Horses eye is sore

Birker2020

Birker2020

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 October 2008
Messages
23,597
Visit site
My horses eye is sore. He gets this every year - I think something gets into it, or its irritated by something and he rubs his eye and face on a hay net. Then the eye gets sore, so he rubs it more.

Usually I manage to treat it with nose and eye lotion but it hasn't worked this time so I have been treating with some Optitrex eye drops for infected eyes.

I am doing the eye drops and wiping his eyes with the nose and eye lotion once a day in the week and twice a day at the weekends, and have been treating it for about a week and a half now, maybe a little more.

Before you all jump on me ; He can open his eye fully if he is looking at something important outside his stable, when he is being ridden/led/eating.

But when in his stable he looks a sorry sight and keeps it partially closed. But if he looks up at me/food/something startles him his eye will be fully open.

It is running with clear fluid and no gunk as such. He has a face mask on when turned out at night.

It is not anything too serious as he doesn't keep it tightly shut like he would if it was a cornea scratch or something like uevitis.

I know if I get the vet out at a cost of approx £80 he will probably give me similar to what I am using but I am wondering why its not cleared up yet.

What would you guys do in this situation? I am starting to feel a bit guilty about not calling the vet but everyone says it will be a waste of time and to give it a bit more time.
 
For an eye, a week and a half is plenty long enough. I would have probably done the same as you for a week and then called vet. Better safe than sorry and £80 for a call out is a hell of a lot cheaper than an op to remove the eye. Sounds drastic but I've seen it happen.

Good luck and hope he heals up soon.
 
Id leave the mask on all the time to stop the light irritating it further. I would also take photos and email them to the vet along with full history of what you've done. They might advise a visit or a course of action.
 
In the summer I always have a supply of golden eye ointment to hand. This clears up sore eyes very quickly. If you haven't seen any improvement then it is probably time for a vet visit, worth double checking for the nasties and even if nothing major they will give you some better eye cream
 
Vet Vet Vet! Not worth the risk...we learnt the hard way with our cat and she ended up loosing the eye...they are so delicate. For the sake of a call out it is better to have peace of mind that it is nothing more than a bit of seasonal irritation.
 
Justification said:
My horses eye is sore. He gets this every year - I think something gets into it, or its irritated by something and he rubs his eye and face on a hay net. Then the eye gets sore, so he rubs it more.

Usually I manage to treat it with nose and eye lotion but it hasn't worked this time so I have been treating with some Optitrex eye drops for infected eyes.

I am doing the eye drops and wiping his eyes with the nose and eye lotion once a day in the week and twice a day at the weekends, and have been treating it for about a week and a half now, maybe a little more.

Before you all jump on me ; He can open his eye fully if he is looking at something important outside his stable, when he is being ridden/led/eating.

But when in his stable he looks a sorry sight and keeps it partially closed. But if he looks up at me/food/something startles him his eye will be fully open.

It is running with clear fluid and no gunk as such. He has a face mask on when turned out at night.

It is not anything too serious as he doesn't keep it tightly shut like he would if it was a cornea scratch or something like uevitis.

I know if I get the vet out at a cost of approx £80 he will probably give me similar to what I am using but I am wondering why its not cleared up yet.

What would you guys do in this situation? I am starting to feel a bit guilty about not calling the vet but everyone says it will be a waste of time and to give it a bit more time.
Click to expand...

Alarm bells ringing....... get the vet it could be uveitis or RU don't delay act tomorrow. the longer you leave it the worst it could get,as if it is one of the fore mentioned each attack damage the eye and potentially loosing vision each time , as medication will help dilate the pupil.

I hope it isnt one of the ones I mentioned but time is the essence with eyes...........
 
Last edited:
I've just lost a horse to long term recurring Uvietis and it's awful.
Please call a vet. Ours would open his eye if something caught his attention too. They hold it shut because it's painful not because they can't open it.
 
poiuytrewq said:
I've just lost a horse to long term recurring Uvietis and it's awful.
Please call a vet. Ours would open his eye if something caught his attention too. They hold it shut because it's painful not because they can't open it.
Click to expand...

Its horrid i know,my first mare lost 95% of her vision and my late mare more was known and vet trusted me to put otivine in as soon as she started shaking her head which was her warning she was having an attack. I brought Guardian Masks and field mask, got vet out when I had too but as vet trusted me to keep on top she virtually had no damage to the eye. The weird thing was the August before the Dec we had to PTS ( Lami related) she never had an attack again where she was having them every 3 weeks.


OP keep a record of when this happened

wind
sun
time of day
month
week
to see if there was a pattern. It helped me

keep mask on even on cloudy days even at night to keep dust from bedding out

Please get vet
 
Last edited:
This is my horse on Saturday (my cousins partner rode him and he'd only sat on a horse once in his life aged six). As you can see said horse's eye was open the whole time without a problem. I think people have misunderstood me or I have explained things badly. His eye is open all the time, the only time it is slightly closed is in the stable and when he looks at something in teh stable (an apple, his tea, a puppy walking past) it is fully open.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd...._=1412887900_8ba477eb50748c20ab57cd7bd74ae194

https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hph...8_10204097009896268_2240677060878957808_n.jpg


https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hph...5_10204097010736289_1860362036291684842_n.jpg

Last night I thought it was slightly better. I asked the YO if she thought it was and she said she'd noticed an improvement as did a fellow livery. Otherwise I think I would call the vet.

I'm guessing its itching him, so he rubs it and it gets irritated. He gets this every year at least three times in the spring/early summer and it normally goes away after a week.

If it were uevitis he wouldn't be able to open it at all as its an incredibly painful condition.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Moomin1 said:
Posts like this get my back up. Time for vet.
Click to expand...

You are ignorant and very rude. Suggest you look at the photos that we took on saturday on my previous reply and then judge whether you would have got the vet out when your horses eye was an open as that and on a yard poll everyone I asked (ten people) all said they wouldn't bother as there was no need as it clearly isn't anything serious and he would only tell me to do what I was already doing but charge me in excess of £80-£100 for that advice.

After years of giving advice to people experiencing problems with their horses, supporting fellow H&H users and asking for support myself like now I felt compelled to leave this forum because of people like you. I am not doing it again.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Justification said:
You are ignorant and very rude. Suggest you look at the photos that we took on saturday on my previous reply and then judge whether you would have got the vet out when your horses eye was an open as that and on a yard poll everyone I asked (ten people) all said they wouldn't bother as there was no need as it clearly isn't anything serious and he would only tell me to do what I was already doing but charge me in excess of £80-£100 for that advice.

After years of giving advice to people experiencing problems with their horses, supporting fellow H&H users and asking for support myself like now I felt compelled to leave this forum because of people like you. I am not doing it again.
Click to expand...

you described a horse with an eye problem that had not resolved after a week an a half of treatment, you asked for opinions and that is what you got.
 
twiggy2 said:
you described a horse with an eye problem that had not resolved after a week an a half of treatment, you asked for opinions and that is what you got.
Click to expand...

And the words "posts like these really get my back up" is a justifiable response is it???

I don't think so somehow.
 
twiggy2 said:
it is someones opinion
Click to expand...

Yes I appreciate that. But they don't need to be rude about it do they? Its like saying "people like that". I love my horse to bits, always have always will. He has the life of riley, has the dentist coming tomorrow, has the vet out whenever he needs it, is given the best food, the best care, the best life, I moved yards so he would be safe from mad dogs chasing him. I hack out in flourescent, never jump him XC over a certain height for fear of injuring him, shod every five weeks, physio every three months, change his food over for seven to ten days to prevent colic, give him upteen supplements and the best feed and rugs, - put aside £120 each and every week, cuddle and groom and ride him each and every night, get down the yard for six thirty weekends to ride out before the flies come out, and basically worship the ground he walks on as we all do with our horses. It really irritates me that people can be so bl**dy judgemental when they don't even know you. GRRRRR
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Justification said:
Yes I appreciate that. But they don't need to be rude about it do they? Its like saying "people like that". I love my horse to bits, always have always will. He has the life of riley, has the dentist coming tomorrow, has the vet out whenever he needs it, is given the best food, the best care, the best life, I moved yards so he would be safe from mad dogs chasing him. I hack out in flourescent, never jump him XC over a certain height for fear of injuring him, shod every five weeks, physio every three months, change his food over for seven to ten days to prevent colic, give him upteen supplements and the best feed and rugs, - put aside £120 each and every week, cuddle and groom and ride him each and every night, get down the yard for six thirty weekends to ride out before the flies come out, and basically worship the ground he walks on as we all do with our horses. It really irritates me that people can be so bl**dy judgemental when they don't even know you. GRRRRR
Click to expand...

Great. So call the vet out for something which clearly needs the vet now...
 
Justification said:
You are ignorant and very rude. Suggest you look at the photos that we took on saturday on my previous reply and then judge whether you would have got the vet out when your horses eye was an open as that and on a yard poll everyone I asked (ten people) all said they wouldn't bother as there was no need as it clearly isn't anything serious and he would only tell me to do what I was already doing but charge me in excess of £80-£100 for that advice.

After years of giving advice to people experiencing problems with their horses, supporting fellow H&H users and asking for support myself like now I felt compelled to leave this forum because of people like you. I am not doing it again.
Click to expand...

Any eye injury and my horse has the vet immediately.
 
OP - you've clearly had a bad time on here before so I can understand why you're feeling that the post you quoted was rude.

I know what you mean about the eye issue not looking that bad, but I think it would be worth taking a breath and looking at this for what it really is.

We get threads on here from new, young posters all the time talking about horses with issues that clearly need an owner to call a vet and not come to forums or google to self diagnose. No matter how much any of us might know, even if we were vets, we haven't examined the horse, so are therefore....for the sake and health of your horse, going to always err on the side of caution and advise a vet check it out. It is the responsible thing to do.

You can't judge a persons post on anything other than the information they were provided with at the time they made that post and the one you find rude is a little blunt yes, but not rude really. It's just someone reacting to the fact that a horse has had an unresolved eye issue for over a week and a vet hasn't been called. It's natural and expected to have responses like that when on a forum where everyone loves horses and doesn't like to see them suffer.

As for your horse, I would still get the vet. It may not seem that serious, but it is a recurring problem as you say, so he may have damaged follicles that are causing this each year or an underlying issue that reacts to a change in season or to hot weather. Any amount of closing the eye, even just slightly means there is discomfort and that means you do have to get it seen to.

I'm not saying that from a judgemental point of view, you clearly love and care for your horse very well as aside from the eye, he's a stunning animal...but it is against the law to without veterinary care from an animal that needs it in this country and a problem with an eye that isn't clearing up after more than a week is an issue that requires investigation.

Good luck and please do let us know how you get on.
 
Eye issues need prompt appropriate attention .
A week with a sore eye no one knows why .
It makes me feel sick to think about it .
 
The horse has fly eye. Its almost better now since I have been using the nose and eye lotion combined with the optitrex eye drops. As it happens every year (which is what I described in my op) people should realise that it was serious especially as he is quite happy to leave it open whilst outside the stable and only when he is resting in a partially darkened barn does he half shut it.

Next time I will keep my mouth shut. Should have learnt my lesson by now, but no. But kinda hoped I would have some sensible alternatives to people screeching at me to get the vet out when clearly it has not been at all necessary.

Sometimes there is an alternative to getting the vet out for every single ailment your horse encounters at a cost of £80-£100 a time especially with something as little as fly eye.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Justification said:
The horse has fly eye. Its almost better now since I have been using the nose and eye lotion combined with the optitrex eye drops. As it happens every year (which is what I described in my op) people should realise that it was serious especially as he is quite happy to leave it open whilst outside the stable and only when he is resting in a partially darkened barn does he half shut it.

Next time I will keep my mouth shut. Should have learnt my lesson by now, but no. But kinda hoped I would have some sensible alternatives to people screeching at me to get the vet out when clearly it has not been at all necessary.

Sometimes there is an alternative to getting the vet out for every single ailment your horse encounters at a cost of £80-£100 a time especially with something as little as fly eye.
Click to expand...

You posted asking what people would do. You were told what people would do. You said he 'was a sorry sight' in the stable, and that the treatment you normally use (in itself, ridiculous that you hadn't at some point in the years this has been happening at least had a vet try to see what the issue is and guide you on treatment), has not worked after a week and a half (by your own admission, perhaps more). Therefore, why did you bother posting if you get offended when people tell you what they think?

I feel sorry for your horse.
 
Justification said:
Next time I will keep my mouth shut. Should have learnt my lesson by now, but no. But kinda hoped I would have some sensible alternatives to people screeching at me to get the vet out when clearly it has not been at all necessary.
Click to expand...

OMG!!!!!! Screaming at you ??? Maybe its because we have seen it first hand what a mild eye close/weep can do. You self excluded more serious eye conditions (god knows why). We see it on the forum all the time new posters dismissing certain ailments without proof it isn't. I myself have had two with uveitis I know the symptoms and yours fits with this, also had one with RU and again the symptoms you described fits.




" The reasons " why WE pushed on the vet visit is eyes cannot be left un treated/ ignored/ delayed as all this can effect vision. So your slating us for being concerned enough to advise vet without the delay??

Even with flies effecting the eyes its imperative something is done, flies are germ carrying insects they land on **** and other dog mess then into the watery part of the eye spreading infection.

Sorry but you are putting money before your horses care, most vets do call out days or will do repayments if finances are low.

I will not mess around with eyes and kicks on joints vet every time.
 
Last edited:
HGA-12 said:
OMG!!!!!! Screaming at you ??? Maybe its becasue we have seen it first hand what a mild eye close/weep can do. You self excluded more serious eye conditions (god knows why). We see it on the forum all the time new posters dismissing certain ailments without proof it isn't. I myself have had two with uveitis I know the symptoms and yours fits with this, also had one with RU and again the symptoms you described fits.

" The reasons " why WE pushed on the vet visit is eyes cannot be left un treated/ ignored/ delayed as all this can effect vision. So your slating us for being concerned enough to advise vet without the delay??

Even with flies effecting the eyes its imperative something is done, flies are germ carrying insects they land on **** and other dog mess then into the watery part of the eye spreading infection.

Sorry but you are putting money before your horses care, most vets do call out days or will do repayments if finances are low.

I will not mess around with eyes and kicks on joints vet every time.
Click to expand...

And there lies a responsible owner. Unlike OP.
 
Justification said:
The horse has fly eye. Its almost better now since I have been using the nose and eye lotion combined with the optitrex eye drops. As it happens every year (which is what I described in my op) people should realise that it was serious especially as he is quite happy to leave it open whilst outside the stable and only when he is resting in a partially darkened barn does he half shut it.

Next time I will keep my mouth shut. Should have learnt my lesson by now, but no. But kinda hoped I would have some sensible alternatives to people screeching at me to get the vet out when clearly it has not been at all necessary.

Sometimes there is an alternative to getting the vet out for every single ailment your horse encounters at a cost of £80-£100 a time especially with something as little as fly eye.
Click to expand...

Just for the record a horse I know on livery had infection caused first by flies going in the eye, the owner delayed and just washed it with warm water and over the counter remedies.

The horse has now had surgery to remove the eye. So do not go demising our advice as you did it could happen to you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top