Pinkeye, state your experiences please!

[ksacres]

I've had goats for a looong time. I have *never* had pinkeye in my herd until now.

Two days after I brought home some new kids, I started to get weepy eyes, so, I researched a bit, started dosing with Bio-Mycin and using Terrimycin in the eyes. It swept through my entire herd within a week. Messy. Very messy.

Now, I'm left with two does that will probably be completely blind. Vet says to start dosing with Excenel (which we have) and rinsing the eyes with saline, since the oxytetracycline isn't working.

Anyone have any "success" stories with EXTREME pinkeye?? I just need some encouragement right now. This is just awful.

Vet says we don't need to have the eyes removed *yet* but that it may come to that if the Excenel doesn't kick the infection.

Worst part is, it's my favorite Nubian (seven years old and BRED) and favorite La Mancha-ain't that the way it always goes?

Really, I just needed to say it out loud. Well, type it.

 

[farmgirlie1031]

Yikes! I've never had it that bad. I did see cattle that were totally blind from not getting treatment when I worked with a vet.

 

[Cajunsamoan]

I'm so sorry to hear you're having to go through this. I wish you the best with them.

 

[mom2chicksandpups]

I've had cats with pink eye before and it always cleared up quickly once antibiotic creme was started in their eyes. Good luck!

I used to work in a nursing home and we actually had a resident who was blind because her parents did not treat her for pink eye as a child. It can happen!

 

[ksacres]

Quote:
That's how most of them were. These last two are really really bad. Vet said that they must have a different strain, one that's not susceptible to the antibiotic I was using.

 

[mom2chicksandpups]

Is there a different antibiotic you could try? I know you and the vet probably thought of this, but had to mention it anyway.

I had many ear infections as a baby and was overloaded with antibiotics. As a result, I am very antibiotic-resistant as an adult. Many of them just don't work for me! My point is, when one does not work, just keep trying until you find something that does. Maybe you are right and these 2 are resistant to the antibiotics.

 

[Fudgie]

WELL you cannot laugh at this!!!!

My dad uses Mastitis treatment for pinkeye in his cattle. It comes in a box of like 20 and they are tubes with skinny tubes to squirt the stuff out with. I swear by it. We had one old girl that was nearly blind (her eye was cloudy blue) and figured she would never come out of it. Of course our cows are like babies and we can do anything with them in the field so for a week straight I took the tube up there and squirted it in each eye and rubbed it in good. Within a week she could see shadows and now she can see like the best of them. It took her like 2 weeks before she started coming around.

I know it sounds really weird but it WORKS! I figure it cannot hurt to try. What more do you have to lose. I am not sure of the medicine in it but try it. I don't squirt the WHOLE tube in there but with goats you should be able to get a good amount in under the eyelid and then mush it around and get it EVERYWHERE inside and outside.

Don't forget to wash your hands good afterwards, you don't need pinkeye!!!!

This is what the info says on Jeffer's supply for Today treatment
Cephapirin Sodium
(Fort Dodge)
For intramammary infusion to kill mastitis-causing organisms in lactating cows. Comes with an Opti-Sert protective cap which can be removed for full insertion or left on for partial insertion. 1 day treatment at 12 hr intervals. 4-day slaughter withdrawal and 96-hr milkout.

 

[cyanne]

I had this hit my Nigi girls and one did look like she was going to be completely blind in one eye as it went nearly opaque. I dosed with LA 200 shots twice a day for 5 days and also put terrimycin ointment in the bad eye. It totally cleared up, even in the eye that I was sure would be blind.

I dosed mine at a rate of 5 ml per 100 lbs once a day for 3-5 days according to the info I found online. The Fiasco Farms site has an alternative dosage of 3 ml per 100lbs once a day for 3 days.

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/medications.htm#oxytetracycline

 

[Chatychick]

Well we have a Jersey that I was treating for pinkeye last summer and all that I normally use didnt work and had the vet out and they gave her NuFlor and sewed the eye shut.
Normaly I treat with Boimycin in the eye and shots also for the goats as NuFlor is quite expensive to use but this is what he did to the cow and she was almost blind because of it...she has 1 little spot now.
With the goats I so far have only had to dose the eyes and give shots for 5 to 7 days. You have to treat the infection both ways..in and out.

 

[farmgirlie1031]

Fudgie you jogged my memory. I remember a vet telling someone to use that treatment for pinkeye that wasn't responding to the normal treatment. It works. I don't think it would hurt to try it on a goat but maybe check with a vet first to be sure.