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This article was published in 1942
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INSTITUTE OF INSPECTORS OF STOCK OF N.S.W. YEAR BOOK.
OPTHALMIA—PINK EYE RICKETTSIAE IN STOCK
H. YEOMAN, Stock inspector, Moree.
There are few diseases that, to me, give greater agony to an animal than Infectious Opthalmia. They are indeed sorry spectacles when both eyes are affected and can neither eat nor drink and fall away in condition rapidly while the disease is in the acute stage.
When valuable animals or large numbers such as are seen in travelling mobs of sheep are affected with Opthalmia, it is necessary, if possible, to give animals some immediate relief, for the owners of such affected stock become greatly worried about permanent injury and immediate losses and something must be done to assist his stock. This is where many ideas are brought into action and much is done that is not orthodox to overcome at least temporary, if not permanently, the disease in question.
It is not unusual to find 10% to 15% of a travelling mob of sheep, thousands in number, unable to travel; frequently hundreds of cattle are simultaneously affected. Often, many valuable large stock are found suffering from this disease and I would not care to say to an owner; "The disease is only passing and most will recover and become normal." This has not been my experience, for in most cases some injury to the eyeball is the result, particularly so in large stock.
I have found, when the trouble is acute and very painful, 20% solution of Zinc Sulphate gives relief from pain. In special cases, such as studs and valuable animals, a weak solution of Cocaine (5% solution), or Atrophine, followed with 5% solution of Nitrate of Silver, is excellent, and, if repeated daily for three days, in bad cases of opacity, even though of some weeks standing, will remove the scum and relieve the congestion. I feel almost certain that the eye affection, as mentioned, is not actually similar in large stock as in sheep in many of the outbreaks I have seen. There is a marked permanent injury in majority of cases in large stock.
I have found the heaviest infestation amongst sheep during the dry summer months and on properties with a fairly long growth of dry grass weaners do appear to be the heaviest sufferers, and owners who have a serious outbreak are obliged to muster affected sheep in small paddocks for water and feeding purposes and treatment, otherwise the losses would be heavy; this also removes the menace of infestation of clean stock. Sheep are easy to handle and treat in comparison with large stock and if the head is held firmly the eyes can be treated with ease. In large stock, treatment is a problem, and an ingenious method when handling cattle, especially wild cattle, when crushed or penned, I find the ordinary fly or mosquito spray an excellent way of placing solutions in the eye—surer, and less loss of mixture than any other.
Insofar as this disease in live stock is concerned, it is a fact, I think, that white faces with little pigmentation in the skin around the eyes are more prone to Opthalmia. In these animals I would say fly is the main source of carrying the germ; in separate stalled stud or show animals I have found this disease pass from one to the other animal.
In large stock the term "Pink Eye" appears to be apt, for it is usual to get the pinkish to red coloration and you also get the small abcess on the eyeball, or Cornea, much more frequent than amongst sheep as a result of an attack of the eye trouble. I feel, also, that there are some properties that are more subject to outbreaks of eye disease in their large stock than others, and some I know appear to be never free of the disease in large stock and seldom are the sheep affected on the holding.
The above are opinions and experiences of my own when meeting and dealing with one of the most serious diseases that, for at least while in the acute stage, causes a good deal more economic loss than is generally known.