Eye infection & off feed....

AstonishedTrowel

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So my loan mare has a couple of weird symptoms.

First of all, she's been leaving a few handfuls of her hard feed every night for just over a week. This is unusual for her, so I watched her eat and saw her opening her mouth whilst eating (same movement as yawning almost). So in conjunction with not finishing her feed you'd think teeth.
However, she's eating the same amount of hay with no problem and her teeth were checked mid-October, filed briefly and given the thumbs up.
She is fed on Spillers Alfalfa-Pro fibre and Dodson & Horrell build up cubes. Breakfast and tea.

Next, Thursday morning her eye had puffed up and had crust/goop in it. I rode and put her to bed around 7pm the previous night and she was fine, but when I went up at 8:30 am her eye was like this. I've been bathing with sterile saline and giving antibiotic eye drops the past 2 days under the assumption she might have poked her eye on some straw and introduced some bacteria. It seems a little better and I can't see any damage/the eye is clear.

She seems fine in herself and is eating her hay/ drinking fine.
I don't know whether these two things are related or not. And either way, if I need to get the vet out. Tell me I'm not being paranoid?
If she's not improved I will have the vet out Monday!

Any ideas are welcome as I'm stumped! TIA :)
 

Pearlsasinger

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If you are using eye-drops you need to have the eye examined by a vet. It isn't always possible to see into the eye without an opthalmoscope.

ETA, I wouldn't wait til Monday but I would have had the vet out the same day for an eye problem.
 

LovesCobs

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So my loan mare has a couple of weird symptoms.

First of all, she's been leaving a few handfuls of her hard feed every night for just over a week. This is unusual for her, so I watched her eat and saw her opening her mouth whilst eating (same movement as yawning almost). So in conjunction with not finishing her feed you'd think teeth.
However, she's eating the same amount of hay with no problem and her teeth were checked mid-October, filed briefly and given the thumbs up.
She is fed on Spillers Alfalfa-Pro fibre and Dodson & Horrell build up cubes. Breakfast and tea.

Next, Thursday morning her eye had puffed up and had crust/goop in it. I rode and put her to bed around 7pm the previous night and she was fine, but when I went up at 8:30 am her eye was like this. I've been bathing with sterile saline and giving antibiotic eye drops the past 2 days under the assumption she might have poked her eye on some straw and introduced some bacteria. It seems a little better and I can't see any damage/the eye is clear.

She seems fine in herself and is eating her hay/ drinking fine.
I don't know whether these two things are related or not. And either way, if I need to get the vet out. Tell me I'm not being paranoid?
If she's not improved I will have the vet out Monday!

Any ideas are welcome as I'm stumped! TIA :)
When my mare developed uveitis it was very painful and effected her eating. You couldn’t really tell and only a vet could diagnose it. I just knew she was off and not herself.
 

Shay

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I'm not sure where you got antibiotic eye drops without a vet? Obviously not an ideal comment on a Saturday but I would not wait until Monday for an eye problem. They can get out of hand very quickly. Like lovescobs I would be thinking Uveitis - or possibly a mass behind the eye forcing the eye forward to the extent that the nictating membrane is no longer effective? Or - I suppose - a mass building up in an infected tooth? Perhaps less likely. But in any event I would be running for a vet for a proper diagnosis not a forum.

She's on loan - what does her owner want?
 
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