Cattle Preconditioning Forum: Pinkeye Causes Discomfort For Cows & Producers
Cattle sporting a red, swollen, itchy and sore eye due to a pinkeye infection often change their behavior to alleviate the discomfort. Those changes, when combined with the internal impacts of the infection, can cost cattle producers a pretty penny.
“Pinkeye infections cause significant discomfort for livestock and can lead to blindness if left untreated,” says Dr. Joe Dedrickson, Director of Merial Veterinary Professional Services.
“Cows with the disease often reduce feed intake and search out shady areas due to sun sensitivity of the affected eye.”
Calves are highly susceptible to the disease, and infections prior to weaning can have a significant impact on a producer’s bottom line. One study determined that pinkeye infections reduced weaning weights of bull calves by 36 pounds and heifer calves by 40 pounds.4 Producers also may see discounts in the sale ring for calves with scarred corneas, often termed “blue eyes.” With most feeders selling for more than $100 per hundredweight, it doesn’t take long for the costs of a pinkeye infection to add up, especially when more than one animal is infected.
“Pinkeye is highly contagious and is easily spread by face flies that hop from animal to animal, feeding on eye secretions,” Dr. Dedrickson says. “The flies carry the bacteria with them and can cause eye irritations that further open an animal to infection. Other eye irritants, such as dust, pollen and grass seeds, also can result in a greater risk of infection.”
There are a number of steps producers can take to help reduce the risk of a pinkeye outbreak.
Control face flies with insecticide-treated ear tags, dusters or endectocides.
Mow pastures as grasses reach maturity to reduce eye-irritating seeds and foliage. Mowing also reduces contact with plant material contaminated with tears of affected calves.5
Provide shade to protect against direct exposure to sunlight. Providing multiple shaded areas is preferable because overcrowding in shaded areas can increase transmission of the disease. 5
When combining young animals of unknown origin and health, treating with a long-acting oxytetracycline can help head off potential infection, providing calves with protection for several days.
Dr. Mike Tripp, Southern Plains Animal Hospital, Ringling, Okla., deals with pinkeye for his cow/calf clients.
“We have been really successful with a (300 oxytetracycline) injection on bulls and cows with pinkeye problems. It works well because we can get one dose in them and it has seven to eight days of duration so we don’t have to get them back up,” Tripp says.
If an infection does occur, quick treatment can help reduce the infected animal’s discomfort, curtail losses and help reduce the risk of spreading the disease to the rest of the herd.
“Remove infected cattle from the general population as soon as you spot them and treat immediately,” Dr. Dedrickson advises. “Pinkeye can be controlled relatively easily with antibiotics. Using a long-acting oxytetracycline is a good one-dose option, or you can place antibiotics directly onto the eye or have your veterinarian inject antibiotic into the eyelid. Your veterinarian also may cover a severely infected eye with an eye patch or stitch the eyelid shut to reduce irritation during healing.”
