racebuddy
Well-Known Member
Fingers crossed xxxx keep us uodated xxx what a story xxx
Eye saga
- Thread starter DressageCob
- Start date
DressageCob
Well-Known Member
Hello all!
No news is good news I suppose! In my morning update I was told that Albert was very bright and had been a bit naughty...oops! He is a little stonky at the best of times, but on box rest he's like leading a runaway train. I tell myself at least it means he is feeling comfortable and good in himself! I've left a control head collar with him now, so that we don't get in a situation where they say he is unsafe for the students to lead.
I was told they may well debride a bit more of the melted layer and I assume that was done. Nobody has mentioned any deterioration yet so still crossing fingers. I'm now anxious not only for the eye to remain stable but for more improvement...but perhaps that's being a bit greedy for now.
I'm taking Albert's number 1 fan to see him tomorrow. He's a lad who helps at the yard and has ridden Albert a few times, including at pony club. I had held off until now because I have been so worried but I thought Albert would be happy to see his little friend so I should stop being so selfish
No news is good news I suppose! In my morning update I was told that Albert was very bright and had been a bit naughty...oops! He is a little stonky at the best of times, but on box rest he's like leading a runaway train. I tell myself at least it means he is feeling comfortable and good in himself! I've left a control head collar with him now, so that we don't get in a situation where they say he is unsafe for the students to lead.
I was told they may well debride a bit more of the melted layer and I assume that was done. Nobody has mentioned any deterioration yet so still crossing fingers. I'm now anxious not only for the eye to remain stable but for more improvement...but perhaps that's being a bit greedy for now.
I'm taking Albert's number 1 fan to see him tomorrow. He's a lad who helps at the yard and has ridden Albert a few times, including at pony club. I had held off until now because I have been so worried but I thought Albert would be happy to see his little friend so I should stop being so selfish
DressageCob
Well-Known Member
Never mind no news, good news is good news!
The vet has said the eye has started healing itself. There are some white crusty deposits, which are apparently a sign of healing. There are new blood vessels and the ulcer has reduced. The melty area has shrunk and the eye is more of a globe shape.
So guarded optimism at this point. There’s still a way to go but progress has been made.
The vets have applied the topical steroid again in a hope to speed things along and the squishy bit will be debrided again.
I’m getting hopeful!
The vet has said the eye has started healing itself. There are some white crusty deposits, which are apparently a sign of healing. There are new blood vessels and the ulcer has reduced. The melty area has shrunk and the eye is more of a globe shape.
So guarded optimism at this point. There’s still a way to go but progress has been made.
The vets have applied the topical steroid again in a hope to speed things along and the squishy bit will be debrided again.
I’m getting hopeful!
racebuddy
Well-Known Member
Xxx
Fiona
Well-Known Member
Fabulous news x x x
DressageCob
Well-Known Member
albert has started objecting to his treatment now. He is normally fairly placid and he has started being a bit feisty.
The worry was that he was uncomfortable with the eye drops because the eye had deteriorated. Bearing in mind he has been having drops three times an hour, day and night since arriving at Leahurst.
So he had another examination of the eye, everyone holding their breath.
And it’s solid!! He has an actual eyeball, rather than an eyesplat. He is having another steroid just to make sure the slightly soft bit is completely hard but it’s massive progress.
The hope now is that by next week he can be moved to the local hospital. He’s back to having the pump delivering his eye drops, which have been changed to just the one type rather than three different things.
His right eye looks normal and is looking like it is producing tears. That will be tested at the weekend.
Hopefully he will chill out a bit. It’s nice he’s jolly because I think it means he feels good, but he’s becoming a bit much to manage!
He is also fluffy and scruffy and fat!
So overall a happy update for today. We aren’t out of the woods, but I honestly couldn’t see how his eyeball would ever go solid again and it’s happened.
The worry was that he was uncomfortable with the eye drops because the eye had deteriorated. Bearing in mind he has been having drops three times an hour, day and night since arriving at Leahurst.
So he had another examination of the eye, everyone holding their breath.
And it’s solid!! He has an actual eyeball, rather than an eyesplat. He is having another steroid just to make sure the slightly soft bit is completely hard but it’s massive progress.
The hope now is that by next week he can be moved to the local hospital. He’s back to having the pump delivering his eye drops, which have been changed to just the one type rather than three different things.
His right eye looks normal and is looking like it is producing tears. That will be tested at the weekend.
Hopefully he will chill out a bit. It’s nice he’s jolly because I think it means he feels good, but he’s becoming a bit much to manage!
He is also fluffy and scruffy and fat!
So overall a happy update for today. We aren’t out of the woods, but I honestly couldn’t see how his eyeball would ever go solid again and it’s happened.
fabbydo
Well-Known Member
Great news!
Fiona
Well-Known Member
Amazing news x x
Alibear
Well-Known Member
Wonderful news. Fingers firmly crossed for you both.
Pinkvboots
Well-Known Member
Brilliant news I am so happy for you
I think when they are very poorly they sort of just accept most treatment, his obviously feeling much better in himself.
I think when they are very poorly they sort of just accept most treatment, his obviously feeling much better in himself.
Reacher
Well-Known Member
Wow, amazing!
ester
Not slacking multitasking
Brilliant news, so pleased for you both.
DressageCob
Well-Known Member
Well, after posting with such optimism, the following day a new patch of melting appeared. That was on Sunday. It hasn’t stabilised yet and it’s looking unlikely I can move Albert closer to home any time soon.
My main vet has been away for a few days but is back today so I’m hoping for a bit more information later. The past few days all I’ve heard is “no changeâ€.
I’m back to feeling a bit pessimistic about it all to be honest. We have now reached the end of the fourth week and his eye is still melting. The deeper ulcer is still there, and I suspect that is what is preventing his cornea from stabilising. Still hoping for a good outcome because I doubt Albert would adapt to losing his eye. But it seems less and less likely as time goes on. We seem to make progress and it goes right back to melting again.
My main vet has been away for a few days but is back today so I’m hoping for a bit more information later. The past few days all I’ve heard is “no changeâ€.
I’m back to feeling a bit pessimistic about it all to be honest. We have now reached the end of the fourth week and his eye is still melting. The deeper ulcer is still there, and I suspect that is what is preventing his cornea from stabilising. Still hoping for a good outcome because I doubt Albert would adapt to losing his eye. But it seems less and less likely as time goes on. We seem to make progress and it goes right back to melting again.
AandK
Well-Known Member
So sorry to hear this. Can I ask why you think he won't adapt to having one eye? I see in the pictures he has a mask on, does this block out/totally cover his bad eye? I'm coming at this from the owner of a one eyed horse (since Feb this year), his was not an eye issue, but a tumour on the third eyelid, so we went from full eyesight in both to just one. From what I understand horses that have ulcer type issues often seem relieved once the eye has been removed, as when the eye has been really bad it is a source of a lot of pain/discomfort.
DressageCob
Well-Known Member
It’s been four weeks and he is still just about throwing himself to the floor whenever someone approaches from the left. He’s a rescue and doesn’t trust people much at the best of times and he is getting upset when they surprise him. It’s not the medication, it’s even if someone just pats him on the shoulder or side and he doesn’t see them.
He lives on a very busy yard, which I won’t move him from because I trust them implicitly to look after both of my horses, in a way I wouldn’t trust anyone else.
His life is also focussed around living out in a herd with his friends. Even if he has to stay in one night at home he gets stressed. Multiple nights and he gets so upset he can colic. I had him living in with turnout for several hours and he was unmanageable. But it’s a boisterous herd, he’s towards the bottom of it, and all of us are thinking that if he only has one eye he can’t go back out there.
I will give it a chance if I need to but I honestly don’t see him coping. I’ve heard lots of stories about ones who do adapt, and I would be overjoyed if Albert does (if he loses the eye) but I don’t think he’d be happy or have sufficient quality of life for it to be fair. We’ll see.
The update today is no change. So at least no more deterioration in the past 24 hours.
DressageCob
Well-Known Member
I should add, the pain is managed and the eye is wide open and comfortable at the moment. He can see through the mask on the good eye but the bad eye has an oedema covering the whole of the eye (so the whole eyeball looks grey) which is obscuring his vision.
vmac66
Well-Known Member
It's amazing how well horses do adapt. My last horse was nearly completely blind in both eyes but to look at him you wouldn't have known. He had adapted as his sight deteriorated. He was still top dog in his field and I was still riding him as normal. They do surprise us sometimes.
fabbydo
Well-Known Member
So sorry to hear this. It must be very stressful for you. Make sure you take care of yourself x
SEL
Well-Known Member
I hope he gets fixed but I'd give him a chance to see how he copes with 1 eye. I've known a lot blind in one eye (ex polo mainly) & in many cases we didn't know until the vet picked it up at routine health checks. He might be over reacting on that side right now because he's in pain.
Keeping everything crossed for you.
Keeping everything crossed for you.
tda
Well-Known Member
Healing vibes, we had a young pony had an eye removed, she recovered just fine and does everything any other pony can do xxxx
AandK
Well-Known Member
OP, thanks for replying to me, I hope I didn't come across the wrong way. Just from my experience, I would tend to agree with the above. You absolutely have to treat them differently when they are blind in one eye. I have made my boy jump a few times by not announcing my approach loudly enough on his bad side! If people aren't doing this, and he has limited vision in that eye due to the mask and ulcers, then he may be very wary of the shapes/shadows approaching if he is not sure what they are, or he is aware of the pain and reluctant to let people approach as they may want to touch his eye.
I hope he has made some good progress over the weekend.
DressageCob
Well-Known Member
Hello!
AandK, you didn't come across in the wrong way at all I honestly hope I am wrong, and I know that owners can tend to be pessimistic and then be pleasantly surprised. I don't think it helps that I remember how Albert was when I first got him, when you had to be so quiet around him and do everything slowly because he was so mistrusting of people. He doesn't like people now, but he does trust the ones he knows are there. But if a person sneaks up on him (eg a jogger on a hack) he gets very upset. He isn't extreme in his reaction, but he goes quiet and starts trembling. I do worry that he will be like that all the time if he can't see people coming from his left at all. Even if they shout out, if he doesn't see them until they are passing him he gets so upset. My biggest worry though is whether he can go back out with his friends. It's such a boisterous herd, and it's his favourite thing.
There has been no progress at all for 7 days. They think his recovery is stagnating so we are back to the very real possibility of the eye having to come out. We have agreed to give it more time to see if it suddenly starts improving. The globe itself looks good, albeit grey, and the superficial ulcer is gone. But the problem area, the disturbance in his eye (the deep ulcer and maybe something more, since it is obscured by the oedema) is not improving yet.
Thankfully Albert is happy in himself still and largely tolerant of the treatment. He has had enough of needles though, and now has to be twitched to be sedated. It's a side to him I haven't seen before. He's always been timid when scared of people or situations, except tractors which he runs away from. But he is now lashing out with his front legs when people come at him with needles, so that's a shame. We spent 3 hours hand grazing in the sunshine today, so it was a good day really
AandK, you didn't come across in the wrong way at all
I honestly hope I am wrong, and I know that owners can tend to be pessimistic and then be pleasantly surprised. I don't think it helps that I remember how Albert was when I first got him, when you had to be so quiet around him and do everything slowly because he was so mistrusting of people. He doesn't like people now, but he does trust the ones he knows are there. But if a person sneaks up on him (eg a jogger on a hack) he gets very upset. He isn't extreme in his reaction, but he goes quiet and starts trembling. I do worry that he will be like that all the time if he can't see people coming from his left at all. Even if they shout out, if he doesn't see them until they are passing him he gets so upset. My biggest worry though is whether he can go back out with his friends. It's such a boisterous herd, and it's his favourite thing. There has been no progress at all for 7 days. They think his recovery is stagnating so we are back to the very real possibility of the eye having to come out. We have agreed to give it more time to see if it suddenly starts improving. The globe itself looks good, albeit grey, and the superficial ulcer is gone. But the problem area, the disturbance in his eye (the deep ulcer and maybe something more, since it is obscured by the oedema) is not improving yet.
Thankfully Albert is happy in himself still and largely tolerant of the treatment. He has had enough of needles though, and now has to be twitched to be sedated. It's a side to him I haven't seen before. He's always been timid when scared of people or situations, except tractors which he runs away from. But he is now lashing out with his front legs when people come at him with needles, so that's a shame. We spent 3 hours hand grazing in the sunshine today, so it was a good day really
fabbydo
Well-Known Member
Glad he enjoyed the sunshine. It was a lovely day 🙂
AandK
Well-Known Member
Keeping everything crossed for Albert, keep us updated OP.
SEL
Well-Known Member
Its sounds tough for him at the moment - and you. Hoping for some improvement soon.
DressageCob
Well-Known Member
So decision made. Albert’s eye is coming out tomorrow.
We have had over a week of no improvement and his mood has changed. He’s now cross and is lashing out at the poor students trying to help him. That’s not my Albert, so I’m certain he’s had enough.
He also has scar tissue forming across his eye which reduces the prospects of him having much sight even if they can get the ulcer under control.
So the plan is for the op tomorrow and my beautiful boy coming home at the weekend. From there we will see!
We have had over a week of no improvement and his mood has changed. He’s now cross and is lashing out at the poor students trying to help him. That’s not my Albert, so I’m certain he’s had enough.
He also has scar tissue forming across his eye which reduces the prospects of him having much sight even if they can get the ulcer under control.
So the plan is for the op tomorrow and my beautiful boy coming home at the weekend. From there we will see!
Alibear
Well-Known Member
Fingers firmly crossed for you both.
Pippity
Well-Known Member
Fingers crossed for him and you.
Tiddlypom
Carries on creakily
He's been given every chance to keep the eye, I'm so sorry it hasn't worked out. Fingers crossed he sails through the op and adjusts well afterwards.
Thinking of you both.
Thinking of you both.
fabbydo
Well-Known Member
Sending positive vibes your way.