3 year old going blind

[deja224]

just found my 3 year old dartmoor pony i bought is going blind, phoned old owner who said could be from a head injury had no idea he had a head injury, she was very un-helpful hes so spooky and panics. <font color="blue"> </font>

dont no where to turn help!

 

[Tinypony]

How did you find out he's going blind? Have you spoken to a vet? If not, then that's what you need to do.

 

[deja224]

yea we took him to vet been there for 4 days new he was going blind cuz blue ting to eyes

 

[Donkeymad]

What is the actual diagnosis? Is it maybe cataract or moon blindness? I have a thirty year old going blind, but that's completely different. I am sorry to hear about your pony, at such a young age.

 

[deja224]

its not cataract its 'unexplained blindness' hes a fruit loop most of the time so there may b some brain damage which is linked to the blindness. some days he loves u rubs on u ect then 10 mins later he acts like he has never met u he snorts and eyes bluge ect heart breaking

 

[dieseldog]

Is it just the one eye?

We had a pony whose one eye was blue and blind and he was a really good horse, jumped anything.

 

[deja224]

blind in both ones not worse than other

 

[dieseldog]

If it was a knock to the head I would have thought only one eye would be affected. What is the vet going to do next, try and work out why?

Poor pony - it's very sad

 

[deja224]

the vets said there is notting they can do just keep a eye been aviced not to take him on road and not break him in because he is dangerous only had him 2 mths, i thought only one eye would be affected but it depends how many times hes been knocked (what i was told)

really sad not sure what to do was ment to be my jumping pony!

 

[Tinypony]

I hope you will take this in the spirit that it's intended, because this must be very hard for you, but it's also very hard for your horse. If the vet says that your horse is almost completely blind and there's nothing they can do, then did they suggest that it might be kinder to let him be put to sleep? You say his behaviour is a bit suspect, well, that might be due to his failing sight, or there may be underlying problems, but whatever the reason you might need to think about how happy he is with things. I'm surprised that your vet hasn't had a discussion along these lines with you, it doesn't sound as if they think things can improve.
How sad for you.

 

[Shilasdair]

I am sorry to hear that your poor pony is going blind. I knew of one completely blind pony (his optic nerves just died) with no known reason. His eyes did appear normal...until you looked at them using vet's equipment.
If his prospects of retaining any sight are small, and he does behave unpredictably, as you suggested, it may be time to say goodbye to him.
You have done your best with him...
S

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Oh blimey Deja224 - that is truly the pits, especially for a horse so very young. My horse had to have an eye removed 2 years ago but the other is fine so far and he is 22-ish. He's fine again now and is a lovely, safe (one-eyed!) hack. His eye problems started with untreated conjunctivitus (untreated by his bl**dy previous owners, a riding school) which overnight flipped into something much more serious but it did involve the cornea and his cornea did cloud over and, towards the end of the battle, became so milky it was almost blue. So if your horse's cornea is blue then I would have expected there to be some damage to the cornea, which doesn't sit right with a diagnosis of a neurological problem. If it was me (and sorry of you've already done this) I'd insist on an immediate referral to a specialist horse hospital where they have an expert on eyes.

 

[deja224]

the vets have said about putting him down if it gets any worse but t the moment hes happy plodding around his field with a friend just gets un sure when u catch him. Thank you for the suggestion of un-treated conjunctivitus we noted when we got him he had sticky mucky eyes the poor sod had the same head collar on for 3 years before we had him took four hours to remove it, This pony was only £100 to good to be true but he was in a bad way thought i could help! so we didnt expect an amazing pony but this hit me hard. im looking into eye hospitals and places for blind horses to retire.

 

[_jetset_]

You are obviously going through a lot of heart ache at the moment, and yet still you are trying to do the very best for your pony. I hope you find somewhere for him to retire to, or someone who can help you... I don't know where you are in the country, but I am sure there is an eye specialist in the UK who could give you a second opinion but it may mean travelling some distance.

The thing is with vets, and I honestly do not mean this disrespectfully, is that they are like our GP... if you find something you need treating you then go to a specialist who may have seen something like you have hundreds of times before whereas this is one the first your vet/doctor has seen!

 

[deja224]

been watching pony hes stood in field weavingand having very odd behiour so went out lead him around he was happy then but hes really lame again drags his back hoofs : ( and today hes guarding his back leg vet says hes just got locking knees seams to be more than this? ideas?

ps trying to et another vet for second oppion!

 

[Tinypony]

Well, I think you can tell for yourself when a pony has a good quality of life and when they don't. He may be weaving in the field because he's distressed by his lack of sight, particularly if he cheers up when you go out to guide him. I don't think it's very easy for people here to advise you on specifics without seeing the pony. However, sadly I have to say that if I had a youngster with little sight, very lame and showing signs of stress then I'd let him go.

 

[deja224]

we are looking in to it which is really sad hes gone down hill over last few days but vet doesnt want to put him down as hes so younge now going to other vets to see what they think its heart breaking enough with out vets making it harder