Pink Eye

[GreenerGrass]

Never had this before done a lot of reading on the forum. But all topics a few years old. I have a mob of 80 that have come back to the farm infected, they are in quarantine as have a further 200 sheep seperate on the farm that are clear, but very worried they could catch it.

I went through whole mob of 80 (about a third affected) with alamycin 300, and opticlox with worst ones. One completely blind in both eyes.

All well for a week but then one and another and now about a dozen are showing new infection. Have jabbed pen and strep as had a bottle on vet advice but must be resistant as it's not cleared it even after a couple of days jabbed.

Got more alamycin 300 and now going to isolate infected, treat and put them in new paddock. But just not sure this will clear it, and worried as my whole flock are naive.

Any advice or recommendations please. Desperate to sort this.

 

[Muddyroads]

We’ve had a lot this year. Alamycin 200 here and the vets have said they’ll build up an immunity to it, but we’ve had several reoccurring and young lambs affected too. Not much help to you I’m afraid, and I’ll be interested in replies, but at least you know you’re not the only one with it.

 

[yellowbelly]

Never had much of a problem here until we started using round bale feeders - the stupid sods will insist on poking their heads right inside which gets dust, seeds, etc in their eyes
That causes a bit of irritation and hey-ho it's fugin' pink eye time again.

Oxy-tet is the only thing to stop it here. Bad cases get 2 doses, 2 days apart (most only need one).
Some never get it, some get it and get over it and a few get it, clear up and get it again and re-infect everybody else.

It must be painful, but it's not life threatening - unless you count the ones that get it bad in both eyes and manage to walk into a beck or a dyke and drown themselves

Our vet asked us to send some pics last year as she'd been contacted by a drug company that was working on the problem. Sent them but we never heard anymore.

 

[Macsky]

I wonder if a splash through a dipper with zinc sulphate would stop it in its tracks, if obviously infected sheep were removed first and treated accordingly?

 

[primmiemoo]

Sadly, it will go through them, and all cases will need treatments. Had it bad here during FMD year. How it came is a mystery - closed flock. It flared in a scant number for a couple of years after, and there hasn't been a case since. The sheep didn't transmit it to the suckler herd. Oddly, some store bullocks had it years later, but it didn't transmit to sheep.

 

[clod hopper]

Had it here for the last 2years, used dry cow tube only can't remember what it is called now but very successful after 2 treatments even the ones with both eyes infected. Pita!!

 

[Dextersg]

Orbenin dry cow tube. Works wonders. Orbening eye ointment more expensive but exactly the same as orbenin dry cow

 

[Agrivator]

Septiclense spray is very cheap, and seems to be effective for eye infections in both sheep and cattle. It will be stocked by most agric. suppliers I prefer the clear version, rather than the one with purple colouring.

SeptiClense Spray | Nettex

www.net-tex.co.uk

 

[Ffermer Bach]

I would inject them in the eye lid with engemycin, very small needle and maybe 1ml in each eyelid, easy to do, but hard to describe, get someone to show you how

 

[GreenerGrass]

Thanks everyone for replies and input. I really appreciate, but have followed my vets advice with treatment (alamycin 300). I haven't been shown how to treat in the eyelid, but the treatment response has been great to normal IM, I don't have any doubt about its effectiveness, but pinkeye just keeps rearing its head again.

Each day I drew off infected individuals and split them based on treatment date. These small groups of 6-8 sheep, would clear up perfectly from infection, and after 8 or 9 days clear I would join them with other mobs to free up more paddocks/housing for most recent infections to be isolated in.

Everything going brilliantly. But... infections have now started showing in the grouped up mobs (36 +18 sheep). By this stage they had been clear nearly two weeks, they are outside in clean ground. No risk of cross contamination from the other sheep or from me, and they haven't been handled to move them either.

The most recent infected+treated individuals still in their groups of 6, as was going to wait until over a week clear before they were introduced to the mob. They were the last of the group of 80. But I'm back at square one. I've now been through the mob twice with Alamycin 300 (6 bottles so ~$$). And other than some of the worst cases with eye damage now restoring their sight, I'm not sure I'm in much of a better position.

The rest of my flock on the farm ~200 are starting lambing in a couple of weeks, and are fine for now, but I'm worried just a matter of time before it makes leap into them. Really had hoped would have it sorted. not sure what more I can do

 

[primmiemoo]

Sorry to learn of reinfections. NADIS does say that immunity is not guaranteed, unfortunately:

NADIS Animal Health Skills - Eye Diseases in Sheep

NADIS is a unique online based animal health resource for farmers, vets and SQPs. The information is written by veterinary experts, peer-reviewed and presented in a practical format with a high visual clinical content to improve disease awareness and highlight disease prevention.

www.nadis.org.uk

but it does give advice about management to reduce possibilities for transmission.

Are you getting cases of "silage eye" as well? Different bacteria involved, according to NADIS (so I've learned something today).

 

[Ffermer Bach]

can be spread by flies I think, hey, the advantage of injecting into the eyelid is you get a lot of injections per bottle of antibiotic so apart from the labour point of view it does save a bit.

 

[yellowbelly]

I haven't been shown how to treat in the eyelid,

This is a lamb for entropion with pen/strep, but will give you an idea how to do it....

EDIT .... while I was looking for the first video, this popped up as the next to watch....

No idea if it works . but that American guy seems to think so.

 

[clod hopper]

Bugger!Just out of curiosity, what breed are you sheep? How wooly are there heads? Keep your grass shortish if in longish grass can cross contaminate. You'll need to get on top of it soon before bleedin' flys start.

 

[spin cycle]

i'd be tempted to put 5ml crovect on their heads to keep flies away as a start.....i don't know what the 'form' is using terramycin spray on the eye....i've heard of vets saying 'yes' anecdotally....but my vet says no

 

[Bones]

Dog attacks and pink eye are the two things that would put you out of sheep very quickly,it can be a real pain if it gets into the lambs, I have a fone number of a man who can give you the cure for it over the fone ,if you believe in that sort of thing, when your backs against the wall you'll try anything.