A difficult decision........

Supertrooper

Supertrooper

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My best friend brought a 17hh shire x a couple of years ago. Last year her health deteriorated and she struggled more and more with handling him and his behaviour deteriorated. He has always been tricky on the ground. It got to a point where she was scared of having to do anything with him.

He went out on loan to a nice family, mainly to be ridden by a man and all went really well. In this time he had two attacks of uveitis which where difficult to resolve. They then decided they didn't want him anymore due to a change in circumstances. He then went to a friend of theirs who was vetted by my friend, this was a couple of months ago and he's had two more attacks of uveitis, the one he's having ATM isn't responding.

The girl that currently has him on loan now doesn't want him. The vet has said his eye needs to be removed, his other eye is currently ok but there is no guarantee that he won't get it in the left eye. He's in a lot of pain and on Saturday he threw his head into a shelf and cut it.

My friend can't cope with him and we have exhausted all options of where he could go as he must now have a home for life and we aren't sure how he will cope with one eye. A vet is coming out tomorrow to give a second opinion but it may have to be that he's put down :-(

I feel so sorry for my friend and him but non of us want him passed around anymore xx
 
I'm sorry that your friend has to be in this situation, it's hard to see what is good by them sometimes but it's something thats ultimately she has to decide. Whether keep or pts.

Just to throw in, I have met a few horses who have one eye and cope fine. One that I know had a similar problem and had is eye removed last year and is now back on the hunting field and loving life just as before. His owner says that after the initial adjustment, its never bothered him. Another I knew was a beloved school pony and again it didn't seem to bother her, she still kept on doing her job.

Good luck with the vet tomorrow, whatever the outcome. x
 
Sorry for your friends position..... But do think of all options and what will be best for the horse.

Re removal of eye, I have worked at a vets and regularly seen eye removal just a few days, or hours, after the op. The horses seem to ajust quickly and they seem to not be to concerned about the loss of vision.
Obviously you have to be more aware of your self around the horse and make sure it knows of your presence at all times.... But I've never met a horse who hasn't coped!
 
Another one with experience of a 1-eyed horse, this one was a retired polo pony at an old livery yard. However, with this particular horse and his temperament it may be best that he is PTS? I don't mean to upset you, just playing devils advocate.
 
Poor guy, it sounds like he's been passed from pillar to post. Eye removal is relatively easy for most horses to come to terms with, only thing is is that it may make existing groundwork problems worse. I personally would think about PTS only if you are sure you can't find a long term, dedicated and experienced home for him.
 
Oh ST that's very sad, I know how fond of him you are :(

I wonder if his behaviour is linked to his eye problems? Still, kinder to have him PTS rather than passed from pillar to post. They don't understand the future, only the present, so it's probably for the best.
 
Just an update, vet came out who is very experienced with eye problems to give a 2nd opinion yesterday. He was very withdrawn yesterday and visibly in pain, even on bute.

She has advised euthanasia so he is putting to sleep on Monday and he'll have us there at the end.
 
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