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Post by dexterfarm on Aug 7, 2014 21:29:41 GMT -5
we have pink eye again. 2 years ago was the first time we had ever had it. started with one and had 3 of them get it before i got it stopped. We did not have any last year. Yesterday i had the same cow that was the first to get it 2 years ago come down with it. today 2 more have it.
has anyone noticed are some more susceptible than others? can susceptibility to it be inherited. Once they get it are they more likely to get in the future?
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Post by otf on Aug 8, 2014 6:08:52 GMT -5
You could contact Addison Labs in Missouri (addisonlabs.com) and ask them about heritability, etc. They make autogenous vaccines for pinkeye ($$$) but might be willing to answer your questions and offer some guidance.
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Post by carragheendexters on Aug 8, 2014 7:41:38 GMT -5
I don't know about hereditability but they always claim that dark pigmented eye rims are less likely to get pink eye than pink eye rims (think Hereford). I'm not so sure about that, as we had a BIG problem with pinkeye in the last drought, and we had more black cattle with it than reds. It was a nightmare to deal with, every day walking out in the paddock wondering who was next. The problem was that there was so much dust in the yards that we had to treat them in the paddock by haltering them and restraining to a fence. We nearly had 2 cows lose an eye, they just didn't respond to treatment, and had to have multiple vet visits with steroid injections in their eyes. We vaccinated when the vaccine came out (called Piliguard over here), but had huge reactions in the cows, apparently the vaccine is known to do this, lots of friends had the same problem also. Some still have lumps the size of golf balls many years later. Looks ugly when you are showing the cattle.
It is caused by a bacteria called Moraxella bovis and the cattle will develop immunity if they have had an infection but it is short lived, just like the vaccine. It only gives cover for a few months. I don't think that once they have had an infection that they are more susceptable
You guys are having a dry time of it aren't you? If so that is probably the reason. The bacteria is in the dust and gets wafted about. Also how is the fly situation. It is passed from cow to cow by flies. Some people say black cows have more problems with flies than reds and duns, does this particular cow seem to have more flies than the others?
Good luck treating it, hope you get it under control soon. |
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Post by kansasdexters on Aug 8, 2014 7:58:38 GMT -5
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Post by carragheendexters on Aug 8, 2014 8:14:15 GMT -5
Patti that is really interesting that it occurs over there also. As our vaccine is made here in Australia I am thinking that it has to be the adjuvant that they are using in their production. Unfortunately Piliguard is the only choice over here for pinkeye, it is that or nothing, vaccine brands are very limited over here, no doubt something to do with the licensing. I can't believe that the lumps are still there in some cows after maybe 7 years or so.
Thankyou, I will check out the link.
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Post by legendrockranch on Aug 8, 2014 18:38:25 GMT -5
We use insecticide cattle ear tags, switching them out twice a year using a diazinon and a permethrin base tag. We have never had a case of pinkeye in all the years we've had cattle. Roughly running on average 30 head.
We've been in severe drought conditions for many years, including this year. I can only contribute the ear tags which are located close to the animals face for our animals not having pink eye.
I would like to add that the permethrin based tags work a lot better. We rotate to prevent resistance.
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Post by dexterfarm on Aug 8, 2014 21:05:03 GMT -5
no new cases tonight. the first one to get it is black. I think she gave it to the dun bull she is with he is sweet on her and almost never leaves her side. The third one to get it was a dun girl. the bull is also stays with her quite a bit so i assume he passed it on to her.
she doesn't usually have more flies than any of the others. Of course she does now.
We had a very wet start to the summer. then we went a month with no rain at all. It did not really get overly dusty. we just had 3 days of rain.
I dont generally use insecticides but there is a time for that. they have now all been sprayed so hopefully that will help.
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Post by lonecowhand on Aug 13, 2014 16:56:13 GMT -5
Do They make screen eye cups for cattle(sort of goggles) like are available for horses?
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Post by kansasdexters on Aug 13, 2014 17:39:05 GMT -5
There are cow fly masks (similar to what horses wear): www.jefferspet.com/products/cow-fly-mask-zebra-printThese can be used for cows that are handled daily and that are in paddock areas that are free of brush that might hang up on the mask or cause a problem for the animal wearing the mask. |
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Post by Dahdo on Aug 13, 2014 22:12:23 GMT -5
There is a also woman who makes some nice masks and has quite a following on the Keeping a Family Cow board. Here is a link to the thread where you can see pictures. familycow.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=67&action=display&thread=61473I ordered three in different sizes to see which worked best on my cows. There are very well made and come in many colors, and her prices are reasonable. I don't know about you, but I thought my cows would look silly enough without putting them in zebra print (like the ones they sell at Valley Vet). My cows did not take easily to putting them on. Even my tamest cows were shy and would not let me put them on without first restraining them. I have since given up the masks because I can't spend the time catching them and putting masks on and then occasionally checking under the masks to make sure everything is ok. |
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Post by dexterfarm on Aug 18, 2014 20:58:36 GMT -5
just when i thought i had it contained. most of the rest of them have it tonight. I will be pulling all but 3 of them of them off of summer grazing pastures, back to my home for treatment.
planing on putting insecticide tags in them all. will it stop the flies at this late stage of the year? I have never used them.
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Post by kansasdexters on Aug 18, 2014 21:27:45 GMT -5
Mike,
I would treat each animal with a pour-on insecticide (Ultraboss is a good one) at this point to kill the flies that are on them. Since you have them up at the barn, where you can restrain them, if you haven't done so already, it would be a good idea to vaccinate them with 20/20 Vision 7, or some other pinkeye vaccine as recommended by your vet.
Insecticide tags will also help, but since your animals will be available in the barn area, it is preferable to use the pour-on insecticide and then vaccinate or booster vaccinate for pinkeye, in addition to giving each animal an injection of Noromycin 300 LA and washing both of their eyes with Vetericyn Pinkeye Spray.
Next year, if you want to booster vaccinate for pinkeye, do it in April or May, instead of waiting for this situation to repeat itself.
Patti
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Post by legendrockranch on Aug 18, 2014 23:19:23 GMT -5
It's not too late to use the fly tags. I would suggest the permethrin based tags as they last longer and are more powerful. We do not us them on young calves or anything under 6-8 months of age.
The manufacturers suggest using one tag in each ear, the only animal that get two tags is our bull. All the cows only get one tag.
The brand we are now using is Python Magnum.
We also at times spray the animals at the same time with a permethrin based spray, especially on the pink tissue area of their rear end. I hate seeing fly bites there.
Our animals were worked about a month ago, no flies around their face, but I am noticing some of the animals with flies on their belly.
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Post by dexterfarm on Aug 19, 2014 6:51:33 GMT -5
can they be used on calves. I did not see anything on the labels about not using on calves and our calves are stating to get it to.
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Post by otf on Aug 19, 2014 7:17:44 GMT -5
It has been a bad year for flies. We use the Bayer products (Corathon this year) -- adults each get two, weanlings get one. It's a bit late in the season to be applying eartags, but I don't think it will hurt. You should see a difference in face flies, but all it takes is one that's carrying the problem. It helps to keep pastures mowed down so the tall grass doesn't irritate their eyes and to remove manure if they're confined in a small area. We use Vision 7 20/20; calves are bolstered. Bad cases can benefit from Shuteye Patches. Some people use Biomycin 200 (one dose); others are opting for Draxxin (pricey). Important to identify and treat quickly because it's so contagious. With an outbreak like you're experiencing, it might be advisable to get your vet's input. A comparison chart: www.pbsanimalhealth.com/flytagcomparison1.html |
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