Pink eye vaccine in cattle
Pink eye in cattle or Contagious Bovine Keratoconjuntivitis is an infectious disease of the cornea and conjunctiva of the eye. It is caused by a bacterium called Moraxella bovis which lives on the eyes exterior and is a different organism from that causing pink eye in sheep.
Pink eye in cattle can resolve spontaneously but may cause temporary or permanent blindness if left untreated. In severe cases the animal will become photophobic and seek shelter to escape sunlight which is causing irritation to an already sensitive eye. This can lead to production loss due to reduction in feeding behaviour.
Piliguard Pinkeye-1 trivalent vaccine (Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health A8192 P.A.R. Class 1) is for use in cattle to aid in the prevention of pink eye. It may also be useful in the face of an outbreak to reduce the spread and severity of the disease.
2 ml of the vaccine is injected under the skin or in the muscle of the neck once only 3 to 6 weeks prior to the onset of the pinkeye season. This is generally when it is drier and when more flies are about. However, outbreaks of pink eye are also more prevalent when feeding out supplementary feed e.g. silage in certain circumstances.
For more information on this disease and the best options for treating an outbreak in your herd, contact your vet at either of theTotally Vets branches.
