# Shetland with chronic conjunctivitis - Any suggestions?



## dkosh (Feb 24, 2011)

I have a 3 year old Shetland ram that has had chronic conjunctivitis since this past August. We have been treating with warm water washes and Terramycin eye ointment. We have used Vet Rx and Vicks both in the nasal passages. After a while it will clear up then.....POOF.... his eyes are caked up again.  
We have thought maybe he has something stuck in his nasal passage or in the glands by the eyes but we can't see anything.
Any suggestions out there?


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## aggieterpkatie (Feb 24, 2011)

dkosh said:
			
		

> I have a 3 year old Shetland ram that has had chronic conjunctivitis since this past August. We have been treating with warm water washes and Terramycin eye ointment. We have used Vet Rx and Vicks both in the nasal passages. After a while it will clear up then.....POOF.... his eyes are caked up again.
> We have thought maybe he has something stuck in his nasal passage or in the glands by the eyes but we can't see anything.
> Any suggestions out there?


What exactly do his eyes look like?  Is the eye itself cloudy or weepy?  Or are you just seeing "gunk" in the creases between the bridge of his nose and his eyes?  Rams get gunky in there, I guess it's due to the scent glands.


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## dkosh (Feb 24, 2011)

aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

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Well one of his eyes gets cloudy when he gets gunked up. It is definitely crusty mucous drainage from the eyes. The eye clears up when we treat it. The gland does however seem to weep also. I'm not sure if it is the cause of the eye problem or if the eye problem causes the gland to weep.


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## aggieterpkatie (Feb 24, 2011)

dkosh said:
			
		

> aggieterpkatie said:
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Scent glands are just greasy, they're not usually an issue.  

He doesn't have entropion does he?  Are his eye lashes curled under? I've never seen it in an adult animal, but weirder things have happened.  

Could just be ulcers or pink eye. Is his hay very dusty?  Could he be irritating his eyes from eating?  What does the vet recommend?


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## Bossroo (Feb 24, 2011)

This animal may have a "foxtail" ( grass seed head) in  or behind the eye or in the tear duct. Often seen in wooly faced sheep. I have also seen foxtails migrate into the brain, spinal chord, muscles, and internal organs while performing necropsies. I once seen a 5" long nail incapsulated in/ through a 5 year old ram's heart.


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## jhm47 (Feb 24, 2011)

It's most likely entropion.  At his age, it might be hard to correct.  I would see if his eyelashes are turned under and irritating his eyes, and if they are, you can VERY carefully inject a bit of antibiotic into the eyelash to make it swell up so it quits turning inward.  Sometimes this will permanently correct the problem.  But---Be Careful when doing this!


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## dkosh (Feb 25, 2011)

Sometimes the hay is dusty but the last load of hay was nice and green. No waste at all and little dust. I need to take a better look at the eye lashes. I'll try to lift it back to see if I can see anything under it. 
Thank you all for taking the time to help. I appreciate it.


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## jhm47 (Feb 25, 2011)

There won't be anything "under" the eyelashes, it will be the eyelashes themselves that are irritating the eye and causing the infection.


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## dkosh (Feb 25, 2011)

I looked and the eye lashes are very short and not overly curly or touching the eyes at all. I also did look under the top and bottom lids. Nothing. I'm wondering if he has a hay allergy. That would be a bummer.


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## Bossroo (Feb 25, 2011)

You may not see any evidence unless you can see only the very tip of it.  The "fox tail" could be inside the eyeball itself, in the tissue behind the eyeball or inside the tear duct. In necropsies, I often see these seed heads migrate  inside nasal cavity soft tissue, between teeth and gums,through the skin and  deep into muscle tissue,  brain, spinal chord,  and into internal organs.


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## dkosh (Feb 25, 2011)

Bossroo said:
			
		

> You may not see any evidence unless you can see only the very tip of it.  The "fox tail" could be inside the eyeball itself, in the tissue behind the eyeball or inside the tear duct. In necropsies, I often see these seed heads migrate  inside nasal cavity soft tissue, between teeth and gums,through the skin and  deep into muscle tissue,  brain, spinal chord,  and into internal organs.


How do you diagnose that and/or treat it?


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