# cows with protruding eyes



## astrocow (Mar 11, 2005)

Yesterday I noticed that my two cows have bulging eyes. The upper eyelids look swollen too but their eyeballs appear to stick out of their heads more than usual. What ever it is, it came on sudden as they weren't like that the day before. They have no other symptoms. I've ruled out pink eye and it's not cancer eye. Flies have been bad recently but they were bad last year too and there were no bulging eyes then. They are both about to calve very soon so have been in a pen with clean ground that we recently set up in a treed area. They've been there since April 20. There are balsam, spruce and eastern white cedar in their pen. Could it be one of those trees that is causing this? Since it has affected the only two cows in there and at the same time I have to think it's the flies. Just didn't see it last year. And if it is from the flies why are their eyeballs sticking further out from their heads?
Any ideas as to what else it could be? They are vaccinated for everything in the area, have water, mineral, salt, good hay. Nothings changed except the patch of ground they are on. Can't move them out but if I had an idea of what kind of vegetation is causing this I'll go pull it out.


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## Jena (Aug 13, 2003)

Sounds like some kind of eye irritation. Long grass poking them? Maybe they are eating on the trees and getting poked by branches? Pinkeye sure sounds like a good candidate. I don't know how you ruled that out, but keep in mind you can have pinkeye like mad one year, and none the next. At least that has been my experience.

Jena


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## astrocow (Mar 11, 2005)

I ruled out pink eye because their eyes aren't watery. Wouldn't they have tears running down first before bulging eyes? One had pink eye in one eye last year when she was a year old the other 7 year old didn't get it. It is very dry and quite possible they got poked in the eyes or near them by the tree needles.
It just looks so freaky!


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## astrocow (Mar 11, 2005)

A friend suggested it may be juniper or yew. She says they are poisonous. Anyone know anything about these?


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## woodspirit (Aug 3, 2005)

Yews are extremely toxic. Especially if they are dead branches like after being trimmed. Juniper berries are used to flavor gin.


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