Eyesore for a cow: treatment and prevention

Cloudy eyes in a cow may indicate the presence of some kind of disease or physical injury. This is a fairly common phenomenon in cattle, and both adults and calves suffer from it. If the disease is not treated, animals experience significant visual impairment, poor coordination, increased irritability and decreased milk production due to stress. Treatment for almost all causes of cloudy eyes in cows takes a long time, but it takes an especially long time to treat eyesores in cattle.

Why do cows have cloudy eyes?

Cows' eyes can become cloudy for a variety of reasons. One of the most common is keratitis or inflammation of the cornea, as a result of which the lens noticeably darkens and profuse lacrimation occurs.

The following reasons are also identified:

1. Mechanical damage. This means a scratch of the mucous membrane near the eye, an injection or bruise with work equipment or the horn of another animal.
2. Thermal damage. A cow may burn herself on something or be burned while treating an eye condition after being treated with a liquid that is too hot.
3. Chemical damage. A cow's eyes may become cloudy after burns caused by various drugs if higher dosages have been used.
4. Physical damage. Cloudy eyes in a cow are often evidence that lime dust has reached the mucous membrane.
5. Infectious diseases. They are often the reason why a cow develops an eyesore.

Cloudiness of the eyes is expressed primarily in the loss of shine of the cornea. Then it acquires a smoky shade, gradually turning into white. This is a symptom common to a number of eye diseases, including eyesore, but it also has its own specific features.

Signs of an eyesore in a cow

As additional symptoms of eyesore in a cow, the following changes in physiology and behavior are noted:

1. Profuse lacrimation, which is accompanied by the onset of inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx.
2. Photophobia and inflammation of the capillaries. The animal tries to go into the shadows, behaves quite restlessly and even aggressively, which is associated with painful sensations in the eye. When the disease begins, the cow begins to constantly moo from the discomfort she experiences.
3. A sharp decrease in visual acuity - the animal suddenly begins to have difficulty oriented in space, staggers from side to side, and moves slowly. The gait of a sick cow becomes cautious.
4. The cow constantly shakes or simply moves its head, and to the same side - the one where the healthy eye is located.This is explained by the fact that the animal’s viewing angle is reduced.
5. If the eyesore is not treated in time, the disease progresses to an acute stage - blood clots appear on the cornea, the mucous membranes become red and swollen. The swelling also affects the upper eyelid, as a result of which the cow’s eye sometimes closes completely.
6. Another sign that the disease is already at an extreme stage is the appearance of serous-purulent discharge around the cataract. With severe hyperemia, the cow's eye noticeably protrudes.

Causes of eyesores in cattle

An eyesore in a cow can occur for a variety of reasons:

1. Most often, corneal scarring begins due to mechanical damage. They can be caused by any small but fairly hard particles - sand, lime dust. Inflammation can also be triggered by a scratch or prick from a small branch that the cow stumbled upon while looking for food.
2. Sometimes an eyesore indicates the presence of an infectious disease in the cow's body.
3. Quite often, a cow's eyes become cloudy after suffering from conjunctivitis or an ulcer.
4. Human factor can also cause eyesores. This occurs due to improper treatment of other eye diseases, if too concentrated or hot solutions are used.
5. Another widespread cause of the disease is thelaziosis. It is expressed in infection with helminths after flies lay eggs on the edge of the cow's eye.Small worms soon hatch from them, which cause inflammation of the cornea.

Sometimes eyesores are hereditary. In small calves, it is detected if the cow has experienced a helminth infection during pregnancy, which is transmitted to the fetus. These calves grow poorly and are often born prematurely. Timely vaccination of pregnant cows helps reduce the risk of catarrh in calves.

How to treat a cow's eyesore

If an eyesore is detected on a cow, it is not recommended to independently treat the animal. Medications should be prescribed by a veterinarian, and traditional methods of treatment should in no case replace them entirely. They can only act as auxiliary means.

Drug treatment of eyesore in cattle

Drug treatment may include the use of the following medications:

1. 1% solution of "Chlorophos". Rinsing the affected eye is carried out according to a doctor’s prescription, the recommended frequency of procedures is 3-4 times a day. If inflammation is severe, this amount is increased to six times a day. Sometimes, instead of rinsing, the veterinarian may prescribe injections behind the third eyelid.
   
2. Tetracycline ointment. It is applied to the eyelids as an independent treatment 2-3 times a day or lubricated at the injection site after using the Chlorophos solution.
   
3. "Albendazole". The veterinarian prescribes this remedy if the eyesore appears as a result of helminth infection. It is applied once at the rate of 1 ml per 10 kg of cow weight.
   
4. Iodine solution. This remedy is used against thelaziosis, which causes the appearance of an eyesore. 1 g of crystalline iodine must be mixed with 2 g of potassium iodide and diluted in a glass of boiling water. When the solution has cooled, it is drawn into a special syringe or syringe and the eye is treated, while the stream should be directed to the inner corner.
   
5. 0.5% carbolic acid. To wash the cataract, a small amount of carbolic acid is diluted in 200 ml of water. The exact dosage and frequency of washings is prescribed by the veterinarian.
   
6. 3% boric acid solution. This remedy is also used against helminths. The solution is drawn into a syringe and washed out the sore eye of the cow.
   

Treatment should be systematic and constant; skipping even one procedure is undesirable. It is important to follow all the doctor’s instructions exactly, otherwise the treatment of the cataract will last for many months.

Folk remedies for cow eyesores

Powdered sugar is very popular against eyesores, which is explained by the effectiveness and low price of this folk remedy. It’s very simple to make – just pour granulated sugar into a coffee grinder and grind it to a powder. This will take some time, because large particles of sugar can only make the situation worse.

You can use powdered sugar in two different ways. The first is to gently blow the powder onto the eyesore. The second involves diluting powdered sugar in water, but there is no need to completely dissolve it - the result should be a viscous mass, which is applied to the sore eye like an ointment. Some farmers prefer to place it under the cow's lower eyelid.

It is necessary to treat a cow's eyesore 4-5 times a day.Powdered sugar effectively copes with the symptoms of the initial stage of the disease - the thorn becomes smaller in size and fades already on the fifth day, however, the powder cannot completely cure the inflammation. This requires full-fledged drug treatment, and sometimes surgical removal of the cataract may be required.

Preventive actions

You can significantly reduce the risk of eyesores with a number of simple recommendations:

1. The barn must be kept clean and tidy. The bedding is changed regularly, and the room where the cows are kept is ventilated. Also, there should be no potentially dangerous objects in the barn, due to which animals can suffer eye injuries and, as a result, eyesores. Manure is removed in a timely manner, as it attracts flies, and they, in turn, become the cause of thelaziosis, which is also fraught with the appearance of cataracts.
2. Pastures for grazing cows are chosen so that they are located as far as possible from forests. This will reduce the likelihood that the cow will accidentally injure her eyes on small branches while looking for food and provoke the development of cataracts.
3. Vaccination should not be neglected under any circumstances. All recommended seasonal vaccinations must be completed, including for pregnant cows. This will reduce the possible cause of the eyesore due to the fact that the likelihood of getting an infection will decrease.
4. From time to time, to prevent eyesores, you should cleanse from parasites, at least once a year. This is usually done in the spring or summer with the help of drugs such as Alvet, Tetramizole and Albendazole.Antiparasitic agents are carefully diluted in water and added to drinking bowls or feed.
   
   
5. Cow skins are periodically treated with various medications against flies, ticks and horseflies. For these purposes, such products as “Aversect”, “Entomozan” and “Sebacil” are suitable. The recommended dosage is 1 ml of the drug per 100 ml of water. The resulting solution is taken into a spray bottle and sprayed on the cows.
   
   
   

Conclusion

Cloudy eyes in a cow are often evidence that a cataract has formed on the animal's cornea. The cause of the appearance can be either a mechanical injury or burn, or an infectious disease. To prevent cloudy eyes in cows, it is recommended to carefully select pastures for the herd, periodically inspect the livestock and not neglect vaccination. These basic precautions can help avoid large financial and time costs for treating cattle.

You can learn more about how to cure an eyesore in a cow from the video below:

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