Page 13 - MWC 4-21-2022s

Put a Stop to Pinkeye The Midwest Cattleman · April 21, 2022 · P13

By Amber Friedrichsen

Hearing the buzz of flies is and conjunctiva portions of cattle. Biehler
annoying to people, and cat- the eye,” the extension educa- says younger
tle think so, too. But these tor explains. “The severity of animals do not
insects can be more than just pinkeye ranges from mild to have as many
a nuisance. They have the po- severe, can cause blindness if antibodies on
tential to carry diseases that left untreated, and will likely the surface of
can threaten livestock pro- cause significant reductions their eyes to
ductivity. in performance of cattle.” protect them.
Flies can spread infectious Calves are more suscep-
bovine keratoconjunctivitis tible to pinkeye than adult continued on Flies have the potential to carry diseases that can
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(IBK), also known as pinkeye. threaten livestock productivity.
Wet and humid weather con-
ditions cause fly populations
to rise, which intensifies the
spread of this disease among
cattle in pastures.
Eyeing the effects
Connor Biehler with Uni-
versity of Nebraska-Lincoln
Extension says pinkeye cases
ramp up in the spring and
peak during the summer be-
fore decreasing in the fall.
This disease can have major
health impacts on a herd, so
it is crucial to identify it and
mitigate transmission.
“Pinkeye is a highly conta-
gious disease that promotes
inflammation of the cornea

Callaway

Livestock

Center, Inc.

On I-70, 4 miles east of
Kingdom City, MO on outer road

573-642-7486

Feeder Sale

Monday
12:30 p.m.

1st Thursday Night
of Each Month

6:00 p.m.

Special Cow Sale

Jack Harrison
573-386-2138

John P. Harrison

573-386-5150