|
Cattle FACS: Cancer Eye
To avoid unnecessary suffering for the affected animal, and
to protect your economic investment, learn to identify and treat
this disease early.If not detected early, Cancer Eye will eventually cause
severe trauma and suffering to the animal. Producers should
deal with this problem on the farm. Your management
short-falls should not be passed on to others such as auction
markets, order buyers or slaughter facilities. CAUSES:
- the cause is known, but may be generic; ultraviolet light
is know to be a factor
- all breeds are at risk, but cancer eye appears most often
in white-faced cattle that lack pigment around the eye
SYMPTOMS:
- to check for early stages of cancer eye, pull down on the
cow's lower eye lid and look for any abnormal tissue growth;
this is best done when the animal is in a chute, so combine
eye checks with another activity such as fall pregnancy
checks or spring vaccination
CORRECT DIAGNOSIS IS IMPORTANT:
- Cancer Eye can be mistaken for pinkeye and, therefore,
treated inappropriately
- to obtain a correct diagnosis, and prognosis for surgical
treatment, contact your veterinarian
HOW TO TELL CANCER EYE FROM PINKEYE:
| Condition |
Cancer
Eye |
Pinkeye |
| Eye |
white/pink
tissue growth; tumors usually on third eyelid, rarely on
eyeball |
general
swelling inside; white of eye is red; lesions on eyeball |
| Tearing |
yes |
yes |
| Pain |
not
in early stages |
yes |
| Eye
Spasms |
no |
yes,
will hold eye shut |
| Age
of Animal |
less
than 5 years |
any
age |
| Seasonal |
no |
yes,
summer |
| Treatment |
surgery,
culling |
antibiotic |
TREATMENT OPTIONS
EARLY AND MIDDLE STAGES:
- in the early stages, immediate surgery or liquid nitrogen
treatment of tumor are the choices; if the animal is a cow
with a calf, consider surgery (tumor or whole eye) and cull
after weaning; another option would be sale for slaughter
with the likely result being rail grade with possible head
condemnation
ADVANCED STAGE:
- advanced stages will result in partial or whole carcass
condemnation without compensation
ACTION:
- check animals regularly; early detection and treatment can
reduce animal suffering and offer more choices for return on
investment if Cancer Eye is not detected until the last
stages, the animal should be destroyed at the farm level and
not even transported to the auction market or packer
This Cattle FACS initiative
is endorsed by the Canadian Cattlemen's Association,
Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association, Saskatchewan Dairy
Association, Saskatchewan Livestock Association, Saskatchewan
Livestock Markets and Order Buyers Association, Saskatchewan
Stock Growers Association. The project was made possible through
the financial support of the Saskatchewan Beef Development Fund.
|
