Need assistance with Blind Calf

[libbyballard]

I have a new calf that is now 2 weeks old. He was born on August 3 and was found in the field away from his Mom so he may not have gotten colostrum properly. Mom was rejecting. We penned them both up and Mom is taking care of him now and letting him feed. He is strong and eating well. When he was about 3 days old I noticed a film come across his eyes. He may have been getting some septic infection that settled in his eyes so I gave him a 7 days round of antibiotics. The film over both eyes went away but he still seems hesitant when moving around the pen and goes in circles some. Does anyone have experience with a calf such as this getting sight back and how the calf might do in the open field in regard to keeping up with Mom? Cow bell for Mom?

 

[2468herdsrgr8]

Well I dont have any experience with cows but I have seen a blind horse ...she slowly went blind ....one eye and then the other ...the owners put a bell on both the other horses halters ..and they had a donkey with a bell on .....so the mare would follow them around ...they had to keep the hay in one spot and could not change anything in the pasture ....there was also no electric fence wire they had another fence surronding the pasture( both made of wood ) for a trail going around the property ....I didnt know these people just friends of a friend ..but I thought it was amazing I asked them first why I heard bells ?..good luck...

 

[jhm47]

We have had several blind calves over the years. Some were born that way, and some lost their sight to pinkeye. The ones that were born blind do just fine. They seem to follow their mothers, and keep close to them at all times. We have fairly large pastures with lots of hills, ravines, trees, and rocks. When we wean these calves, I usually put the cow in with the blind calf for a few days so they can find the water and feeders. After a week or so, I remove the cow, and the calf bonds to some other calves and does just fine.

 

[libbyballard]

Thanks for the comments. Now two days after finishing a round of antibiotics, the milky look has come back over his eyelids. I am not confident that he will have any sight at all now. I am going to ask our vet if another round of antibiotics is warranted. If a calf got no colostrum at all at birth what are the chances that he will be able to fight off infection long term?

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Since you believe that he has had no colostrum, he should be more sickly and perhaps dead than where he is now. Which brings me to believe he did get some colostrum into his system; why else would he be strong and eating well?

 

[jhm47]

Sounds to me like pinkeye. If it is, you should make sure that the calf can get inside, or else put patches over his eyes. Make sure that flies are not spreading the germs from animal to animal.

Flies spread the disease, and sunshine irritates the tissues. We have problems with this each year in August. It helps a lot to control the face flies that spread it. Some calves never recover, and some are just fine. Colostrum, or lack thereof has nothing to do with it.

 

[cmjust0]

Just out of curiosity...can you see the calf's eyelashes?

We had a couple of goat kids born with watery eyes and they later developed milky spots.. I treated with antibiotic ointment and antibacterials (NFZ puffer -- yowza) only to realize later that they actually had a condition called entropion.

Basically, they were born with the edges of their eyelids turned inward. I didn't notice until I read about it and checked the kids...sure enough, that's what it was.

The vet put two stitches in each eyelid to pull them down and externalize the edge of the lid...pulled the stitches in a week and, voila, no problem.

I personally know another lady who had a "blind buck kid" that ended up being entropion after I told her about it.. Calves can get it, too, sometimes even from mama being a little too aggressive when cleaning them right after birth.

Might be worth looking into..

 

[libbyballard]

The calf's eyelashes are very visible. THe Mother was innoculated against pinkeye and there is no pinkeye in the herd. I thought that might make it more unlikely that pinkeye was the problem.

I think the main problem was that the mother's previous calf was not weaned and was still nursing occasionally up to the time of the birth of this calf.

Infection from lack of colostrum was my fear and that it settled in the eyes.