Anyone's Horse NOT coped with having an eye removed?

[WHISKEY]

I have heard some great stories of horses/ponies that have coped brilliantly with the loss of an eye - but wondered if anyone had experiences of them NOT coping. More spooky - nightmare to ride - less confident - difficult to handle ect ect??
many thanks

 

[Tickles]

Not my own but from other's stories I imagine that it will depend to some extent on
- if the eye was already loosing some sight (i.e. is it a huge sudden change for the horse)
- age of horse
- how confident an individual it is and if it gets on well with any field mates

I've been advised to approach horses with sight issues either with a lot of noise (as in make sure you say hello so they know you are there, not shouting!) and/or from their 'good' sight side.

TBH the spookiest horses I know have perfectly good eye sight...

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

We have on on the yard who has just had his eye removed and he is much happier for it as it was sore before. He had virtually no sight left in it anyway. If anything these days he is much more bouncy and forward going because he is no longer in pain.

If it is a sudden loss of sight then horses don't tend to cope as well in the immediate future. If the sight had already gone then they generally don't care. It's not like they are losing something useful anywho.

 

[Milanesa]

I think it is a question of the horses temperament too. I have a welshie that had en eye removed after a traumatic injury and he coped fine, however I have an older horse that has uveitis but vet advised not to have it removed as he is v spooky/ scared horse and he would not cope well. Welshie is a bold little bugger and couldn't care less!! What is the horse in question like?

 

[WHISKEY]

He is a 19 1/2 year old Sec D - He is not overly confident and can be spooky. He has Uvietus - but his sight has not been affected at all - so it would be a big and sudden change if we opt for the eye to be removed.

 

[cronkmooar]

Oh no - have you not had success?? PM me if you prefer

Hope all is ok

 

[Milanesa]

I would think about it as to whether he would cope. So u would have it removed due to the uveitis which I assume is bothering him (mine has weepy eye but has lost most vision in it now too) as he is 19 is he retiring/retired or will he have a ridden life after surgery? If so them that gives another reason to go ahead with the surgery. Can u control the uveitis with drops/ bute or is that not an option? As with mine he is spoPKU with little vision so with none at all my vet advised not right decision in his case but he is VERY old so this also had to be taken into account. Do u think said horse would adjust ok or would he just be even more spooky and upset? Re the actual surgery this also needs to be thought through as they have to stay in clinic a few days, would he be ok with this? For mine the travel and staying is also not really an option as he is v nervous in stable.

 

[WHISKEY]

I would think about it as to whether he would cope. So u would have it removed due to the uveitis which I assume is bothering him (mine has weepy eye but has lost most vision in it now too) as he is 19 is he retiring/retired or will he have a ridden life after surgery? If so them that gives another reason to go ahead with the surgery. Can u control the uveitis with drops/ bute or is that not an option? As with mine he is spoPKU with little vision so with none at all my vet advised not right decision in his case but he is VERY old so this also had to be taken into account. Do u think said horse would adjust ok or would he just be even more spooky and upset? Re the actual surgery this also needs to be thought through as they have to stay in clinic a few days, would he be ok with this? For mine the travel and staying is also not really an option as he is v nervous in stable.

I am in a quandry as to weather he would cope - so trying to gather as much info as i can in order to make the correct decision for him. He is by no stretch of the imagination retired. We still compete and he is fit and strong and very young for his age. He would be fine with the surgery so im not at all worried about that its just the worry of weather he would cope afterwards.

 

[Milanesa]

Well that helps the fact he is fit and well and would still have an active life after. I would say if it is not controllable with drugs/ drops is is prob worth going ahead. I wouldn't worry re the quick change, the welshie I have has no prior probs then suddenly we rushed him in with traumatic injury that meant it had to be removed. He coped very well and really showed no signs of issues apart from walking into u if u were on his missing eye side, he took a while to be able to 'feel' the distances rather than see them, he soOn was able to walk next to u or other horses with no crashing into them!!

 

[varkie]

I have just had one have to have an eye removed after a traumatic injury leading to sudden vision loss, and he is doing brilliantly. It was only removed a few days ago, and he is no problem at all. He is coping well with me being on his blind side, doesn't spook, and has figured out where everything is. The only problem I can foresee, assuming it heals well, is that because he is not a very forward pony, I will have to be careful what ponies he is turned out with in future, so that he does not get hurt if another pony has a go at him on his blind side.

 

[Janette]

" I will have to be careful what ponies he is turned out with in future, so that he does not get hurt if another pony has a go at him on his blind side"

I was stunned to watch 2 other horses protect my girl from an aggressive pony.
The mare stood on Star's blind side, and the Gelding took up 'point' in front and chased the b******r away.

OP - if you go ahead with the surgery, you'll be amazed how quickly they do adapt. Star occasionally banged her head on the door frame of her stable door for 3 days after coming home (I padded it out) - and then stopped......

 

[Starzaan]

I have two horses which have gone blind in one since I bought them (I'm jinxed I tell thee!).

My gelding has coped beautifully - hardly a difference in him at all, other than the fact that he'll bump into you if you're too quiet, and occasionally scrapes my leg against the wall of the school if I'm not paying attention!

My mare is a different story. She's had to be retired, and can no longer be brought in unless her best friend is with her, or she absolutely loses the plot. She's fine with people she knows well, but is incredibly wary of strangers, spooky, rears, and generally just gets her knickers in a twist if you don't know how to handle her.

She's very happy out in the field, and I make a point of only turning her out with my horses, rather than letting liveries put theirs out with her, so that she knows who's with her, and we can introduce her to new fields etc. gradually.

Basically, it depends on the horse. She was always a bit of a fruitloop anyway!

 

[nona1]

I'm not sure how but is there any way you can do a trial run for a few days? Bandage up that eye/make an eye patch/adapt a fly mask blacking out that side? So that he can't see anything on that side. And see how he reacts/adapts to it.

 

[WHISKEY]

I'm not sure how but is there any way you can do a trial run for a few days? Bandage up that eye/make an eye patch/adapt a fly mask blacking out that side? So that he can't see anything on that side. And see how he reacts/adapts to it.

^^^^^^^Now that is a very good idea!!!! will have to put my thinking cap on as to how to do it.......