Pink eye/Mastitis tube

[tncattle]

I started a new thread because the other was getting long and probably not getting read by everyone. I've never treated Pink eye with Mastitis tube, where do I get them and how do I do it? Of course it's Sunday and a holiday and NOTHING is open. And tomorrow many things will be closed as they are getting off for the holiday, CRAP! Can and will this spread to my other 6 heifers? What fun!

 

[Texas PaPaw]

You may be able to get TODAY at TSC or other farm stores. My friend got his at a large COOP store in the area. Have seen it in the Valley Vet catalog.

Here's a link to Valley Vet :http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=30e079b9-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5

Even if you don't order from them, check out the link as it shows a picture of what you are looking for. Also there is a similar product called TOMORROW. Similar and should do about the same. Have also seen some generics. Not sure what the name was.

It comes in a plastic syringe but the"needle" is plastic with a round tip for inserting into the teat canal. Not sharp at all. You will have to restrain the head, then slip the needle between the eyelid and the eyeball on the topside of the eye and squirt a small amount between the eyeball and eyelid. He told me he puts it on the topside of the eye and gravity will cause it to move all around the eye in a few minutes. He also uses a long acting oxytet product.

BTW if you can't find this product right away you may wish to do the treatment reco0mmended by Caustic. His treatment was a spray of 9 parts water and 1 part Clorox. Some people just throw a little salt in their eye. The main concern I have with putting salt, clorox or LA 200 in the eye is it has got to burn like he77. I'm sure it is better than no treatment but I tend to favor less painful alternatives when feasible.

 

[redcowsrule33]

It never fails to amaze me that people can't resist the urge to put things in an already infected and irritated eye. STOP IT. If you wouldn't consider putting it in your eye, PLEASE don't put it in your poor cow's eye. And why go through all the bother and pi$$ing around trying to put something in there when the tears will wash it out in a few hours. Subconjunctival (into the eyelid) antibiotics have merit depending on what you use, but honestly a long-acting oxytet injection and maybe an eye patch or sewing up the third eyelid will be less stress on you and the cow and will have a far better chance for a cure. If you don't know how to do it PROPERLY have your vet show you how the next time he/she is out. Easy stuff. And remember, corneal ulcers will often look far worse before they look better! The cornea has very little blood supply and will grow vessels out over the clear part so it can fight the infection and heal the defect effectively, so it will look redder for quite awhile. You want that if the ulcer was deep! The defect in the eye from the infection takes a long time to heal in some cases, but the infection is long gone.

Medications applied directly to the eye will only help if applied repeatedly and often (in some cases once a hour is required). Ask any ophthalmologist.

 

[TexasBred]

It never fails to amaze me that people can't resist the urge to put things in an already infected and irritated eye. STOP IT. If you wouldn't consider putting it in your eye, PLEASE don't put it in your poor cow's eye. And why go through all the bother and pi$$ing around trying to put something in there when the tears will wash it out in a few hours. Subconjunctival (into the eyelid) antibiotics have merit depending on what you use, but honestly a long-acting oxytet injection and maybe an eye patch or sewing up the third eyelid will be less stress on you and the cow and will have a far better chance for a cure. If you don't know how to do it PROPERLY have your vet show you how the next time he/she is out. Easy stuff. And remember, corneal ulcers will often look far worse before they look better! The cornea has very little blood supply and will grow vessels out over the clear part so it can fight the infection and heal the defect effectively, so it will look redder for quite awhile. You want that if the ulcer was deep! The defect in the eye from the infection takes a long time to heal in some cases, but the infection is long gone.

Medications applied directly to the eye will only help if applied repeatedly and often (in some cases once a hour is required). Ask any ophthalmologist.

Mastitis tubes pen in an OIL based solution and DO NOT wash away with tears. A good application underneath the eyelid will not hurt the eye. Apply it, put on a good heavy patch from an old pair of denim jeans and turn her out. The patch should stay on for at least a couple of weeks. Mosts folks use the sale barn tag glue. Left untreated you'll end up with a cow basically blind in one eye. They don't heal themselves.

 

[redcowsrule33]

Even an oil based medication needs to be applied at least 3-4 times a day. And nowhere in my post did I advocate no treatment. The eyepatch you mentioned will help alot, but I stand by the statement that you need to do either a subconjunctival injection with an appropriate medication prescribed by your vet or use systemic treatment. If it was a scientifically proven reliable treatment, I would bet they would have a labeled product that was marketed this way (it would sell hand over fist! Whoopee! I can stick stuff in an eye with glee!). I don't dispute that in some cases a single application of a topical product may be enough to wipe out the infection and allow heal, but in other cases it will be insufficient. As cheap as long acting oxytet is, why try to reinvent the wheel? If you feel you have oxytet resistance or you are concerned about anaplasma, use Draxxin (also labeled for this use).

To back me up: http://mcdowell.ces.ncsu.edu/content/Tr ... +in+Cattle (I found this after I was halfway through this second post, I am not a copy-and-paste-based expert).

But for those of you who distrust vets and science, by all means, throw whatever you want in there, if it makes you feel better.

Not looking for a fight here, just defending my position.

 

[TexasBred]

You're entitled to believe what you've read. I've done it my way for years with great results. The key is simply to catch it early and begin treatment. The patch actually does as much or more good than anything. I'll keep doing it my way. It works and was actually "vet recommended".

 

[dcara]

I had some weaners get pinkeye about 6 weeks ago. A shout of a generic called Duramicyn (100ml was $10) cleared it right up. Is the Mastitis tube method/product cheaper?

 

[Texas PaPaw]

I had some weaners get pinkeye about 6 weeks ago. A shout of a generic called Duramicyn (100ml was $10) cleared it right up. Is the Mastitis tube method/product cheaper?

Doug

Just a point of clarification. This post began by referring to another post where I mentioned using oxytet injection plus the mastitis med squirted between the eyeball and eyelid. The mastitis med is not expensive and it just complements the injectible. Would never recommend the mastitis meds alone for an active case of pinkeye. The mastitis med is a creamy product that seems to soothe foreign material that may have gotten into the eye and it has some antibiotic also.

Best wishes

 

[TexasBred]

I haven't bought any mastitis tubes in a while but they should still be around $2.00. The best and cheapest thing is the denim patch from a pair of your old jeans and the sale barn glue (If you can get it from the barn).

 

[The CCC Ranch]

TexasBred,
So all you would use is the eye patch?

 

[skyeagle]

Ran into my first pink eye in five years. Treating with today and La 200. We'll see right now
it's just a four mounth old calf and eight year old cow.

 

[TexasBred]

TexasBred,
So all you would use is the eye patch?

CCC no sir.. I put a large application of a mastitis tube under the eyelid before applying the patch. I use "QuarterMaster". It's more highly concentrated than the typical tubes used in lactating dairy cattle. But I've had really good luck. When the patch falls off (in about a month) the eye will look good as new.

 

[Lucky_P]

redcows is right on all counts.

If you wouldn't put it in your own eye, don't put it in your cow's eye.
ANY solution/ointment/powder, etc., whether it's oil/petrolatum-based or not, is going to be washed out by normal tear action within 10-15 minutes. If the animal is tearing more than usual - as is the case with pinkeye - contact time is decreased even more.

Long-acting tetracyclines, like LA-200, Tetradure, etc., are the best thing to come down the pike. If given at the appropriate dosage, the tetracycline will be secreted continually in the tear film, constantly bathing the eye with antibiotics.

Never had much success with eye patches on my clients' animals, but if they had me out to treat, or brought the animal to the clinic, I was gonna sew the 3rd eyelid up to the upper lid just to provide some additional support to the cornea and some extra protection. And a whopping big dose of LA-200, with instructions to give another dose in 3 days.

 

[TexasBred]

Why would the sewing procedure be more effective than an eye patch other than the vet could charge much for for sewing?? ;-)