Depending on your lifestyle, Fall has different markers for when it makes its seasonal debut.  For some it is Friday night football games, the return of sweater weather, or pumpkin flavored treats.  At our house, Fall is marked by the annual cattle drives and weaning as we bring them off the summer range and bring the calves home before shipping day.

Once the calves make it to the home ranch we have one major priority- keep ‘em happy, healthy and full.  With the stressful change of leaving their mothers, adapting to a new environment, and transitioning to new feed, calves could be primed for a health storm if things aren’t properly managed.  

Part of that management is consistent and frequent health checks.  There are several things we look for but one of the more prevalent diseases calves will develop is pink eye, or more technically known as infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK).  While pink eye isn’t a fatal illness and some old timers might say, “It’s a long way from their heart,”  the disease can make a significant impact in a herd with costly effects.

IBK is the result of multiple factors settling in to create the perfect storm to allow the development of the disease.  First is the bacteria itself.  There are several strains of bacteria that cause pink eye but the most common is Moraxella bovis.  The bacteria are rod shaped cells with little hairs on them called pili.  These pili allow the bacteria to cling to the eye and keep them from being easily washed out by blinking or tearing.

The second factor to create the perfect storm for IBK are the environmental vectors that introduce the bacteria, like flies, stems of hay or tall weeds.  Weeds and hay don’t always directly carry the bacteria, but instead initiate a cascade of events that will lead to pink eye.  The stems will scratch and irritate the eyes, causing two major issues.  First it makes the eye vulnerable for infection because the protective barrier against disease has been broken.  The irritation will also make the eyes tear which in turn will attract flies, the most common vector for spreading the disease.

The final factor that leads to the development of IBK is a stressed animal host whose immune system can’t handle the introduced bacteria.

Of course there are other environmental factors that can exacerbate the problem and make its prevalence even more likely.  UV damage brought on from excessive sunlight can break down the protective barrier of the cornea, leading to its vulnerability against microorganisms.  Wind can not only damage the cornea and suppress the local immunity, but also bring in the bacteria itself.  The face flies that spread the bacteria thrive in hot dry weather, which means that without the reprieve of a summer storm, they will congregate and spread their diseases at an even faster rate.

Heat.  Sun.  Dust.  Wind.  Weeds.  Flies.  Stressed cattle.  All things we have an abundance of in Oneida County this time of year.  Obviously we are primed for the spread of such a disease.  The question isn’t “if” the bacteria is introduced into the herd but “when.”  Knowing that pink eye will likely strike, taking action to prevent and quickly treat it will be the only way to keep the illness at bay and lessen its impact on your herd.

  There are multiple approaches you can take to prevent the spread of IBK.  Reducing the amount of flies that will spread the disease is an important step.  Using additives in feed that keep larvae from hatching in manure, fly cattle tags that contain insecticide, and pour-ons will make a difference in the flies spreading the disease.

Avoiding overcrowding in feeders, bunks, and corrals can also reduce the likelihood of the disease.  Less space means more contact, opportunities for injury, and a greater stress on their immune system.  Keeping weed stems cut short, avoiding overhead feeders, and rolling hay out on the ground can help reduce the vectors that can irritate the eye and introduce the bacteria.

There are a number of vaccines on the market that can be used to help boost a calf’s immunity against the bacteria.  Finding the right one for your herd should be done under the direction of a qualified vet to ensure you are getting the best bang for your buck.

Once pink eye has developed, it’s important to treat the animal quickly to prevent lasting damage and spread throughout the herd.  The first signs of an infection will be watery, squinting eyes.  As it progresses, a cloudy white film will develop over the eye.  Without treatment, an ulcer can develop that may eventually rupture.  Infections that have progressed to this point will likely lead to blindness.  But early treatment with antibiotics followed by quarantine will quickly turn around the effects of the disease for the calf and the herd.

 On the surface, pink eye might not seem like such a big issue, but understanding its effects on individual animals, the quick transmission, and the resulting cost in treatment, labor, and reduced value of the animal, you can see it’s more than just an infected eye.  It has been estimated that the US beef industry as a whole loses $150 million every year to this disease.  Take the time to manage your herd to keep IBK from making an impact in your cattle harvest this season.