Infectious Bovine Keratoconjunctivitis

[Spanish Johhny]

(Thought if I just called it pinkeye nobody would read my post.)
We've been pretty fortunate this year so far, but I just turned them in to the big pasture with lots of tall grass and now just watching and waiting. Over the years it seemed that most (not all), the cases were in the left eye. There is also a big dangle tag in the left ear. I am speculating that that dangle tag is big enough to slap that left eye every time that animal wags its ears to brush off flies. I think a lot of the sore eyes are just that. Sore eyes from the constant slapping. And / or the constant slapping sets the eye up to be more prone to a full blown pink eye. Thoughts?

 

[Brad S]

Interesting observation - could be on to something.

 

[leanin' H]

Well our grass isn't tall enough to give a horned toad pinkeye. Even if he was a short legged feller. Never have noticed a problem with tags before. Most folks our here use double tags and it doesn't seem to effect the bovines in a negative way. But I was wrong once before and it felt exactly like this, so who knows?

 

[J.Johnson]

(Thought if I just called it pinkeye nobody would read my post.)
We've been pretty fortunate this year so far, but I just turned them in to the big pasture with lots of tall grass and now just watching and waiting. Over the years it seemed that most (not all), the cases were in the left eye. There is also a big dangle tag in the left ear. I am speculating that that dangle tag is big enough to slap that left eye every time that animal wags its ears to brush off flies. I think a lot of the sore eyes are just that. Sore eyes from the constant slapping. And / or the constant slapping sets the eye up to be more prone to a full blown pink eye. Thoughts?

I have attributed one outbreak of pinkeye to ear tags before. The lesions were consistently on the side with the tag. The tags were large with long necks. Don't remember the brand of tag right off. They could reach the eye easily when the ear was pulled down. Of course, my diagnosis was anecdotal and not scientifically proven, but to me it seemed the only logical answer.