Homesteading Q&A: Cow Pinkeye, Livestock Lice, Horse Mineral Deficiency and More

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Giving vitamins A, D and E may help your cow's pinkeye.
Giving vitamins A, D and E may help your cow's pinkeye.
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Using a milking stand may ease the strain for both you and your goats.
Using a milking stand may ease the strain for both you and your goats.

QUESTION: My heifer’s eye is very red and watery and seems sensitive to light, and my neighbor says the animal has pinkeye. What do you think? 

ANSWER: Judging from the symptoms I agree with your neighbor’s diagnosis — and if you do nothing to correct the condition, blindness can result. I recommend that you give vitamins A, D and E orally or as an intramuscular injection in the neck or rump, and put a patch over the affected eye to keep out the light. This treatment usually results in steady improvement.

QUESTION: My cow, goats and burro always seem to be rubbing their bodies against poles or buildings. What could be the cause? 

ANSWER: Particularly at this time of year, the trouble could be lice. Part the hair of the animal quickly, and you can usually see the pests scamper. If any are present, dust the stock well with flowers of sulfur and rotenone — an effective natural product that is non-toxic to humans — and rub it in with an old glove, especially on the neck and body and around the rump. Be sure to repeat the treatment in seven to 10 days. This should control the lice for several months.

QUESTION: My horses chew on wood. Could this habit be due to mineral deficiency? 

  • Published on Jan 1, 1975
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