The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: crobertson on September 06, 2017, 09:34:29 pm
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We check our sheep religiously twice a day everyday allowing plenty of time to assess each of them either up close or from a distance. Tonight I noticed that one, possibly two of the new girls (group of 10) had one squinty eye (hard to tell as they have black faces). The eye doesn't seem that swollen or have any discharge or have any cloudiness but it was starting to go darker and as they are new aren't tame enough to get up close.
I'm going to attempt to gather them up tomorrow, separate the ones affected and bring them in to have a closer look as it could just be debris, or something else. If pink eye I've read lots about different treatment options and that sometimes if not given time to mount their own response it can lead to repeated re-infections. I was thinking of putting them in a pen and bathing a couple of times a day with saline or mild salt water to keep the eye clean and lubricated and letting nature take its course (straight to the vets if progresses from mild). Other sheep in that field seem fine at the min as are the couple in the next field.
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I prefer to clobber things hard and fast and would be off to the vet for their recommended treatment. Pink Eye can get really bad really fast and is easily transferred between animals. Only seen a couple of cases of mild Pink Eye in our flock but Opticlox sorted it in a couple of days.
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Thanks for that, rounded them up this afternoon and one was definitely a bit squinty and had a slightly swollen eye (possibly one more ewe but it was fractional), rang our vet who said to pen separately inside and give an antibiotic jab to each of them and they'll be fine as its been caught very early. Said they never recommend spraying or putting anything in or around their eye, just one intramuscular jab. Girls all sorted and eating hay :)
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let us know how things go
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I brought the two of them in on Thursday, antibiotic injection each and the affected eyes don't seem to be swollen, not pink and virtually fully open ! They do seem to have a very slight blue tinge / film on their eyes - will this go ?? Do they need a 2nd antibiotic jab ? As I was hoping to put them back outside with their friends tomorrow ! No other sheep seems have have succumbed so we must of caught it early.
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A fully open cloudy eye is the most common symptom followed by weeping . Bloodshot ( hence pink eye ) and a small white abscess in the cornea are more severe