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blind heifer.

M

mmidlam

Member
Just found a yearling heifer blind in both eyes. It was walking in circles. pinkeye or maybe scratched from roses or tall grass.
Is it considered ok for the freezer? I have not tried any med yet, I think its too late.
 
This might be a shot in the dark but its worth considering. We had one like that many years ago "blind in both eyes. It was walking in circles". We called the vet and he said "Oh classic symptoms of Listeriosis," he give it a course of antibiotics and within a few days it was back to normal. Good luck!
 
I can see the infection is in the eyes. Don't they always walk in circles when blind from any reason? About 25 years ago, we had a bull that was blind in one eye. He later got pinkeye in the good eye and would walk in circles.
 
We've had lots of cattle turn up blind in both eyes, never noticed any that seemed to favor walking in circles, not enough that you'd notice anyway. They do seem to stay close to other animals if they can and basically follow along, probably by smell.
 
Send it to Washington, her leadership would be a refreshing change from that of the other blind heifer, nancy peelousy!
 
Get her up in and treat the pinkeye. When she is healed up, keep her in a smaller field or lot for a time feed her and then put her in the freezer.
 
I would say treat the eye problem and see. The info on Listeriosis does not mention Blindness.

If you caught it in time, cover the eyes with patches to keep sun out and treat the pink eye.

Had a steer a couple years back was affected the same way. He would be ok until he came to some type of object then he would turn in circles until he could hear the other cows or smell them?.

Just patched his eyes and he got over it. Always had a blue spot in each eye though. And couldnt see clearly. Could only see shadows.
 
If you can see a white spot on the eye my bet is pink eye. We get a puffer of antibiotic at the local feed store and puff it in the eye and keep her in a pen with feed and water, Usual first symtom is waterer eye andt it goes from there. Watch the rest of the herd as it is very infectionist.
gitrib
 
I had one turn up blind like that for no reason. I had kept my holstein heifers when I sold my milk cows. She was bred and I put here and all the rest in stanchions for the winter. When I turned them out in the spring,she was walking into everything. I kept here around,let her calve. She fed it and bred back,had the next one alright,but she was a pain in the backside. Had trouble moving her when I changed pasture and all the other obvious problems. I took her to the stockyard on the day that they buy on the rail. She must have been alright to eat,I got a check for her.
 
Normal bovine temp is 101 F. Beyond 103, do not butcher. Pinkeye is very treatable, but delaying too long can ruin the eye.
 
Obviously, it is your call. But, the biggest reason I raise my own beef is I know they are healthy and haven't had any antiboitics/growth hormone/questionable feed. The practices of some feed lots alarm me. My $.02.
 
I wouldn't jump to Listeriosis just because a blind calf is circling. Sometimes that's all that keeps them from falling in a ditch. A blind calf will turn around and around if it has no cows to follow, or something unusual (us) makes them nervous. Get her separated, treat the eyes, and have the vet test her if you think it's more than pink-eye. (using a rope and a 4-wheeler or horse pulling, and a person behind pushing always works best for me with a blind calf)
 
I would give here a regiment of good antibiotics, and treat her eyes as for pinkeye.

At her age you would not butcher for another year. By that time she will have been cured and off antibiotics long enough that there will be no danger.

Best beef we ever had was a blind heifer. We had named it Helen after Helen Keller.

Gene
 
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