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Pink Eye Problems

By Department of Primary Industries - 16th February 2007 - Back to News

Pink-eye, or infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis, occurs in cattle throughout the world. It is a contagious disease and in Victoria occurs mainly in young cattle in summer and autumn.

A number of bacteria and viruses have been found to cause pink-eye but the most important is the bacteria Moraxella bovis.

Infective discharge from the eyes of affected cattle can be spread to other cattle by flies, or on to long grass grazed by the cattle. Sunlight and dust make the problem worse. There may also be other organisms, such as viruses and mycoplasmas that cause eye damage and allow Moraxella bovis to become established.

The first signs of pink-eye are usually a copious watery eye discharge, aversion to sunlight, signs of irritation like excessive blinking, and reddening and swelling of the eyelids and the third eyelid. Usually only one eye is affected.

The eye will then go cloudy in the middle and may ulcerate during the next two days. Many animals spontaneously recover at this stage. In a small number of untreated cases, ulceration may progress to abscess formation, with possible rupture of the cornea and permanent blindness. After recovery about 2% of affected eyes have a residual white scar on the cornea. An even smaller percentage progress to abscess formation.

Most cattle recover from pink-eye without treatment, 3-5 weeks after infection. Mustering cattle for the purpose of treating pink-eye is unwise because dust and flies increase the spread of infection. If mustering is needed for essential management procedures such as weaning and drenching, affected cattle should be treated for pink-eye while in the yards and severely affected cattle, such as those with abscesses in both eyes, should be isolated, treated daily and carefully nursed.

If the disease is in the early watery discharge stage, dusts, sprays or ointments may be used successfully. These preparations contain antibiotics and occasionally anti-inflammatory drugs and are available on a veterinarian's prescription. Ointments are preferred because they are effective for longer periods, and are less irritating and less traumatic to the eye.

In late and more severe stages of the disease, injection of a combination of a broad-spectrum antibiotic and anti-inflammatory drug underneath the upper eyelid is often successful. An eye patch that protects the eye from dust, flies and sunlight can be used in conjunction with this treatment.

DROUGHT AND FIRE RELIEF

The prolonged period of drought we are experiencing and the recent fires have been challenging for all Gippslanders, but particularly for our rural communities.

Through fantastic support from local businesses, a fun, social day out has been organised for farmers, farm workers, fire-affected residents, agricultural businesses and service providers.

Join us at the ‘Wellington Rural Relief Race Day’on Tuesday 6^th March at the Sale Turf Club (Function Entrance). Admission is free, with gates opening at 11.30am.

A FREE barbecue luncheon will be available (please register your attendance for catering purposes on 5147 0800) and there will be heaps of gate prizes and give aways to be won throughout the day. A jumping castle will provide entertainment for the kids.

If you are a local business and would like to donate a prize, or you would like further information, please contact Bree Walshe at DPI Maffra on 5147 0834 or Dale Scott, UDV DC 5 President on 5148 6369.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com