would you butcher with pink eye

[crowemountain]

So, I set my first butcher date after raising 3 steers for 2 years now, and guess what I find today... yep, pink eye. Just at the initial tearing stage. Now what to do. We are 15 days from kill date. Would you all eat this or postpone and treat? Postponing will cause major problems, but obviously my family is worth it if its not the right thing to do.

 

[cow pollinater]

Are you sure it's pinkeye? If you're just getting started a foxtail or seed can look the same. If the white dot(infection) is in the corner of his eye rather than the middle then it's likely a foxtail and you can find it by digging in the corner of the eye where the dot is. If it is pinkeye then a squirt of antibiotics in his eye will handle it without any withdrawl time on the meat.
Either way, a bad eye shouldn't hurt you to bad on butcher day.

 

[crowemountain]

Yes, we are sure its pink eye , we just treated a calf for it, so it is starting the rounds. I just was unsure if the bacteria would somehow be in the muscle. I thank you for replying.

 

[Chris H]

We had excellent results using Vetericyn Pink Eye spray last year. When treated at the first sign of pink eye, most cases cleared very quickly. I couldn't find anything about a withdrawal period. I'd use something like that(if no withdrawal) and treat the steers ASAP. Pinkeye that gets severe could cause a fever & reduced feed intake in the steers the final 2 weeks before slaughter. It may not have any affect on the quality of the meat, but why not keep the steers feeling well the whole time if possible?

 

[hillsdown]

Patch the eye ,and go ahead with your planned butcher date .

 

[Anonymous]

I haven't ever eaten an eyeball pink or not.
If it doesn't affect meat quality or cause undue pain for the animal move on. If it gets bad then treat it but don't forget about withdrawal times