How does pinkeye spread?
This is where the face flies really play a role. They can carry the infection over a mile from animal to animal by feeding on the tears. Other flies like horn flies on the back and stable flies on the leg don’t carry the infection, but they do make cattle bunch out on pasture. If you see cattle bunching on pasture, you have a fly problem.
Why is it called pinkeye?
In the early stages, the eyeball is still clear, but it is tearing more down the side of the face. As the infection progresses, the eyeball starts to turn gray then white. This is the body fighting off the infection in the first few days. If the infection keeps going over a week, blood vessels start to invade onto the surface of the eye and the eye becomes “pink”. If you have an eye that is already pink, this infection has gotten a real head start!
How can we treat and prevent pinkeye?
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Fly control is important. We know this is difficult when it rains every day. The fly population is just going to continue to explode through mid-September, so if you are having problems, call Dan at our office and he will help you sort out the best plan. We also use pinkeye vaccine to keep the infection from spreading through the whole herd. If you have to round up the herd to treat over 10%, it is worth vaccinating. For the treatment, it is important to start early with antibiotics, steroids on the eye and maybe a patch if the eye is painful enough.
We have everything you need to help battle this problem before the eye turns “pink”. Give us a call today at 605-428-5636 and let us help!