Determination of the Tolerability of the Drug "Ophthalmectin" on Calves

Abstract

Cattle thelaziosises are helminthic diseases caused by the parasitization of the Spirurata nematodes of the Thelaziidae family. The course of the disease is characterized by the development of conjunctivitis, keratoconjunctivitis and corneal ulcer, which, in the absence of adequate treatment leads to loss of vision in animals and their culling. The complex drugs are shown high therapeutic efficacy in the fight against this invasion. One of them is ophthalmectin - a safe and highly effective drug based on ivermectin and azithromycin. The aim of the study was to study the acceptability (safety) of ophthalmectin for target animal species. The experiment was carried out on 24 healthy calves of red-and-white breed belonging to "Agrosvet" CHSC of Kashirskiy district of Voronezh region. The investigated drug was once injected into the cavity of the conjunctival sac from 0.5 g (therapeutic dose) to 2.0 g. The drug was not injected to the calves of the control group. The toxic effect of ophthalmectin was assessed by clinical condition of animals, morphological and biochemical parameters of blood. Throughout the study pulse rate, numbers of respiratory movements, number of cardial impulse, rumen contraction were within the limits of physiological norm for this type of animals. Single use of the drug in the investigated doses did not lead to changes in morphological and biochemical parameters of calf blood. As a result of the study of ophthalmectin acceptability (safety) in target animals it was found out that injection of the drug once in the cavity of the conjunctival sac of the eye of calves in the therapeutic dose of 0.5 g and four times more does not affect to the condition of animals and is well tolerated by them.