# Salt for Pinkeye!



## BlackRain75

Does anyone else hear use salt for pinkeye. You might laugh, but it will cure it!


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## Gabriel

I imagine that feels a lot like extinguishing a burning cigarette in their eye. What's worked for me has been proper nutrition, of which a critical part is a good mineral program.


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## M5farm

I'll stick with antibiotics and good nutrition. All salt will do is cause it to burn and flush the eye when it's watering.


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## notwyse

I have. It does. They do not appreciate the efforts.


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## G. Seddon

Fourth paragraph from the bottom:

http://www.sites.ext.vt.edu/newsletter-archive/livestock/aps-07_07/aps-705.html


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## BlackRain75

Yes I do use LA-300 for treatment, but I learned this about 4 years ago. I was amazed at what it did.


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## collegeboundgal

When I was a kid my dad/mom had cattle. Well, dad never really was a very good farmer. He had an off the farm job and my mom filled the "house wife" role very well. 

The cattle herd fell in disrepair from lack of direction (use of good bull, castration of calves, worming and vetting) well, the vetting part was due to the fact that their were no working facilities for the cattle. No head catch/squeeze chute. We could wire panels together and get a corral to get them loaded and sold, but nothing permanent. 

When I was a young teen, I took over what was left of that mangy, mostly wild, ugly herd. They came to know me, new I was the one who fed them that amazing, sweet tasting, grain from the gods (treat sized portions). I wanted to do right by them. I became the "farmer" in my family, dad just did the driving/paying, lol. My older sister was a cheerleader and an older brother who got along with anything that ran on electricity better. 

After I got my drivers license and a job I felt ever more driven. On my way to town one day, I saw a man that had, what I thought, was a squeeze chute for sale by the road. "My" cattle were suffering from pink eye at the time and I had seen too many go blind in an eye to just sit back and not be able to do anything. (I knew that they didn't bring hardly anything at the sale either with just one good eye). Being a very bold young teen, I stopped in on this fallow and inquired about his chute. (remember, I was 16, and didn't have the internet back then) Turns out, the "chute" was for releasing roping calves for team ropers in a rodeo like event. 
But when I told this man what I needed it for, he told me of the salt treatment. I went home and tried it that evening and have never been so happy to have it work! 

Did it hurt the cattle? I'm sure it burned like hell, but, it kept them from going blind till I could build working facilities for them. I learned to pin the young calves in a corner and "fold" two panels together so I could castrate the bull calves. (would never try that with a full grown cow! lol) 

I look back and cringe at what I was allowed to do, but then again, I don't think my parents new half of what I was up to. lol. Guess it made me the strong and independent person I am today. That whole herd (what was left anyway) was sold a few years after that, but I have my own herd (cattle and goats) that I bought and building up.

Wow. That was a very long winded way to say, "yep, it works great in an emergency type situation". Sorry 'bout that. Guess I felt like sharing.


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## myheaven

I just run a sulfur block during fly season. Better to prevent then to run around treating. Good to know draxxin works on pink eye. Around here we use penicillin under the top eye lid for 3-5 days. But a dose of draxxin I like that.


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## chamoisee

It works and I have used it on myself as well.


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## poorboy

For the past 59 years....Grandma told me about this when I was seven years old...Dad was working away from home all week...used to sneak up on the cows and throw salt in their eyes if they were showing symptoms, our horses also...


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## ycanchu2

BlackRain75 said:


> Does anyone else hear use salt for pinkeye. You might laugh, but it will cure it!


Yes it works......if you feel its too harsh, just dilute it in water and spray in their eyes. I doubt that it hurts as bad as one thinks. Just think about it...have you ever got ocean salt water in your eyes? 
I use diluted sea salt myself on my cattle.


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## barnbilder

If it's just starting to ooze a little bit, salt might do some good, make their eye water and flush and might boost the natural salinity in their tears, which is their first line of defense against pinkeye. That being said, the worst complications from pinkeye that I ever witnessed came as a result of someone throwing salt in a calves eye when it was already to the popped out angry looking stage. It had much the same result as putting salt on a slug. Rule of thumb, if it looks like they might have trouble blinking, don't use salt. Probably better not to use it period as there are plenty of things that work as well, if not better.


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## billinwv

Use a salt solution. Much easier on the patient. Fly predators and masks work great to reduce numbers and irritation.


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## hickerbillywife

An apple cider/water mixture in a spray/squirt bottle is what we were told to use. It was for goats with pinkeye but I assume it would work on cattle.


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## SVWfarmer

lemon juice diluted with water works excellent and you are avoiding using antibiotics as well. Used many times with success on cattle, sheep and goats.


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