Treating Pink Eye

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What I have learned this past week was doctoring cows and calves and the struggle of losing a calf. Over this past week I have doctored nearly 30 cows and calves because at the ranch we are fighting pink eye and trying to beat the spread of it. Lately the flies here have gotten bad and crawl on an infected eye and then would fly to another cow or calf’s eye and infect it. So, we would run cattle down the run to our holding pens and load the into the chute. Then once we would catch one, we give a shot of penicillin, then spray the infected eye with a spray. For the show cows, we’d cut up jeans and make an eye patch, covering the eye to decrease the likelihood of reinfection and spread.

The concept I would like to challenge this week is like what I learned this week, and that is doctoring, mainly vaccinating. For pink eye, specifically, what all could be used as different cures. Now, there was a trick that I learned from range riders that you mix sugar and salt and rub it in the eye to help cure it – that was a neat trick that I learned and used when vaccinating. Also, the use of a spry for infection, and injection of penicillin, and other vaccines, to help the pink eye.

A question I have is, what vaccines are used for common issues with cattle? I understand penicillin, but what else could be used? Also, another question is – how you can combat ring worm on cows? There are a few cows at my ranch, so I wonder, do you give a topical spray or is there an injection that is used to combat ring worm?

From what I learned this past week, I would like to use further down the line when I have my own cows and eventually must battle pink eye. Such as the sugar and salt trick to have, being it’s stuff that you have at home. Along with that, I will also use what I learned to help talking with people in this industry and have a better conversation to further my understanding.

Submitted by: Cody Long
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team