CattleAnnie
Well-known member
These last couple of years have started to notice a higher occurance of cancer eye in cattle that have dark pigment around the eye. Anyone else seeing more of this or are we just lucking out?
Take care.
Take care.
Cancer Eye
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Is it in a particular bloodline, or is your cow herd getting to be on average older? I've only seen it in solid black cows myself. Although it's generally assumed to be a lack of pigmentation, I wonder if it isn't more of a genetic thing and some of the none pigmented animmals were more of a carrier then anything else.
Just an idea.
dun
Just an idea.
dun
OP
OP
CattleAnnie
Well-known member
Well, I was noticing it not only in our own cattle, but also in other herds. In our own herds, it was appearing in older whitefaced cows, but this year one of my best producing goggled SimX cows came up with it, and my man's got a mid-aged straight Gelbvieh cow with it now. Darn shame, but what do you do?
I was honestly wondering if it might have something to do with all the UV rays that reflect off the snow all winter or perhaps with that weaker ozone layer. I know that sounds kind of in left field, but can't really seem to come up with any other ideas because I'd always heard that animals without pigment around the eye were more prone to it.
Take care.
I was honestly wondering if it might have something to do with all the UV rays that reflect off the snow all winter or perhaps with that weaker ozone layer. I know that sounds kind of in left field, but can't really seem to come up with any other ideas because I'd always heard that animals without pigment around the eye were more prone to it.
Take care.
Could veery well be a UV thing, but I still rhink that geneticly they have to be predisposed to it. There are people thqat get sunburned all the time and never get skin cancer, and others that hardly need any exposure to have problems. That's why I've alwasy felt that there is a genetic componenet.
But I've been wrong more then once
dun
But I've been wrong more then once
dun
sidney411
Well-known member
I have seen it on a few of the herefords before we got them and on a yellow cow, I don't know what breed she was but it was bad enough the her eye was gone. poor thign should have been shipped a lot sooner then she was. Is there any treatment that would be economically feasible for cancer eye?
The treatment is to cut out the cancer, if real extreme remove the eye.
Had a long talk with the vet today about the subject.
He says that all breeds can get it even with full pigmentation, it's just less common with full pigmentation. The reason Herefords have a higher incidence is because more of them don't have full pigmentation.
He says that he has seen a lot more of it in the last 2 years around here but thinks it's because the cow herd is getting older because fewer heifers are being retained.
Now fo the genetic side. He thinks that probably there is a genetic correlation just as in humans with skin cancer but feels that the reason it runs more in a family/bloodline is because of the heretability of the pigmentation deal.
As a side, skin cancer in humans is a similar cancer to cancer eye in cows. He went into the scientific names and all that, but by then I was getting glazey eyed.
dun
Had a long talk with the vet today about the subject.
He says that all breeds can get it even with full pigmentation, it's just less common with full pigmentation. The reason Herefords have a higher incidence is because more of them don't have full pigmentation.
He says that he has seen a lot more of it in the last 2 years around here but thinks it's because the cow herd is getting older because fewer heifers are being retained.
Now fo the genetic side. He thinks that probably there is a genetic correlation just as in humans with skin cancer but feels that the reason it runs more in a family/bloodline is because of the heretability of the pigmentation deal.
As a side, skin cancer in humans is a similar cancer to cancer eye in cows. He went into the scientific names and all that, but by then I was getting glazey eyed.
dun
Campground Cattle
Well-known member
I tend to believe the genetic link also I have never had a case in my Herefords, maybe I have been just lucky.
A
Anonymous
Cancer eye, or squamous cell carcinoma, is found in several species including cats and cattle more commonly on skin which is unpigmented. It can also be found on vulvas and other areas. It, and many cancers, has a genetic component in that certain lines, whether pigmented or not, seem to have a directly heritable predisposition. I can name a couple of lines of Simmentals which have an incredible amount of cancer in the line--mostly SCC but also ovarian carcinoma etc.
On a tangent, the skin cancer most commonly known in humans is melanoma, a different tumour.
On a tangent, the skin cancer most commonly known in humans is melanoma, a different tumour.
Vicki the Vet":2c8ou5d9 said:
We went from squamos to outcell to something else then the skin cancer deal. So many omas. Like I said, I was glassy eyed at that point. I'll have to ask him again about just the skin type so I don't get too twisted around the axles.
dun
frenchie
Well-known member
I have seen mostly charolais with it here. 
TheBullLady
Well-known member
Vicki.. what Simmental lines have you seen it in?
I got a couple of things twisted around the axles. The link between cancer eye and skin cancer is UV. The human cancer that is similar is oat cell carcinoma. He explained ho they're similar, but as usual I got buried by the technical terms. After all I'm just an uneducated hick. No offense meant to any other "hicks" out there
dun
dun
hillbilly
Well-known member
dun":2kp50qfw said:
None taken, I believe it can also be spread from cow to cow at the feed trough???? True or just a "hick" tale?
Hillbilly
hillbilly
Well-known member
dun":1203gp4i said:
