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pink eye treatments

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LCP

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Got a bunch of calves with pinkeye. Lab says M. bovis and M. ovis. I've used oxytetracycline sub-q in the neck, along with penicillin and cortizone in the eyelid. Rather labor intensive. I've heard of using some boric acid dissolved in boiling water, then squirted in the eye does the trick. Lots easier and cheaper than the way I've been doing it. Anyone else have experience with boric acid, or any other remedy? I've probably got 50 hd to treat.
 
Penicillin and oxytetracycline do not work together. They tend to cancel each other out. We use 2cc Bio-mycin LA (Canadian name) in the membrane on the eyball and Liquamycin LA in the neck. Works great
 
I have some pinkeye in my calves too. Never had it before, don't know why I have it now, especially this time of year. I treated some with oxytetracycline and then medicated the feed with a heavy dose of the same drug for 5 days. Yesterday was the last dose so I'll see what kind of results I get. Heifer calves have it and steers right across the fence don't. Wonder why.

Is there a vaccine that covers both bovis and ovis strains of pinkeye or do you need to give 2 shots? I am thinking about vaccinating next year a branding and again at weaning if that will help. It's always something isn't it?
 
We just give them sub q. L.A. It works just fine.

If we get a real outbreak going we'll vaccinate. The vaccine works very well. In fact it will cure it, which is really unusual for vaccine, and doesn't normally work with any other vaccine. I guess the proper way is to vaccinate twice, but we just do that will our bulls. Anything else seems to get by Ok with one shot.

In the pasture we'll give them the L.A., and a dose of vaccine, and never have to treat again. One time we ran out of L.A. and just used vaccine, and they cleared up too.

We've got a problem with it this winter too, in some backgrounders. All you need is one calf, and after he sticks his contaminated eyes in and out of the hay bale a few times, it spreads like crazy. So far it's only been a few that we've treated but if the numbers come up, we'll vaccinate.
 
In Scotland we used a powder which came in a small puffer applicator. It was auromycin and I much prefer it to any of the solutions recommended in Canada. My vet doesn't agree - says it is inappropriate as it would be too abrasive. Not my experience - it is the best thing I've used on any eye infection, clears them up with one dose and it was cheap. Only problem is I haven't figured out how to import small containers of a white powdery substance without getting held up at customs!
 
LA 200 plus the puffer for serious outbreaks.

Haven't had any in years........................................
 
Grassfarmer said:
In Scotland we used a powder which came in a small puffer applicator. It was auromycin and I much prefer it to any of the solutions recommended in Canada. My vet doesn't agree - says it is inappropriate as it would be too abrasive. Not my experience - it is the best thing I've used on any eye infection, clears them up with one dose and it was cheap. Only problem is I haven't figured out how to import small containers of a white powdery substance without getting held up at customs!
Click to expand...

Now I haven't tried this- but several of the cowboys who work for one of the big feedlot/ranches and are doctoring bad eyes all the time says that they give them one big dose of Oxytet and then spray their eye with WD-40....
They claim it works.... :???:
 
Penicillan in the eyelid and glue a patch over the bad eye.Had one lasts summer pinkeye in one eye missing the other eye she spent a month at home then all was fine.She still only has one eye. :(
 
Oldtimer said:
Grassfarmer said:
In Scotland we used a powder which came in a small puffer applicator. It was auromycin and I much prefer it to any of the solutions recommended in Canada. My vet doesn't agree - says it is inappropriate as it would be too abrasive. Not my experience - it is the best thing I've used on any eye infection, clears them up with one dose and it was cheap. Only problem is I haven't figured out how to import small containers of a white powdery substance without getting held up at customs!
Click to expand...

Now I haven't tried this- but several of the cowboys who work for one of the big feedlot/ranches and are doctoring bad eyes all the time says that they give them one big dose of Oxytet and then spray their eye with WD-40....
They claim it works.... :???:
Click to expand...
WD -40 ?? sounds like a Katrina fix it to me!
 
jigs said:
Oldtimer said:
Grassfarmer said:
In Scotland we used a powder which came in a small puffer applicator. It was auromycin and I much prefer it to any of the solutions recommended in Canada. My vet doesn't agree - says it is inappropriate as it would be too abrasive. Not my experience - it is the best thing I've used on any eye infection, clears them up with one dose and it was cheap. Only problem is I haven't figured out how to import small containers of a white powdery substance without getting held up at customs!
Click to expand...

Now I haven't tried this- but several of the cowboys who work for one of the big feedlot/ranches and are doctoring bad eyes all the time says that they give them one big dose of Oxytet and then spray their eye with WD-40....
They claim it works.... :???:
Click to expand...
WD -40 ?? sounds like a Katrina fix it to me!
Click to expand...

Thats the first thing I thought too-- but they said they do that now rather than patching- saves time- and it works....
 
I posted something like this a couple years ago, someone said WD-40 is a machine grade DMSO, is there any point of using a DMSO without it carrying something? I've injected a mix of Penicillin and Dexamethasone under the eyelid, plus Oxyted in the neck. I used Tetradure-300 over LA-200, you have to get it from your vet, it's a different suspension and the effective drug residue last longer so you often don't need a follow up treatment. The eye patch is great because their eye is very sensitive to light when they have pinkeye.

I haven't gotten pinkeye since I switchted to a good mineral program. Also, this summer I bought two of those Fly Killer Covers so they get treated when they eat their minerals. http://www.flykillerkover.com/

Are they scratching their eyes on feeders or something?

There are two ways they typically get pinkeye, the first is face flies, the flies feed on the tears and the mouth parts of the fly irritate the eyes, the bacteria the flies invade through that irritation. The other way is damage from seedheads with over mature grass or whatever could you can imagine would cause irritation followed by the invasion of the bacteria. If they don't have free choice minerals at all times, their immune system isn't up to snuff and it doesn't take much to cause an infection.
 
Back in the day when grandpa had herfords, he would toss a handful of fine stock salt in the eye! That really made it water, and it really made the critter howl! Almost seemed inhumane..but it worked!
We use LA200, a patch if necessary or else stitch the 2nd eyelid shut. The eye stays stitched for a week or so until the stitch deteriorates. We had a bad outbreak last winter in backgrounding calves as well....it was not pleasant. We do vaccinate the calves at turnout and usually have no trouble. We did have a couple calves that did get it this summer though.
 
I think they have been picking it up both in the hay feeders and at the feed bunk. I figure their eyes are getting scratched in the bale feeder, and if they don't pick up the bacteria there, then they get it from their buddy who has it when they come to eat grain in the feed bunk (no mixer box here, just a fleet of 5-gallon buckets). TOday I unrolled their hay on the ground to try to keep their eyes from getting scratched like they might be in the bale feeders. Yesterday I ran all 190 hd through the alley and squirted a boric acid solution in the bad eyes. I think I went through 3 quarts of that solution, but 2 qts probably never hit its mark. By the end I was getting to be a pretty good shot with my syringe though. We'll see what they look like in a couple days.
 
well, I have used the vacine,clipped pastures,changed minerals and anything else you can think of here in southern middle TN. never had a case in winter. summer has been my worst time for the fungus. After we changed to a good mineral program been 4 years since anything has been visible. but 2 summers were serious drought. i have found that a good flyspray or ivomec type pour on to keep flies at bay seems to help a little also. so the running average a little bit of everything helps. (WD40) never tried it but ALL of the above listed in all postings has been tried. but the vet told me one thing that i have never forgotten it will last 2 weeks without treatment or 14 days with it.
 
theflykillerkover_complete.jpg

theflykillerkover_cattle.jpg

The fly killer cover, notice how it has the felt backing so the animal gets fly spray on their face when they eat their minerals. It does work. After buying two of these this year, I didn't use any insecticide ear tags. I don't think there is any need for both.

I forgot to mention that I vaccinated the last two seasons. I think it's the Novartis one where you only give one shot. I'm all about fewer trips through the chute.
 

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