Need information...Surgery Update

[ffamom]

We have a yearling heifer with reoccurring uvitis. Vets around here didn't know what to do and suggested a trip to College Station. Took her to A & M today. Seems she has an anterior cyst or abscess deep within her eye that blocks the drainage and cause swelling and pain....and vets are having a difficult time finding any documented cases. They kept her to run more test and seek other opinions from LSU as well as OSU.

Cost will be minimal since they are very interested in documenting & publishing the finding. We were there for 2.5 hours visiting with various vets.

If they have to remove the eye, what can we expect? Will her disposition change? Will she be a hard keeper? How long will it take for the eye to heal?

Any information would be helpful. She is not our best heifer, just the family favorite. Thank you for your help.

 

[randiliana]

We have a 10 year old cow here that lost an eye (she still has it, but its blind) about 7 years ago. The only difference with her is that you need to be talking to her when you are there. If you are on her blind side, she might run you over, just cause she can't see you. If you make sure that she knows you are there she isn't a problem. In fact she is sometimes easier to work cause she responds to voice better than the other cows. She isn't a harder keeper and her disposition did not change, she was always a little nervous, and she stayed that way. I don't know how long it would take for an eye to heal, probably 2-3 weeks to heal completely.

 

[ffamom]

Eye surgery at 10 am on Thursday. Hopefully that can cut out the spot without removing the eye.

 

[grannysoo]

I've got one that is blind in one eye and as randiliana said, no problem provided you don't sneak up on her blind side. She's still got as good a temperment as ever and pretty much ignores me as long as she knows where I'm at. Still spits out a good calf every year and still a great mama cow.

 

[ffamom]

Heifer is out of surgery. She has an interior eye abscess...cyst would have been better. They will culture the fluid they drained and begin aggressive antibiotic treatment. If there is a foreign body in there, the infection will likely return. At this point in time, she will get to keep her eye.

After 48 hours, they will let us know how much longer they will need to keep her.