The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: OhLaLa on March 22, 2012, 07:54:48 pm

Title: Lamb with VERY watery eye
Post by: OhLaLa on March 22, 2012, 07:54:48 pm
This lamb isn't one of mine - two day old with very watery eye. Side of it's cheek very wet, eye not open properly, I don't know if it was born like it or if it is something that has come on. Eating ok.

Any help appreciated. Thanks.
Title: Re: Lamb with VERY watery eye
Post by: feldar on March 22, 2012, 08:04:43 pm
Sounds like entropian, (Inturned eyelids) turn the lid outwards and pinch it hard til it swells up, you may have to do this a few times over a few days the lid will swell and then hopefully grow normally.
We inject ours with ultrapen a very thick antibiotic to swell them out but unless you have a lot of experience of injecting and are very confident i would try the other method first.
A bit of eye ointment will sooth the eye too
Title: Re: Lamb with VERY watery eye
Post by: bazzais on March 22, 2012, 08:48:48 pm
I'm a wuss and take mine to the vets for the ultrapen in the eyelid (cant stand injecting there as I dont have a steady hand - unless putting a needle on a record)

It does sound like entropian, does it have any 'whitening' of the eye?
Title: Re: Lamb with VERY watery eye
Post by: SallyintNorth on March 23, 2012, 12:39:23 am
Yes, sounds like entropion.  I find sluicing the eye with warm water several times a day helps, and yes I pinch the lid to make it swell just enough to stop the inversion.  If the eyelashes have scratched the cornea it may develop a white blind patch, but these usually heal in time.
Title: Re: Lamb with VERY watery eye
Post by: Fleecewife on March 23, 2012, 11:07:10 am
Just on the offchance that's it's a multihorned breed, these can get split eyelids - Split Upper Eyelid Defect or SUED - which can present with a watery eye.  With a severe split a similar effect as entropian occurs with the eyelashes irritating the cornea.  In this case the vet can put in a suture to close the defect.  SUED can occur on a scale from a tiny nick in the eyelid to a big wide split, but is not common.
Title: Re: Lamb with VERY watery eye
Post by: OhLaLa on March 23, 2012, 11:56:12 am
Thanks everyone, I couldn't remember what the condition was called so couldn't find info on it.

Looks like poss problem with eyelashes, given it a bit of attention, not so watery this morning and looking more open.

What type of eye ointment please?

 :sheep:
Title: Re: Lamb with VERY watery eye
Post by: ScotsGirl on March 24, 2012, 11:03:17 pm
Get some antibiotic ointment from vet.  Make sure you unroll the eyelid as mentioned before. If you have help and unroll then hold lid away and put some ointment in it sometimes keeps it out. Otherwise I get vet to inject with antibiotic and that solves problem.  Good luck. If you don't treat properly the eye gets damaged.
Title: Re: Lamb with VERY watery eye
Post by: OhLaLa on March 25, 2012, 10:58:18 am
Just to update, eye is looking ok now. Thanks all for the guidence.

 :farmer:  :sheep:
Title: Re: Lamb with VERY watery eye
Post by: wellies on March 29, 2012, 03:52:12 pm
one of my lambs had this and although I constantly kept turning the lower eyelashes back it still kept turning. I took him for an injection at the vets today as he was begining to develop an ulcer on his eye. The injection was a penicillin & steriod and he also has cream to go home with, again a penicillin based product. The eye is now very swollen but the vet said this is what is supposed to happen as it stops the eye lashes from turning back in. Must admit I don't think I could have injected him it looked mighty uncomfortable but he is back with his mum now and seems bright enough. My vet told me that if not treated and if the ulcer gets very bad it can actually pop and the eye can be lost... hopefully mine was treated in time. Interestingly though it started to occur in both eyes but it only the one that has remailned turned in, the other stayed out once it had been turned  ::)