Disclaimer: Please note that Kim Malonie is not a veterinarian and does not diagnose or treat. Always contact your veterinarian for help.

Dear Kim,

I must say I’m very perplexed and terribly upset with the blindness going on in our herd of cattle. I hope you can help to shed some light on an ongoing, very upsetting problem my cows are having. They’re like my children, and I feel I can’t help them.

It started in the spring of 2012 when two of my calves were born blind. I have heard of this happening in other areas of the United States, so I called the vet and he suggested sending him a cutting of their ears. He ran a slew of tests that came back negative for the general illnesses known to cattle.

In 2013 I sold a heifer to a rancher in the area, and he told me that three of his calves had been born blind. I thought this was extremely unusual. I again contacted my vet, and he said he highly suspected a vitamin A deficiency, which has been known to cause blindness in cattle. But we had the cattle tested, and this was not the case.