculi vaccine. The vet pretty much said take a guess but after talking with a few folks we decided to try the Bovoculi. The joys of having cattle.....

 

[ClinchValley86]

Pinkeye is a symptom to a larger problem. Larger problem being a compromised immune system cause by an acidic rumen achieved with excess protein... as per Mr Steve Campbell. Was an interesting take on things. He says foot rot is the same type thing... a symptom.

Grazing tender and young grasses are high in protein and low in fiber. Perfect storm for rumen issues.

 

[TCRanch]

I don't have an hour to spend watching the entire podcast. But here's what I know:
I've always vaccinated for pinkeye. Initially, only targeting moxarella bovis. Never had a problem except for an occasional here/there and it was generally during the winter when they had stemmy bales (hence, my previous legit pinkeye vs. abrasions). Then the entire county got hit. Thankful for our vet that took samples and figured out just what we were dealing with. Otherwise, it's just a guess. And hence the autogenous. Yes, it's expensive. But I weigh the cost of vaccinating vs. the cost of treating. And treating includes getting them in or getting rodeo, none of which is easy or pleasant when they're out to pasture. BTW Draxxin is my preferred method of treatment, which isn't cheap. Weigh that cost as well. We don't have the terrain to clip pastures. Too steep, too rocky, would definitely damage the blades on the brush hog and likely spark a fire. My primary defense is proactive fly control. Especially since until a couple years ago, we had an adjoining pasture where the landowner did squat with his cattle. Little-to-zero management on their part doubled the efforts on my part. And I have to be proactive as far as supplementing my herd when we're in an extended drought, which equals more protein in the form of cubes, tubs &/or putting out bales waaaay early in the season. Which segues into no tubs whatsoever and minimal cubes this year when we finally have rain, green, healthy pastures, and full ponds. Mineral is always available and in heavy tick season, with CTC. This year has been so bad with flies, the mineral now also includes garlic and altosid. Jury's still out on the garlic/altosid. The flies are that bad this year!! And yet, still no pinkeye. Knock wood.

But what about genetics? I know some of my cows and their subsequent lineage seem to attract more flies. But I also only retain heifers from cows that have zero health issues, which includes pinkeye, foot rot, etc.

 

[ClinchValley86]

I don't have an hour to spend watching the entire podcast. But here's what I know:
I've always vaccinated for pinkeye. Initially, only targeting moxarella bovis. Never had a problem except for an occasional here/there and it was generally during the winter when they had stemmy bales (hence, my previous legit pinkeye vs. abrasions). Then the entire county got hit. Thankful for our vet that took samples and figured out just what we were dealing with. Otherwise, it's just a guess. And hence the autogenous. Yes, it's expensive. But I weigh the cost of vaccinating vs. the cost of treating. And treating includes getting them in or getting rodeo, none of which is easy or pleasant when they're out to pasture. BTW Draxxin is my preferred method of treatment, which isn't cheap. Weigh that cost as well. We don't have the terrain to clip pastures. Too steep, too rocky, would definitely damage the blades on the brush hog and likely spark a fire. My primary defense is proactive fly control. Especially since until a couple years ago, we had an adjoining pasture where the landowner did squat with his cattle. Little-to-zero management on their part doubled the efforts on my part. And I have to be proactive as far as supplementing my herd when we're in an extended drought, which equals more protein in the form of cubes, tubs &/or putting out bales waaaay early in the season. Which segues into no tubs whatsoever and minimal cubes this year when we finally have rain, green, healthy pastures, and full ponds. Mineral is always available and in heavy tick season, with CTC. This year has been so bad with flies, the mineral now also includes garlic and altosid. Jury's still out on the garlic/altosid. The flies are that bad this year!! And yet, still no pinkeye. Knock wood.

But what about genetics? I know some of my cows and their subsequent lineage seem to attract more flies. But I also only retain heifers from cows that have zero health issues, which includes pinkeye, foot rot, etc.

Start around 20 minutes and listen to that section. Its called "acidic ir alkaline". Maybe youll think its hogwash. But a lot of people are having success with it.

Sodium bicarbonate is pretty cheap at my local coop. 20 bucks a bag qnd neighbor said they last pretty good.

 

[texoman]

Start around 20 minutes and listen to that section. Its called "acidic ir alkaline". Maybe youll think its hogwash. But a lot of people are having success with it.

Sodium bicarbonate is pretty cheap at my local coop. 20 bucks a bag qnd neighbor said they last pretty good.

What is your method of "feeding" it? Do you follow the ways outlined in the video or mix it in your regular mineral?