Pinkeye outbreak

[Chocolate Cow]

Pinkeye was awful last year around here. 5 empty bottles of Draxxin proved it. This year, my custom mineral was bumped to 800,000 IU of Vit A. It seems to be keeping things in check. I'll see a calf with signs of early pink eye but it doesn't go full blown. Seems to go so far then heal up. I've also been putting Vitamin C in their mineral. The VitC is debatable as to it's effectiveness. Makes me feel good anyway. I've also put up oilers and spray the cattle any chance I get.

 

[Banjo]

Cattle produce their own vitamin C...unlike humans, fruit bats and other primates. I guess it can't hurt....too much can cause diarrhea.

 

[ddd75]

And I would agree with you. But work has kept me pretty busy the past few weeks I'm talking 72+ hours a week and I have gone up to check them but he was with a few cows up in the woods didn't think much of it bc it had been hot I did see him in the pond with the rest of the cows the other day was within 30 yds of him and couldn't see any signs. In a perfect world I would check them twice a day everyday but life doesn't work that way

In that case don't worry about them. They'll go blind without you.

I know excuses aren't justification but I feel like I do all I can for my livestock. And I get the feeling you are trying to be a smart a $$

you can only do waht you can do man.. don't worry about it.

take some LA200 .. depending on how many cows have pinkeye. you can put it in a squirt gun or just a syringe. squirt it in there eyes at least once a day.. twice a day is better.. I like to feed them some feed and as they are eating i'll spray them in the eye. make sure you shoot it right in the eyeball.

they'l be better in no time.

 

[talltimber]

If a guy checks them too often, then they are not the stand alone herd that makes without it any help, thus making culling them mandatory to pass muster in this dump.

Hi Mag, pinkeye vacc, a,d, and e supplement added to mineral, clipping heads shorter than cow eyes

All things unnecessary and scoffed at by the stand alone, no check, no maintenance herd. CULLS!!!

:roll:

 

[Bright Raven]

And I would agree with you. But work has kept me pretty busy the past few weeks I'm talking 72+ hours a week and I have gone up to check them but he was with a few cows up in the woods didn't think much of it bc it had been hot I did see him in the pond with the rest of the cows the other day was within 30 yds of him and couldn't see any signs. In a perfect world I would check them twice a day everyday but life doesn't work that way

In that case don't worry about them. They'll go blind without you.

I know excuses aren't justification but I feel like I do all I can for my livestock. And I get the feeling you are trying to be a smart a $$

Richard is sometimes a smart a $$ but you have to give him credit - THAT IS A GREAT LINE. Made me laugh. No one is making fun of you. Sounds like life is just busy. If you can get a local custom pinkeye vaccine it might help. The commercial vaccines are not effective unless the strain of Moraxella is exactly what is in the vaccine.

 

[Ky cowboy]

The vet is coming out today with the custom vaccine. We're going to tranquilize the bull and treat and vaccinate the unaffected one with vaccine and then treat the few mild cases in the cows.

 

[Bright Raven]

The vet is coming out today with the custom vaccine. We're going to tranquilize the bull and treat and vaccinate the unaffected one with vaccine and then treat the few mild cases in the cows.

:nod:

 

[Ky hills]

This year, we have had several cases of pinkeye. Knock on wood so far not in the yearlings that we vaccinated, and fly tagged. It has been mainly in cows and a bull that were not vaccinated. I think that the main contributing factor has been the weeds and fescue stems, as well as flies The hydraulic pump on our tractor is out and having a fiasco getting it fixed, had one ordered and put on but it didn't work either. Next year will try to vaccinate everything, and hopefully have mowing done earlier.

 

[TexasBred]

And I would agree with you. But work has kept me pretty busy the past few weeks I'm talking 72+ hours a week and I have gone up to check them but he was with a few cows up in the woods didn't think much of it bc it had been hot I did see him in the pond with the rest of the cows the other day was within 30 yds of him and couldn't see any signs. In a perfect world I would check them twice a day everyday but life doesn't work that way

In that case don't worry about them. They'll go blind without you.

I know excuses aren't justification but I feel like I do all I can for my livestock. And I get the feeling you are trying to be a smart a $$

I wasn't trying to be a smart a$$ at all. Just stating a fact. As I said, "do it your way" which I'm sure you will so why even sign on and ask the question.

 

[Stanford777]

I had one cow I would've swore would lose an eye, she was completely white and she wouldn't go near the barn so I could get here in the chute, friend of mine came and darted her with draxxin and within two days she was pretty clear, now three weeks later you can't tell she ever had it. This is one of those issues that will run rampant on the part time cattleman who's working a hectic schedule due to the vfd law. But I put up facefly oilers on the mineral feeders and use a friend's concoction on it and after clipping pastures we have no more weeping eyes and no more faceflies.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

I had one cow I would've swore would lose an eye, she was completely white and she wouldn't go near the barn so I could get here in the chute, friend of mine came and darted her with draxxin and within two days she was pretty clear, now three weeks later you can't tell she ever had it. This is one of those issues that will run rampant on the part time cattleman who's working a hectic schedule due to the vfd law. But I put up facefly oilers on the mineral feeders and use a friend's concoction on it and after clipping pastures we have no more weeping eyes and no more faceflies.

When one gets blinded in one eye even temporarily... Their hard to work and handle..theres a segment on doc talk on RFD at 3:30! this evening,on treating Pinkeye

 

[backhoeboogie]

The vet is coming out today with the custom vaccine. We're going to tranquilize the bull and treat and vaccinate the unaffected one with vaccine and then treat the few mild cases in the cows.

Honestly, a vaccine is something you give before you have an outbreak. I don't understand the tranquilize either. I just put mine in a chute at the first sign and get them treated pronto. If you vet is going to give a vaccine, I think you better call a different vet.

It is a bad year for flies. If you are in the center of several herds, the flies will transmit everything you can think of. Sight completely gone is quite an evolution. I've had them so bad they got a cloud in the eye. I don't think I have ever had one go completely blind in an eye.

As bad as the flies have been, I've been keeping a close eye on them. There are so many cows around here that worming alone just isn't enough.

 

[Caustic Burno]

The vet is coming out today with the custom vaccine. We're going to tranquilize the bull and treat and vaccinate the unaffected one with vaccine and then treat the few mild cases in the cows.

Honestly, a vaccine is something you give before you have an outbreak. I don't understand the tranquilize either. I just put mine in a chute at the first sign and get them treated pronto. If you vet is going to give a vaccine, I think you better call a different vet.

It is a bad year for flies. If you are in the center of several herds, the flies will transmit everything you can think of. Sight completely gone is quite an evolution. I've had them so bad they got a cloud in the eye. I don't think I have ever had one go completely blind in an eye.

As bad as the flies have been, I've been keeping a close eye on them. There are so many cows around here that worming alone just isn't enough.

I don't understand the tranquilizer as well.
Working facilities are as essential as the bovine to proper management practices.

I just come to cool off from vaccinating all mine for lepto and fly management with Sabre.

 

[backhoeboogie]

I just come to cool off from vaccinating all mine for lepto and fly management with Sabre.

You didn't call the vet ??? :lol:

 

[backhoeboogie]

3 cc penicillin in the eye lid. LA200 per the label directions. Pink eye is cured. I don't use LA200 for anything else but it does work for pink eye.

People are going to call this "old school", but by golly it works. It is in this forum. Several times we have had this discussion through the years. Info is there if you search and use it. But hey, if you can afford a vet for pink eye, who am I to question you.

I've never done the patch thing. Maybe it works too. If my method quits working, I may try the patch.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

The patch is good for further fly problems from drainage,,,helps prevent transmitting the virus ,sun light,, helps speed up healing....

 

[Ky cowboy]

The bull couldn't see anything and couldn't get him to work to the chute so we tranqed him. The vaccine was given to the ones without symptoms all showing symptoms where treated with la 200. I know how to work my cattle but wanted a vet to look at the bull to see if there was any saving the bad eye. He was optimistic about saving both eyes. We patched them to help keep flies and dirt out of them I'll pull the good eye patch off in 10-12 days and check the bad eye and repatch the bad eye. When we worked them all thru the chute we sprayed them for flies as well (sabre. Mixed in a pump sprayer)

Texas bred
Sorry about calling you a smart ass. I hadn't slept in 3 days between working midnights and spraying pastures clipping other pastures and cutting hay. I know I should of been keeping a closer eye on them the past few weeks but it wasn't physically possible. Sometimes $hit happens, sucks, but it does.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Farming can get overwhelming..got to choose you'r battles,start with the most important and work your way down.. Like a cat eating a grindstone... A little at a time.....

 

[Bright Raven]

The bull couldn't see anything and couldn't get him to work to the chute so we tranqed him. The vaccine was given to the ones without symptoms all showing symptoms where treated with la 200. I know how to work my cattle but wanted a vet to look at the bull to see if there was any saving the bad eye. He was optimistic about saving both eyes. We patched them to help keep flies and dirt out of them I'll pull the good eye patch off in 10-12 days and check the bad eye and repatch the bad eye. When we worked them all thru the chute we sprayed them for flies as well (sabre. Mixed in a pump sprayer)

Sounds good. I agree with Alacowman. It can get overwhelming. Good luck.

 

[TexasBred]

3 cc penicillin in the eye lid. LA200 per the label directions. Pink eye is cured. I don't use LA200 for anything else but it does work for pink eye.

People are going to call this "old school", but by golly it works. It is in this forum. Several times we have had this discussion through the years. Info is there if you search and use it. But hey, if you can afford a vet for pink eye, who am I to question you.

I've never done the patch thing. Maybe it works too. If my method quits working, I may try the patch.

Patch definitely works but I always infused several CC's of a mastitis tube under the eyelid. Used it because it is peanut oil based and doesn't seem to wash out quiet as quickly. The Patch simply keeps the bright sunlight, dust, weeds and other irritants away from the eye for about 30 days. When it falls off the eye will be as healed as it's ever going to be.