A thorn in the eye of 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 occurrence in cattle, and both adults and calves suffer from it. If the disease is not treated, the animals show significant visual impairment, impaired coordination, increased irritability, and reduced milk production due to stress. The treatment of almost all causes of cloudy eyes in cows stretches for a long time, but the eyesore in cattle is especially long treated.

Why do cows have cloudy eyes?

The eyes of cows can become cloudy for various 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.

There are also the following reasons:

1. Mechanical damage. This refers to a scratch on the mucous membrane near the eye, a prick or bruise with work equipment or the horn of another animal.
2. Thermal damage. A cow can burn herself on something or get burned in the treatment of any eye disease after being treated with too hot a liquid.
3. Chemical damage. The eyes of a cow can become cloudy after a burn caused by various drugs if higher dosages are used.
4. Physical damage. Cloudy eyes in a cow are often evidence that lime dust has fallen on the mucous membrane.
5. Infectious diseases. It is they who often become the reason that a cow has an eyesore.

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

Signs of an eyesore in a cow

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

1. Abundant tearing, 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 rather restlessly and even aggressively, which is associated with painful sensations in the eye. When the disease starts, the cow begins to constantly moo from the discomfort experienced.
3. A sharp decrease in visual acuity – the animal suddenly begins to orient poorly in space, staggers from side to side, moves slowly. The gait of a sick cow becomes cautious.
4. The cow constantly shakes or simply moves her head, and in the same side – the one where the healthy eye is located. This is due to the fact that the animal has a reduced viewing angle.
5. If the eyesore is not treated in time, the disease goes into an acute stage – blood clots appear on the cornea, the mucous membranes turn red and swell. Puffiness affects, including the upper eyelid, as a result of which the cow sometimes even closes its eye.
6. Another sign that the disease is already at an extreme stage is the appearance of serous-purulent discharge around the walleye. With severe hyperemia, the cow’s eye bulges noticeably.

Causes of an eyesore in cattle

A thorn in the eye of a cow can occur for a variety of reasons:

1. Most often, scarring of the cornea begins due to mechanical damage. They can be caused by any small, but sufficiently solid particles – sand, lime dust. Also, inflammation can be provoked by a scratch or a prick from a small branch that the cow stumbled upon in search of food.
2. Sometimes an eyesore indicates the presence of an infectious disease in the body of a cow.
3. Quite often, a cow’s eyes become cloudy after suffering conjunctivitis or an ulcer.
4. The human factor can also cause an eyesore. This is due to improper treatment of other eye diseases if too concentrated or hot solutions are used.
5. Another common cause of the disease is thelaziosis. It is expressed in infection with helminths after the flies have laid their eggs on the edge of the cow’s eye. Small worms soon hatch from them, which cause inflammation of the cornea.

Sometimes an eyesore is a hereditary disease. In small calves, it is found if the cow has experienced a helminth infection during pregnancy, which is transmitted to the fetus. These calves do not grow well and are often born prematurely. Timely vaccination of pregnant cows helps to reduce the risk of walleye in calves.

How to treat a thorn in the eye of a cow

If an eyesore is found in a cow, it is not recommended to self-treat the animal. Medications should be prescribed by a veterinarian, and alternative methods of treatment should in no case replace them entirely. They can only act as an aid.

Medical treatment of eyesores in cattle

Medical treatment may include the use of the following medicines:

1. 1% solution of “Chlorophos”. Washing the diseased eye is carried out according to the doctor’s prescription, the recommended frequency of procedures is 3-4 times a day. If the inflammation is severe, this amount is increased up to six times a day. Sometimes, instead of flushing, the veterinarian may prescribe injections for the third eyelid.

   

2. Tetracycline ointment. It is applied to the eyelids as an independent treatment 2-3 times a day or the injection site is lubricated after using the Chlorophos solution.

   

3. “Albendazole”. The veterinarian prescribes this remedy in the event that an eyesore appears as a result of helminth damage. 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 caused 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 jet should be directed to the inner corner.

   

5. 0,5% carbolic acid. To wash the walleye, 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 the sore eye of the cow is washed.

   

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

Folk remedies for an eyesore in a cow

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

Powdered sugar can be used in two different ways. The first is that the powder is gently blown into the eyesore. The second involves the dilution of powdered sugar in water, but it does not need to be completely dissolved – the result should be a viscous mass, which is applied to the sore eye like an ointment. Some farmers prefer to put it under the cow’s lower eyelid.

It is necessary to treat a thorn in the eye of a cow 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 a full-fledged drug treatment, sometimes surgical removal of the walleye may be required.

Preventive measures

Significantly reduce the risk of an eyesore with a number of simple recommendations:

1. The barn must be kept clean and tidy. The bedding is regularly changed, 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 get an eye injury and, as a result, a thorn. Manure is removed in a timely manner, as it attracts flies, and they, in turn, cause telaziosis, which is also fraught with the appearance of a walleye.
2. Pastures for grazing cows are chosen so that they are located as far as possible from the forests. This will reduce the likelihood that the cow accidentally injures her eyes on small branches in search of food, and will provoke the development of a walleye.
3. Vaccination should not be neglected in any case. All recommended seasonal vaccinations should be done, including pregnant cows. So one possible cause of an eyesore will be less due to the fact that the likelihood of getting an infection will decrease.
4. From time to time, to prevent an eyesore, cleansing from parasites should be carried out, at least once a year. This is usually done in the spring or summer with the help of drugs such as Alvet, Tetramizol and Albendazole. Antiparasitic agents are carefully diluted in water and added to drinkers or feed.

   

   

5. The skins of cows are periodically treated with various medicines from flies, ticks and horseflies. For these purposes, such means as “Aversekt”, “Entomozan” and “Sebacil” are suitable. The recommended dosage is 1 ml of the drug per 100 ml of water. The resulting solution is collected in a spray bottle and cows are sprayed with it.

   

   

   

Conclusion

Cloudy eyes in a cow are often evidence that a thorn has formed on the cornea of ​​the animal. The cause of the appearance can be either a mechanical injury or a burn, or an infectious disease. As a prevention of 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 the high financial and time costs of bovine treatment.

For more information on how to cure a thorn in the eye of a cow, you can learn from the video below: