Eye socket fracture update

[cptrayes]

A short update on my horse, just recovered from a kissing spines operation, who then fractured his eye socket. He became very unhappy to be ridden in spite of the bone healing well, and it is now clearer that he has nerve damage as a result of the fracture.

He went through a stage of frowning constantly, excessive blinking and giving his nose a flick as if a fly had landed on it. That's stopped now, and he is currently left with a partially numb nostril on the side of the broken eye socket. Though he looks more settled in the eye, and happier, than he has for a few weeks.

Current plan agreed with the vet is to continue to rest him until June 1st, when whatever we are left with is likely to be permanent.

I am hopeful he will come back into work in June, but I have to wait and see. Some HHO vibes would be nice if you have any to spare.

 

[splashgirl45]

sorry your horse is still not right, i have nerve damage in my upper leg and have been told it can take up to 18 months to heal(if it does at all) perhaps horses are the same so your horse may continue to improve after june...lots of good vibes for him (and you) good luck

 

[Finlib]

I fractured my eye socket in an accident with a horse causing some nerve damage .My face was numb in parts and pins and needles in other parts as well as an area of my gums was numb on that side as well as part of my tongue and that side of my nose.
This was about 10 years ago. I would say it took a good 6 months before it felt not bad with some areas still tingling and a year before most areas felt almost back to normal .I would say it took a good 18 months before the feeling was back in all of my face .

 

[Andalucian]

I agree 6 months or more like a year for him to feel normal again, but able to do plenty before that.

Here's wishing you both a calm and peaceful few months and may time be a great healer.

 

[cptrayes]

OK, I must have misunderstood my vet as meaning that he should be ready to go back to work, rather than as good as he will ever be.

He looks fine, feels a bit bumpy in places, but I can stick my thumbnail into his right nostril and he barely blinks

 

[Finlib]

OK,
He looks fine, feels a bit bumpy in places, but I can stick my thumbnail into his right nostril and he barely blinks

My cheek still feels a bit bumpy to the touch though nothing visible to the eye.
I had to be careful not to bite my tongue as I couldn't feel it at all just aware by the taste of blood in my mouth.
It doesn't surprise me that you can push your thumbnail into his nose without any reaction I could pinch my nose and not feel it.
I hope all goes well and he makes a full recovery .

 

[YasandCrystal]

Sending you good healing vibes for your horse cptrayes. Have you thought about using the Arc unit or another microtherapy unit on him? It doesn't have to be situated at the site. I would also investigate herbs to assist with nerve repair via someone like Silver Lining Herbs.

Nerves do repair - my WB had years old nerve damage; he was diagnosed with chronic sacro illiac dysfunction. HIs nerves around his sacrum were completely dormant and my physio worked on them using an electrical stimulator to reawaken them. This worked quite quickly over 4 or 5 sessions. I bought myself a unit to use on him - it's a tiny handheld unit with rubber pads.

 

[splashgirl45]

Sending you good healing vibes for your horse cptrayes. Have you thought about using the Arc unit or another microtherapy unit on him? It doesn't have to be situated at the site. I would also investigate herbs to assist with nerve repair via someone like Silver Lining Herbs.

Nerves do repair - my WB had years old nerve damage; he was diagnosed with chronic sacro illiac dysfunction. HIs nerves around his sacrum were completely dormant and my physio worked on them using an electrical stimulator to reawaken them. This worked quite quickly over 4 or 5 sessions. I bought myself a unit to use on him - it's a tiny handheld unit with rubber pads.

yasandcrystal......sorry to but in on this thread, but if the unit worked on your wb perhaps it would work on my femoral nerve which was damaged during an operation. where would i get one of these and roughly how much are they thanks

 

[TrasaM]

No horsey experience to add but I've got nerve damage to my upper arm after surgery to pin my collar bone. I had acupuncture recently to help with muscle and tendon damage to the same shoulder and I started to get some sensation back.. Might be worth considering if you've got a horse acupuncture person in your area. Hope he makes a full recovery

 

[Kelpie]

really hope he comes right.
x

 

[Booboos]

Oh my goodness what bad luck! Poor boy and poor you! I don't have any advice but I hope he gets better and you can continue with your ridden work.

 

[cptrayes]

Oh my goodness what bad luck! Poor boy and poor you! I don't have any advice but I hope he gets better and you can continue with your ridden work.

I've not had the best run of luck lately! I do have three, so it's not as bad as it could be, but I had to have a semi-paralysed congenital wobbler put down in 2012, a horse that I was doing a foot rehab on put down for some extremely dangerous riden behaviour (after offering him back to his owner) in 2013, then this one operated on for kissing spines in 2013, and then upset his gut with acid haylage, and then he went and broke his eye socket in January just when everything was going beautifully!!

I could do with a visit from the good luck fairy some time soon.

Thanks for all the tips everyone. We are going to see if time will do the trick, and re-evaluate after his holiday. He has started chuckling every time he sees me - isn't that just the loveliest noise ?? - and it's not for food, so I think he's feeling better about life.

 

[YasandCrystal]

yasandcrystal......sorry to but in on this thread, but if the unit worked on your wb perhaps it would work on my femoral nerve which was damaged during an operation. where would i get one of these and roughly how much are they thanks

splashgirl45 this is the one I bought via ebay - really cheap for what it does. You can change the length of pulse as well as the intensity and the ramp up to start is variable. Tim really enjoyed his sessions with this. For a human just order as is - it comes with sticky pads - dfor a horse or animal you ask for rubber pads which you use with conductive gel. Good luck.
There is a microtherapy unit called a MicroDoctor which is around £100 I believe - I am unsure if this will work for nerve damage but may be worth ringing the manufacturer - I used one for a tendon repair oin my mare and it sped recovery I am sure.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Professio..._Equipment_Instruments_ET&hash=item19e2ec92d8

 

[splashgirl45]

splashgirl45 this is the one I bought via ebay - really cheap for what it does. You can change the length of pulse as well as the intensity and the ramp up to start is variable. Tim really enjoyed his sessions with this. For a human just order as is - it comes with sticky pads - dfor a horse or animal you ask for rubber pads which you use with conductive gel. Good luck.
There is a microtherapy unit called a MicroDoctor which is around £100 I believe - I am unsure if this will work for nerve damage but may be worth ringing the manufacturer - I used one for a tendon repair oin my mare and it sped recovery I am sure.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Professio..._Equipment_Instruments_ET&hash=item19e2ec92d8

thankyou for taking the trouble to give me the link, will have a look...thanks again added to say have just ordered!!!!!!

 

[Sam_J]

Hope things get better for you soon, sending lots of healing vibes.

 

[Tiffany]

Bless him, time is a good healer so fingers crossed it works for him.

 

[2horsesnomoney]

I was hoping to see an update on your horse CPT, glad to hear he is improving! Nerve damage takes a very long time and the nerves may not regenerate at all i have nerve danage in the skin on my hand and 8 years later still cannot feel it but it does not affect me in anyway. So the nerve damage may not be the end of the world if all else is fine! everything crossed for you and your horse x

 

[soulfull]

Sending you loads of healing vibes

You may remember I've had several lots of surgery on my ankle. Well each time there has been some temporary nerve damage which has lasted upto 6 months. With tingling and numbness

Out of interest how did you know about acidy haylage??

 

[cptrayes]

Sending you loads of healing vibes

You may remember I've had several lots of surgery on my ankle. Well each time there has been some temporary nerve damage which has lasted upto 6 months. With tingling and numbness

Out of interest how did you know about acidy haylage??

He was going really well and i swapped over to the new season haylage over a few says. It smelt acidic, and he started to behave oddly, kicking out when I put my leg on, for example. I got a PH tester, and made some 'tea' with it and it was shockingly acidic. I now soak it to get the acid out and I also bought wrapped hay to see if that was any different for him.


Thanks for the vibes everyone. He's looking totally chilled, and I don't mean because of the snow and hail

 

[soulfull]

He was going really well and i swapped over to the new season haylage over a few says. It smelt acidic, and he started to behave oddly, kicking out when I put my leg on, for example. I got a PH tester, and made some 'tea' with it and it was shockingly acidic. I now soak it to get the acid out and I also bought wrapped hay to see if that was any different for him.

Thanks for the vibes everyone. He's looking totally chilled, and I don't mean because of the snow and hail

Interesting. Thank you. I'm glad now I didn't feed the one that smelt what I think was similar. YM insisted it was fine, but I just got other stuff from bottom yard.because after emils ulcers I'm mega fussy

Hopefully chilled and happy means he is feeling much better

 

[soulfull]

To add. I very very nearly did feed it and may have done in the future. So thanks

 

[cptrayes]

If you have to feed it because there is nothing else (and I have another fifty bales!) , it does soak well. Just a few hours and a dark brown acidic liquor comes off it and then it's fine to feed.

 

[TheMule]

I have no feeling in my chin since I severed the nerves going to it, 4 years ago!

 

[cptrayes]

Well it never rains but it pours. I have a horrific photo of the injury he has done to the other side of his face, overnight in a field that I've kept horses in safely for 22 years. I even have the guttering supports covered and padded!

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lA7nV0vUhIQ/Uza0-qQe9tI/AAAAAAAABGs/ZCzZG_Y7Kxw/s1600/IMAG0102.jpg

Please, everyone, rack your brains for any ideas, however stupid they may sound, for why this horse does not appear to know where his head is.

The basic facts are as follows:

I have owned him three years and he is eight this year. He has no apparent physical reason for doing this.

He has always hit his head several times a year, causing, until now, minor injuries.

He broke his eye socket on the right in January and has now had a damned good go at breaking the cheek bone on the left. The scale of the injuries has got much, much more serious.

His eyesight was checked in February and is perfect.

The injuries are accidental, he has never been seen to deliberately smack his head on anything.

I don't care how stupid your thoughts are, just give me them. Everyone, please, no criticism of any ideas no matter how daft they may sound, I am at my wits end here and prepared to consider anything at all to find out what is wrong with this horse. The vet is stumped.

Thanks.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Good grief. No suggestions as to why he keeps doing it but what a worry.

Hope that someone can come up with a solution to this.

Does he do this overnight, maybe it is his night vision which is sub optimal?

 

[YasandCrystal]

I would have a distancce communication done with himn via an AC whether you believe in thses or not. I have had better diagnosis from an AC than the vet. You only have to email a photo of your horse and make payment and arrange a time for the call. It will cost you circa £45. Not much really.

Someone at a local yard threatened to sue a communicator that came out because she told her that her horse couldn't see well and hardly at all out of it's right eye. The owner had her vet out who said there was nothing wrong he could see. 3 months later she moved the horse to another yard and the horse became so distressed and unhandlable she had him pts. She admitted then that the AC was very likely correct and that teh horse was fine in the yard he had spent 10 years at but couldn't manage at the new one with his poor sight.

It could of course be that a shooting pain from the healing eye socket made your horse sppok and bash his head.

 

[Beausmate]

Ok, random thought. I was reading an article the other day (might have been on H&H) about a new way of examining ears (nerve block I think-you'd have thought that wasn't a new idea!). Bear with me! They found some surprising stuff inside the ears of apparently normal horses, ranging from lots of wax to spongy growths.

Maybe he's getting that high-pitched whistle people sometimes get. Comes on suddenly, goes in a second or two but might be enough to make him jerk his head around without thinking about where he is.

Hope you find a resolution soon.

 

[mightymammoth]

I was going to suggest eyes but you've done that. You're certainly going through the mill with this lad. How do you think he's done it? could he have been stretching through something to get to grass?

 

[be positive]

In the photo he appears to have no long hairs around his eye, it could be that he has ones above but none below or it could just be the photo does not show them, these are sensory as whiskers are, if he has none it could be that at times he just gets too close to something, I had a look at my lot this pm and some have more than others but all have a few below the eye as well as above and they vary in thickness as well as length, I trim whiskers but never these hairs as I feel the eyes are so vulnerable they need all the help they can get.

 

[soulfull]

If you have to feed it because there is nothing else (and I have another fifty bales!) , it does soak well. Just a few hours and a dark brown acidic liquor comes off it and then it's fine to feed.

great thanks will do that if need be