Answer first
See a possible eye problem? Identify the animal and start one simple record.
Write down the animal ID, which eye looks affected, where the animal is, what the crew saw, and when they saw it. Then send the animal through your veterinarian or trained cattle-care process.
Keep the veterinary direction, treatment, withdrawal time, and next check in that same record. This gives the crew one clear history to follow instead of loose notes, pictures, and treatment entries.
What the crew may see
Five signs that deserve a closer look
Merck Veterinary Manual lists tearing, repeated blinking or eyelid closure, light sensitivity, and a cloudy cornea among the visible findings associated with cattle pinkeye.
Watery eye
Tearing or wet hair below one eye.
Repeated blinking
More blinking than normal or keeping the eye partly closed.
Avoiding bright light
Turning the affected side away from sunlight or holding the head differently.
Cloudy eye
A white, blue, or cloudy area on the clear surface of the eye.
More than one animal affected
Several cattle showing eye trouble may point to a wider fly, dust, plant, or group-management issue.
Why summer checks matter
Flies, sunlight, dust, and crowding can raise the risk
Oklahoma State says flies, strong sunlight, dust, plant material, and cattle crowding around limited shade can all be part of the pinkeye picture. Those conditions can change quickly during warm weather.
When one animal is flagged, take a quick look at the group as well. Check fly pressure, dusty areas, tall seed heads, overhead hay or chaff, and crowding around shade. The individual eye record may point to a pen or pasture issue the crew can address.
For a broader warm-weather checklist, see our late-summer cattle receiving guide.
What to do first
Use the same four steps every time
Identify the animal and the eye
Record the animal ID, current pen or pasture, and whether the left or right eye looks affected. Add the time and the name of the person who saw it.
Get a direct check
Move the animal through the operation veterinarian or trained cattle-care process. Pinkeye can look like an injury, a foreign object, or another eye problem.
Record what was done
Keep the veterinary direction, treatment, product, dose, route, withdrawal time, and responsible person with that animal record.
Set the recheck before the animal leaves
Write down who will check the eye again and when. Record whether it improved, stayed the same, or needs more veterinary attention.
How Livestock Technologies helps
Keep the eye record tied to the right animal
The Livestock Technologies Nose ID chute captures a consistent face and muzzle view when cattle move through the chute. That visual reference can be linked with the animal's visible tag, EID/RFID, pen, and yard record.
Fixed cameras add the surrounding timeline. They can help the crew look back at where the animal was, how it held its head, when the change became visible, and whether another check is needed. The result is a cleaner history for the cattle-care team and veterinarian.
The cameras organize visual evidence; the veterinarian still diagnoses the eye and directs treatment. See our documented Tuskegee University installation and learn how the Nose ID and camera system works across the cattle record.
The record to keep
Put these six items on one animal timeline
- Animal ID, lot, and current pen or pasture
- Left or right eye and the visible sign
- Date, time, observer, and original photo or clip
- Veterinary direction and treatment details
- Withdrawal time and person responsible
- Recheck date and the final outcome
If the crew later corrects an animal ID, pen, or treatment entry, keep the correction with the original note. That way the next person can see what changed and why.
A practical next step
Show us one chute lane and the cattle records you already use.
We will show you how Nose ID, EID/RFID, pen history, camera views, and cattle-care notes can stay connected around the same animal. Your crew and veterinarian keep control of the care decision.
Sources and current guidance
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Infectious keratoconjunctivitis in cattle and small ruminants
- Oklahoma State University Extension: Pinkeye timely topic
- Oklahoma State University Extension: June/July 2026 cattle fly guidance
- Beef Cattle Research Council: Identifying the infectious cause of pinkeye in beef cattle
Published August 13, 2026. Eye conditions can worsen quickly and may have several causes. Use the operation veterinarian's current diagnosis, treatment, antimicrobial-use, and withdrawal guidance for every animal.