Calf lost an eye, what would you do??

[EIEIO]

Over the years I've had my share of pink eye and other eye problmes with my cattle. Seems like the results are always the same. If I can catch it just when the eye starts to cloud up a dose of LA-200 will cure it up. If it has gotten red or an absess has started the cow or calf will usually lose sight in that eye however depending on how bad the absess was I've had them bounce back and get their sight again.

Was out last night checking a small herd of cattle that I have a good distance from my replacement heifers and noticed one calf with what looked like the worst case of pink eye I'd ever seen. Real hard to get up close to the calf which is usually pretty docile, made it evident it had lost it's sight in the one eye. Eye was red and white, looked almost bloody. I checked this group of cattle within the last 5 days and the calf was fine then. The calf has also lost a good deal of hair under the eye where it looks like it's been weeping for some time but I know it's problme had to have started within the last 5 days.

Guess my question is what would you do? Treat the eye or just leave it alone. Like I said whenever It's gotten this bad in the past it don't seem like treating had any advantage over not treating. Don't even know if it's pink eye, may have just poked it or had something in the eye.

Thanks for listening.

J

 

[mnmtranching]

Theres an infection there, and most likely a fever. I would give antibiotics. Best thing would be treatment and a patch. If it doesn't heal the calf will be worth nothing, and if it does heal not worth much. I saw a cow go though the auction last week with a bloody runny eye 2$ per hundred. Good Luck!

mnmt

 

[cfpinz]

I would definately catch him and treat his eye. If possible, seperate him from the others somewhere you can see him daily. You would be surprised how some animals will improve with treatment. We had a herf steer last year that got pinkeye so severe that it actually smelled rotten before I found it, looked very much like you described. Shot penicillan in the eye, patched him, and gave a shot of LA200. When I sold him, he only had a small white dot in his eye. Some will improve leaps and bounds and some will not, but one thing for sure - by not treating him you won't be doing him any favors.

cfpinz

 

[randiliana]

I would treat it. If you don't the calf will be blind for sure, if you do there is a possibility that it will heal. We had a cow that ruptured her eye (pinkeye) and we treated her and she healed up well and can see.

A cow that is blind in an eye can still lead a productive life, and if it isn't replacement material you can always fatten it up and eat it.

 

[Howdyjabo]

Treat it
You would be amazed at what kind of messes I have seen and the calves have gotten their eye sight back.

Even if stays blind and you have it pegged as a replacement she still has almost the same value to you-- she'll probably do fine as a cow (unless something happens to her other eye or shes flighty and the loss of sight on one side keeps her buggered).
Your loss will occur IF you have to sell her before she ages out.

If you have it pegged as a feeder--- after its eye stabalizes-- you won't get hit real hard(at least around here) even if its blind in one eye----- unless it goes thru as a nut case because of it.
And most calves adjust to one eye just fine.

A completely blind calf or cow has little value off its home territory-- it'll adapt and follow the herd and grow fine. Know plenty of blind cows that people kept and they do fine as long as you change NOTHING.
Blind steers or butcher heiffers-- you just need to feed out at home so they can go dirrectly to butcher off farm.

 

[Susie David]

Definately catch the calf and see what the problem is. O'l Boss Cow does fine with one eye. DMc

 

[TheBullLady]

We had a cow years ago when we were trying to move that got a very severe case of pinkeye. I thought for sure the eye would perferate and rupture, but we treated her very aggressively for a week and she didn't lose the eye or her sight.
It's definately worth treating!

 

[randiliana]

We have a cow here that got a bad case of pinkeye when she was young. She has been blind in one eye ever since and has few problems. She is not the quietest cow, but is still easily handled as long as you talk to her when you are on her blind side. The worst part of her story was when she got pinkeye in the other eye!! We were finally able to get her loaded up and into a corral where we could treat her (she just went in circles) and the new infection cleaned up just fine with treatment. It has probably been about 6-7 years since she lost the use of her eye.

 

[Herefordcross]

I would try to treat the calf and then when it is better and the antibiotics are out of it's system I would sell it. Usually with one eye they stay spooked all of their lives. At least that's how it has worked for us.

 

[Texas PaPaw]

It is very possible she went from no infection to her present condition in less than 5 days. Eye infections get bad very rapidly. That is why even the slightest weeping needs to be treated immediately. Often tomorrow is too late to prevent significant damage.

I would recommend treating her aggressively to prevent it from spreading to the other eye. One eyed calves are discounted considerably but heavy feeders only slightly. Just grow her out to 6-700 lb and she will sell well as a feeder or she can be used as a replacement if she handles well.

Good luck & happy trails.


Brock

 

[Wewild]

We had a cow that ruptured her eye (pinkeye) and we treated her and she healed up well and can see.

I've never seen a ruptured eye come back.

 

[Bez?]

Treat aggressively.

Wait.

Heals up - sell her.

Loses the eye - treat - sew it closed - fatten and eat.

I am willing to bet this animal will come back if you get on it right away.

Good luck.

Bez?

 

[Alice]

Bought a baby calf with an eye ruptured from pinkeye for $7.50...treated it religiously...sold it 60 days later for $255.

Alice

 

[Wewild]

made it evident it had lost it's sight in the one eye. Eye was red and white, looked almost bloody.
J

Don't consider her a keeper. I've got a couple of older cows that have sight problems but they have a proven track record and have 1 and a half eyes or more. They know there way around.

 

[EIEIO]

Had a bull once who had an eye get like this calves only his got a big abscess on his that looked like it was going to pop. He never got his sight back in the one eye. Looked mean as heck but still did his job for a couple of years after the loss of his one eye looking all white. Man that sure was one heck of a lot of LA-200 I remember pumping into him.

Anyway, today even though I asked I knew I had to treat the calf. Only about a 2 1/2 month old (young for what I should have on the ground right now).

First had to head to the corral area as I had not worked or hauled cattle in over 2 months and it's amazing how high the weeds had gotten. Spent an hour with the brush cutting blade on the weed-eater getting the job done.

Thankfully the herd followed me just fine on the ATV. Got them all in the cattle yard area in front of the corral pen area. Of course most all the cows and calves were well behaved except for the one that needed worked. It was a PITA, that loss of sight sure makes them real spooky. The bull I had was never quite the same when he lost sight in one eye.

Got the calf in the squeeze and dosed up with LA-200 and also squirted some in it's eye (had a vet tell me once to do it). Did not see any signs of trauma or anything in the eye but it had gone bright white with a red ring around it but not ruptured or no huge abscess wanting to bust.

I'll hope for the best. All my calves go to the sale barn. I buy replacements.

Thanks everybody!

J

 

[randiliana]

I've never seen a ruptured eye come back.

We had her in to the vet over it, and he said that the cornea was ruptured. He cut off the stuff that was sticking out, and told us that she would likely lose th use of that eye. It healed up great, and while I can't say whether she can see fully from that eye, I know she can see. We were very surprised.