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Blind sheep

  • 03-02-2013 6:56pm
    #1
    Salmonman
    Registered Users Posts: 99 ✭✭


    Starting to find a few ewes that are blind.Anyone know what's causes this


Comments

  • #2
    Username John
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,237 ✭✭✭Username John


    Salmonman wrote: »
    Starting to find a few ewes that are blind.Anyone know what's causes this

    What are they eating? Inside or outside?
    Eyes cloudy?
    Pinkeye? Do they have acces to bracken?


  • #3
    Western Pomise
    Registered Users Posts: 1,656 ✭✭✭Western Pomise


    Salmonman wrote: »
    Starting to find a few ewes that are blind.Anyone know what's causes this
    SUFFERED WITH EWES WITH THIS AROUND TIPPING TIME.....look up a post I put in on ewes with milky like glaze on eyes ....should be helpful...my advice would be get treating them a.s.a.p....takes time but you will cure them.


  • #4
    Salmonman
    Registered Users Posts: 99 ✭✭Salmonman


    Ewes outside on the hill,getting sillage had it before a few years ago,treated them with alyimicin.Cured them all.


  • #5
    Username John
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,237 ✭✭✭Username John


    Western Pomise wrote: »
    SUFFERED WITH EWES WITH THIS AROUND TIPPING TIME.....look up a post I put in on ewes with milky like glaze on eyes ....should be helpful...my advice would be get treating them a.s.a.p....takes time but you will cure them.

    This is the thread Western Promise is referring to above
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=81359981


  • #6
    Highland
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 98 ✭✭Highland


    Treat them if they go blind with oxytetracyclin - if it only affect one eye of if they are not blind I would let them alone - those you treat will get it again - those that fight it off themselves won't. some may have a cloud in eye afterwards - spreads like mad - it will eventually wear itself out. But it is very frustrating - had it twice including last year just as ewes came into shed for last eight weeks prior to lambing - absolute nightmare.

    Other cause could be listeria - if they are eating soil contaminated silage - sore eyes is first problem, can cause abortions and death in sheep


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  • #7
    Salmonman
    Registered Users Posts: 99 ✭✭Salmonman


    Found more sheep this morning going blind ,running around the hill trying to pen them,hailstones bouncing of me.So put them all in and injected them with alamycin,repeat in 2 days.Pain in the h...


  • #8
    razor8
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,326 ✭✭✭razor8


    Have two mountain eyes inside on hay one lambed other a few days off completely blind. Anyone recognise it from photo?. They have got ultrapen and a ml into each eye


  • #9
    tomwaterford
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,768 ✭✭✭✭tomwaterford


    Salmonman wrote: »
    Starting to find a few ewes that are blind.Anyone know what's causes this

    fog...can cause it??...don't know the exact science behind it...used get it regular before here espially in boggy areas


  • #10
    jt65
    Closed Accounts Posts: 572 ✭✭✭jt65


    razor8 wrote: »
    Have two mountain eyes inside on hay one lambed other a few days off completely blind. Anyone recognise it from photo?. They have got ultrapen and a ml into each eye


    we had a couple looking very similar

    took a long time but they came right


  • #11
    MayoAreMagic
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,946 ✭✭✭MayoAreMagic


    You hear a lot of crazy cures for this. But the best, and quickest, I have found is a couple of drops of oxytetracyclin into each eye. Even as far gone as your photos suggest, it will be gone almost completely in about 2 weeks, with some sight returning sooner, which means less chance of them running into a drain etc.

    It comes about in damp and/or windy conditions, generally where the ewe doesnt have enough shelter - that is in my experience anyway.


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  • #12
    Conmaicne Mara
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,543 ✭✭✭Conmaicne Mara


    MayoAreMagic wrote: »
    You hear a lot of crazy cures for this. But the best, and quickest, I have found is a couple of drops of oxytetracyclin into each eye. Even as far gone as your photos suggest, it will be gone almost completely in about 2 weeks, with some sight returning sooner, which means less chance of them running into a drain etc.

    It comes about in damp and/or windy conditions, generally where the ewe doesnt have enough shelter - that is in my experience anyway.

    Saw some of it in the ould fellas flock last year at lambing, there was a persistent cold Easterly wind for about six weeks. Alamycin foot spray works but wouldn't recommend it unless you had nothing else, certainly wouldn't use anything like engemycin spray which fizzes a lot. Mastitis tubes work as well and are a bit kinder.

    I believe it is contagious and would separate out any ewe that had it if possible. Also regularly disinfect troughs and anything else they may have been scratching their faces on.

    If I remember rightly there was a fair bit of discussion on it over on TFF or BFF. I may be corrected but an injection may also cure it, don't take that as fact as my memory isn't particularly stellar.


  • #13
    razor8
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,326 ✭✭✭razor8


    They are inside so surprised, chatted vet yesterday and brought a photo and said it was worse than pink eye, told me to keep injecting with engemycin til it's better and give me a steroid for the lambed one so suppose time will tell


  • #14
    MayoAreMagic
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,946 ✭✭✭MayoAreMagic


    Apologies, I meant engemycin, not oxytetracyclin. A vet told me that a drop or two into the eye is the best cure. I was pleasently surprised at how well it worked, normally that blindness is hard to shake off, and it will usually spread to one or two more before you can get rid of it, but the engemycin seems to put it on the backfoot straight away. Try a drop into the eye razor8


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