Cloudy eye - update

Sparklet

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I posted about a month ago about my daughters horse who exited the stable one morning with a cloudy film over her eye.

She is still in the darkened stable having drops 3 x a day which she is tolerating very well considering. We did go through a phase when we used a twitch but it really didnt help much and one day my daughter had to do it on her own (no-one holding pony still) and she was much better behaved so maybe she didnt like the overcrowding.

It has been making slow and steady improvement over the weeks, however the vet does keep muttering about wanting it to clear a bit quicker.

We have managed to get her out in the field a few times by leaving my horse out late and turning her out when it is dusk therefore the bright light is not entering her eye. She is also lunged in the dark but otherwise is spending the day confined to a dark stable.

I usually use a torch to check her eye in a morning and this morning it didnt look like it had before so I brought her out of the stable into the covered fold yard to get a better look.

If you imagine her eye was an onion made up of several very thin layers - it looks like someone has removed the top layer of the onion leaving a dip about the size of the blunt end of a pen.

To be honest I was not sure if it always looks like this because I could not see the dip in the dark stable so my daughter went home to ring the vet to check (he visited on Monday) and he is coming later. It seems like the eye is starting to ulcerate - he did say not to worry too much but we may be taking that fateful trip to horsey hospital after all. He may be able to change her drugs but wants to see it first.

I feel like shouting from the rooftops....dont mess with eyes. They can go wrong so easily and this has been a month long problem now.

Will keep those interested updated.
 

Sparklet

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No, not yet anyway. We had hoped it was on the mend but this does feel like a backward step. He did say something to my daughter about doing an eye scrape or changing the drugs but wants to come out and have a look before making any decisions.

He was visiting on Mon anyway to check it but I didnt like the look of it so got in touch.

The vet has been great so far - really approachable with a great bedside manner (so to speak) and the practise specialises only in Equines so I do feel in safe hands - just a bloody long way if they are an in-patient (3 hour round trip)!
 

Thistle

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Don't mees about experimenting with the vet with this and that. Ask to see an opthalmologist.

I have been through a similar thing with my boxer dor and a non healing ulcer. The vets couldn't fix it tried 4 different drugs. Saw the opthalmologist (£50 a time! but on insurance) had his eye scraped and a bandage lens fitted. He is now completely OK and you can't even see a scar.
 

Sparklet

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I'm not worried about my vet, they are the referral vet for the Yorkshire area so I am confident they know what they are doing. The vet mentioned scraping her eye but they are also going to insert a catheter so that medication can be administered on a more continual basis.

When the vet arrived I told him I would be delighted if he pronounced me a 'neurotic mummy (actually granny because she is my daughters pony but I am not ready for that)'. Unfortunately he didnt and said that the eye did look worse than Monday and he thought she had rubbed it.

He said it isnt actually ulcerated yet but thinks it is heading in that direction so she has to go to horsey hospital tonight.

I have bought some supplies (chocolate, pringles etc) for the journey and we are to set off as soon as my daughter leaves her job. Its a 3 hour round trip so I will be travelling most of the evening.

Wish her luck - she is my baby.
 

Ferdinase514

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Good luck. Let us know how you get on
smile.gif


Hugs x
 

Sparklet

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Thank you - I am setting off in a minute and will take your good wishes with me (along with the pringles and chocolate
wink.gif
)

I'll miss the moody little mare - she loves being rubbed so much that she does the grooming lip thing when you are trying to put her drops in, hoping you get the hint and give her a rub.
 

samp

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Good luck. When I worked at an equine vet we had a horse in for some time with an ulcerated eye that had a catheter fitted and although it was a long slow progress the eye did return to normal and did not need removing - as they thought it may hvae done. You are doing the best for your horse
 

Sparklet

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Thanks thats great to know. They havent mentioned removing the eye but it is always there screaming at me in the background. As my very sensible daughter says - if that happens, it happens - we'll just get on with life.

Thanks for your good wishes
smile.gif
 

Fairynuff

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We had a mare brought into the clinic after the owners decided to do a DIY cure, vets cost money you know! Her eye had ulcered and they were bunging in cortisone drops and creams three times a day! When ulcers are present, cortisone is the last thing to use-it causes rupture of the eyeball. The mare had her eye removed and the owner a heartattack when the bill arrived. Mairi.
 

Thistle

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Latest thinking is that steroids can be used to treat ulcers, the eyeball pressure has to be regularly monitored in long term steroid use though. My boxer had the final stages of his ulcer treated with maxitrol and I have to use maxitrol as emergency first aid for a horse that gets a sore eye due to a herpetic uveitis.
 

Sparklet

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Well had a very uneventful trip to the vets were despite initial misgivings about going into the lorry - I think she hoped she was going for a run in the field so was a bit disgusted to see the lorry waiting for her.

Vets were in darkness when we got there but as promised a note was pinned to her stable door and she settled quickly into a lovely straw bed and didnt even look out of the door when we left.

Vet has just rung me to say that her eye has not ulcerated (yehhayyy) and she looks like she is responding to treatment. He said they will continue for 3 days and monitor her closely so she is not coming home just yet. My daughter is planning a drive up there with apples to visit her later today.

Vet ringing tomorrow but so far things look pretty good.
 

Sparklet

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Eye loads better today so we are on the right path - vet thinks she may be left with a little bit of residual marking on the cornea but there will be no problems with her vision so that is great news.

I spoke about how she could have done so much damage to her eye in the stable and he said he had another horse in with a similar problem and the owner had actually seen her horse bang its eye so it is quite possible.

I am delighted and can collect her on Friday all being well.
 
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