[goosepimple]

Got a north ronaldsay tup for hire on Thursday and he's in with 2 NR ewes.  Noticed today he's got what looks like pink eye - haven't had this before but that's what sprung to mind so googled it and pics look exact as what he has.  TASed it too, seems he might get over it in a few days?


Think it's from the hay bale he's been tucking in to.  The 2 other ewes seem ok, took one of them out but can't get the other out just now. 


I've called the owner and emailed him but nothing so far and of course I feel very guilty.  I would have tried to catch him today to get some saline eye fluid to flush out but disaster as I put my back out this morning quite badly and OH is away in Portugal.  May have to try and get him with my 2 kids tomorrow and get a harness on him.


Is there anything else that can cause pink eye, am I wrong to leave it alone?  He's immediate environment is safe, he's not going to cause himself a mischief falling anywhere or anything, but just worried as I haven't had to deal with this before.  Many thanks.

[Anke]

Depends really how easy he is to catch and hold onto... I have put some ointment onto any cases I had in the past, just can't remember the name at all... it will come to me.
You can get it from the vets, not expensive.
But it's one of these things... I only ever had isolated cases and all have healed, even though one ewe had a cloudy eye for ever afterwards - but she could see me a mile away with the bucket.

[jaykay]

I've had pink-eye in my flock, round and round, all summer.

The vets told me that jagging them with Tetroxy LA was as effective as eye ointment. They also said it's been a serious year for it round here.

In some cases I've jagged three times, 3 days apart each AND used Orbenin ointment in their eyes.

One or two, on their second or third time with it, did heal on their own - I presume they'd become a bit immune. On the other hand I've had sheep blind for days and worried I wasn't going to cure one (I did in the end).

I kept the worst affected wether in a pen for a fortnight, so I could get to him and treat him easily for the time it took.

[Pedwardine]

From our experience of it it is VERY contagious but we had a more intensive situation than you do. The Orbenin is effective if you use it early though it's a bugger to get in the eye of the most willing (to be caught) sheep. Saline will make it FEEL better but is unlikely to get rid of it. We did Orbenin AND Tetroxy L.A. injections every 3 days as Jaykay did but it just kept getting passed around so in the end they all had PenStrep injected directly into the inner eyelid  . They didn't like that AT ALL and managed to intensively keep up the hatred for oooh...two days then all was forgiven as their lids eased off on the swelling and they found they could see again. For early indications the eye will water then get icky with green gunk and then will get the characteristic clouding over which is more opaline than pink in appearance. The 'pink' is from the colour of the normal white of the eye. Very careful observation early on will reveal a minute white dot on the pupil surface which eventually clusters into lots of white dots as the bacteria develop. It's started by anything abrasive on the eye surface from something spiky in hay, bedding, hedgerow, thistele heads, anywhere from where they might feed.
 
P.S. It's not of your doing. It could have started anywhere.

[Anke]

Aaah, yes Orbenin is the one I used. I didn't give AB injections to mine.

[Fleecewife]

I would definitely treat aggressively (the worst cases can result in permanent blindness) and use Orbenin - it's about a fiver a tube but with just 3 sheep one will be enough.  To get it in the eye, hold the bottom lid well outwards. Pull by pinching the skin gently between your finger and thumb to make a gap in front of the lower part of the eye and squirt a length of the cream along it, then close the bottom eyelid by keeping it pulled out before you let it go, so the cream is trapped under the lower lid.  Enough will spread from there over the whole eye.  Sometimes you will find an air bubble in the tube which is very annoying !  Treat once a day until it's definitely clearing.   
 
It is contagious so look carefully at your ewes every day and treat them immediately you see signs.  Make sure not to touch the tube against the eyes as this will contaminate the tube.
 
 
If there is no sign of improvement after a few days then inject with Terramycin antiB, or whatever your vet recommends - I don't think it responds to Penicillin.  The idea of injecting into the eyelid turns me up, and I have found a normal IM injection works fine.
 
This is a very painful condition so the tup may well not feel up to his task of tupping your ewes for a bit, so give him extra time to make sure he's not missed them.
 
 
 

[Pasture Farm]

Last year I had real trouble with pink eye and as previous post I treated really aggressively including in some of the worst cases eye lid injections ( not to be done by the inexperienced) it is a very contagious condition and needs to be kept under control.
I used Opticlox cream in the eye and A/Bs

[goosepimple]

Thanks all and injecting anywhere near an eye is out!  Poor thing, he seems fine in himself and certainly hasn't stopped him eyeing the ladies across the fence.  Just going over again as it was a bit dark when I was out this morning. I'll see how willing he is for a hobnob, he's just wee so hopefully he'll be caught easily enough. 


It's Sunday however, won't get vet cream until tomorrow so may just have to saline today to keep them clean - my back problem is a trapped nerve and I can't drive today but will probably be able to tomorrow, I'll have to see how bad is eyes look - if they look pretty bad I'll have to hassle a neighbour.


Nothing is ever simples.  Thanks all will tell you how it goes.

[goosepimple]

Got that Pasture Farm our posts just clashed, many thanks.

[goosepimple]

Vet just called and is giving anti biotics and cream, so just going off to get them    thanks all

[mowhaugh]

That's good, hope your back is OK!

[Pedwardine]

Good luck with catching the wee beastie!

[goosepimple]

The joys of smallholding.


He escaped.  Thanks to the ewe who was left in with him knocking down the pen we caught them both in made out of flake gates.  We just about had him, couldn't believe it.  He's been dealing with his new found freedom by making out with ronaldsay ewe No2 but is also in with the rest, the rest being soays and castlemilk moorits.  I've spent the day hobbling round the field shouting orders at a shy 12 year old girl and a useless border collie and we got no where.  So he's not had his medication. 

On the bright side it seems more likely to be New Forest than pink eye which is why it hasn't spread to the others.


Will try again tomorrow when hopefully my back is a bit more supple and hopefully non of the other girls will be on heat before then.  It's only lambs they're having I expect, not dinosaurs. 

[jaykay]

The joys indeed! Sounds exactly like my place. Sending hugs.

And I'm sure wine is good for bad backs/knees/other creaky bits 

[Pedwardine]

Oh poor you! You're not on your own with such happenings. Guess we've all been there! Little bugger. Yep, you definately need some alcohol...