Pink Eye?

[Mark Reynolds]

Find someone with a dart gun . That's how I administer my antibiotics for ponkeye

Ponkeye? It sound like your cows got hit in the eye with something now. Maybe a stray dart?

I couldn't resist.

 

[coachg]

Ponkeye? It sound like your cows got hit in the eye with something now. Maybe a stray dart?

I couldn't resist.

Pinkeye , I have fat fingers. Only thing I don't like about the forum . You can't change a mistake after 10-15 minutes

 

[Mark Reynolds]

Pinkeye , I have fat fingers. Only thing I don't like about the forum . You can't change a mistake after 10-15 minutes

Naw, your fingers aren't too fat. The keyboard is too small. It's all too common of an affliction. I suffer from it as well.

 

[coachg]

Naw, your fingers aren't too fat. The keyboard is too small. It's all too common of an affliction. I suffer from it as well.

Been working on the carburetor on my push mower for over 2 hours . Fellow that helps me on the farm can fix anything. Sometimes it just takes him a little while. I've been gofering for him and pulling the cord when he thought he had it going.

 

[Warren Allison]

Pinkeye , I have fat fingers. Only thing I don't like about the forum . You can't change a mistake after 10-15 minutes

If you are a CT Supporter you can.

 

[Chuckie]

I still use the method I learned right here on Cattletoday from many years ago. Mix water 1/10 Chlorine. Put in spray bottle and douse the eye good. It will clear up in no time. People say, "I can't believe you are putting Chlorine in your cow's eyes. I say, "Have you ever gone to a public swimming pool as a child and opened your eyes under water?" They put enough chlorine in pool water to keep disease from transmitting from urine and feces that comes from others. No disease has ever been transmitted from a public swimming pool that I know of. When I opened my eyes under water, it did burn, but I still did it. It won't hurt your cattle either but clears up the bacteria in their eyes.

 

[wobbie1775]

I still use the method I learned right here on Cattletoday from many years ago. Mix water 1/10 Chlorine. Put in spray bottle and douse the eye good. It will clear up in no time. People say, "I can't believe you are putting Chlorine in your cow's eyes. I say, "Have you ever gone to a public swimming pool as a child and opened your eyes under water?" They put enough chlorine in pool water to keep disease from transmitting from urine and feces that comes from others. No disease has ever been transmitted from a public swimming pool that I know of. When I opened my eyes under water, it did burn, but I still did it. It won't hurt your cattle either but clears up the bacteria in their eyes.

Never heard this one! Well... As it stands I did nothing. I would say I had 95% healing rate. I do have some new cases on some calves... So I going to do nothing again and see what happens. I had 1 cow in the first group that was pretty blind for a week, but she is back with the herd now.

Can you confirm the ratio is 10 parts water to 1 part chlorine? Also how many cases do you treat? Any re-occurance in the same animals? Thanks for the info.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

Never heard this one! Well... As it stands I did nothing. I would say I had 95% healing rate. I do have some new cases on some calves... So I going to do nothing again and see what happens. I had 1 cow in the first group that was pretty blind for a week, but she is back with the herd now.

Can you confirm the ratio is 10 parts water to 1 part chlorine? Also how many cases do you treat? Any re-occurance in the same animals? Thanks for the info.

I wonder.........what about finding a public swimming pool and getting some of the water from there? I'm not saying the chlorine won't work, but some home style treatments really do concern me.

 

[simme]

Oh my. Poor cow. A 20 x 40 foot pool will be about 25,000 gallons. A 10/1 ratio would mean putting 2500 gallons of chlorine (I assume the intent is bleach which is 6 to 8% sodium hypochlorite) in that pool. I wonder if anyone here is brave enough to swim in that pool with their infected eye. Brave may not be the best description.

Note that 2 gallons of bleach is enough to disinfect 25000 gallons of water to make it safe for drinking. So that 10/1 ratio is 1000 times the amount to disinfect for drinking. Poor cow.

 

[wobbie1775]

I wonder.........what about finding a public swimming pool and getting some of the water from there? I'm not saying the chlorine won't work, but some home style treatments really do concern me.

Might I add... I am not planning to put this treatment recommendation into practice...just interested in the results as experienced by @Chuckie

 

[Ky hills]

A common practice years ago in this area was to throw salt in the affected wye.
I have never been enthusiastic about many of the homegrown ways and ideas folks have had of treating things such as pinkeye. To me most of that does little good and could cause more harm and undue suffering for the animal.
I rely on early detection, and treating with an antibiotic like LA 300 or 200 just in the neck region as soon as possible. Putting a patch over the eye can help keep the light off as well as shield the eye from flies, dust, and weeds that irritate the eye.
I have also kept infected animals up in a barn for a few days if I didn't have patches readily available. It serves the same purpose as the patch.
I've had good success just with early treatment and no patch
Getting the antibiotic in timely to treat the infection is the best course of action in my opinion.

 

[gitnby]

I still use the method I learned right here on Cattletoday from many years ago. Mix water 1/10 Chlorine. Put in spray bottle and douse the eye good. It will clear up in no time. People say, "I can't believe you are putting Chlorine in your cow's eyes. I say, "Have you ever gone to a public swimming pool as a child and opened your eyes under water?" They put enough chlorine in pool water to keep disease from transmitting from urine and feces that comes from others. No disease has ever been transmitted from a public swimming pool that I know of. When I opened my eyes under water, it did burn, but I still did it. It won't hurt your cattle either but clears up the bacteria in their eyes.

what form of chlorine do you use ?..bleach or something else?

 

[WFfarm]

We have always used this in the eyes when working them in the chute, along with shot of LA300. Patch over the eyes of the ones progressed farther along with white blister.

 

[simme]

The NFZ puffer is Nitrofurazone which is an antibacterial powder. Saw lots of use for pinkeye in cows many years ago. Also came in a pressurized can aerosol version best I remember. Still available for dogs and cats, I think. But now has some words on the label - "CAUTION: Federal law prohibits the use of this product in food-producing animals."

 

[wobbie1775]

Since this post has been resurrected...

I did zero things and the pink eye is all gone. 100% of my herd is healed. I am leaning toward the belief that many/most will heal with out intervention. No stress on moving them into a chute. No patches. No concoctions. No over-use of antibiotics. No vet bill. Just let them get through it. If I had/have any that get something they cant heal from, they will likely grow wheels. In this case they all are well over the pinkeye (ponkeye? ) and they did it on thier own.

Your mileage may vary, but to the future readers/newbies to cattle, I am vouching for the "do nothing" model.

 

[Twisted]

I'm not a veterinarian, but believe that a cows eyes are similar to our own because humans are also susceptible to pinkeye. I had to have a piece of wire from a grinder surgically removed from my eye once. The Dr. explained to me the importance of potassium and sodium in my tears for fighting bacteria and infection. The explanation came as the reason the piece of wire had rusted completely within a few minutes of me getting it in my eye. Knock on wood, I have never had to deal with a single case of pinkeye in me, my family or any livestock.

I always try and control the flys for many reasons and keep a salt mineral block out for the cows. Reading the label on the block tells me that it has potassium, sodium and chloride in it. Do I know for a fact that the mineral block is preventing pinkeye? No, but something is working and the cows are healthy..

 

[wobbie1775]

I'm not a veterinarian, but believe that a cows eyes are similar to our own because humans are also susceptible to pinkeye. I had to have a piece of wire from a grinder surgically removed from my eye once. The Dr. explained to me the importance of potassium and sodium in my tears for fighting bacteria and infection. The explanation came as the reason the piece of wire had rusted completely within a few minutes of me getting it in my eye. Knock on wood, I have never had to deal with a single case of pinkeye in me, my family or any livestock.

I always try and control the flys for many reasons and keep a salt mineral block out for the cows. Reading the label on the block tells me that it has potassium, sodium and chloride in it. Do I know for a fact that the mineral block is preventing pinkeye? No, but something is working and the cows are healthy..

We do no worming and no fly control. Loose mineral and salt blocks are the only thing they have besides grass and water. Im surprised you didnt get any pinkeye this year. From this forum and folks I've talked to locally, it appears that no one has gone with zero incidents of it. I know a 60 head operation (standard commercial practices; vaccines, fly control, working etc) that had 56 cases of Pinkeye out of the 60 head!

 

[Hereford2]

I believe the Best pink eye prevention is a good Loose Mineral. We use a mineral from Hirsch Feed, it used to be called Midway, now I think they call it number 1 mineral, I can't remember whenever I go to buy it and a couple of the employees knows what I'm talking about when I ask for Midway. Anyways the Only time we had pinkeye trouble after starting to use Midway, is 2 years when money was tight and we weren't able to afford mineral,. I read somewhere that Pinkeye is a vitamin deficiencies

 

[wobbie1775]

I believe the Best pink eye prevention is a good Loose Mineral. We use a mineral from Hirsch Feed, it used to be called Midway, now I think they call it number 1 mineral, I can't remember whenever I go to buy it and a couple of the employees knows what I'm talking about when I ask for Midway. Anyways the Only time we had pinkeye trouble after starting to use Midway, is 2 years when money was tight and we weren't able to afford mineral,. I read somewhere that Pinkeye is a vitamin deficiencies

Hirsch!? In West Plains? That's where I go!

I use the seasonal mineral. I basically did zero research and just took what they gave me. Right now its "emerald" season...I think the next batch is bronze maybe? The cows seem to like it so I think its doing something for them.

 

[Hereford2]

Hirsch in Ava Missouri. Used to be Heath n Sons.