Interesting finding by vet today

LauraBR

LauraBR

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Sam had his annual vaccination this morning so the vet was here. He has been particularly spooky recently, and on the same side he runs out at jumps on. I asked the vet if he would mind checking his eyes for me, just to rule them out- I was 90% sure he was just being silly as he has been an argumentative sod recently, and the direction he shoots off in allows him to use his favoured lead leg.

Anyway, turns out he does actually have very small cataracts in the eye I wanted checking. The vet said they are so small they wouldn't really bother him and he didn't think they would account for the spooking but would cause him to have very small blind spots. He possibly might not see some things until he is almost on top of them.

Sam, when he is in one of his 'moods' will do his best to FIND things to spook at so I suspect this eye problem just gives him extra excuses TBH. When he is in a more amicable cooperative mood he rarely spooks at all.

Was really pleased I asked the vet to check. I had a look using his eye tool thing (technical term
tongue.gif
) and I could see them.

Has anyone else had a similar problem?
 
Yes, and the end result was not what I would have wished for. (Horse pts)

What did the Vet say, did he suggest treatment? Do you have to have bi-annual check-ups done or anything? Did he say what might be the cause of them?

I hope things go well for you, now that you know you will find yourself making allowances for him on that side.

When I spoke to the Vet who found Ali's cataracts he said that the majority of the time they grow so slowly that the horse has plenty of time to adjust to the loss, or clarity of vision and that owners rarely notice immediate difference in behaviour.
 
Definately cataracts made my old horse spookier...but he coped fine with it did a few three day events- he was just a very spooky hacking, he was bored so prob using it as an excuse!
 
The vet wasn't worried at all. They are just in one eye and are tiny, he didn't even think they would account for the spooking (but seems a bit coincidental to me?).

He simply advised me to have his eyes checked at his annual vacs every year.

Sorry to hear your horse had to be pts Enfys
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[ QUOTE ]
Definately cataracts made my old horse spookier...but he coped fine with it did a few three day events- he was just a very spooky hacking, he was bored so prob using it as an excuse!

[/ QUOTE ]

I definitely think it is an excuse thing with Sam too, esp when he is in a strop lol!
 
Hector was always spooky when hacking/schooling but when hacking he always spooked at things in hedges, or in the grass, never at stuff on the road side, occasionally I really made him jump in the stable too. When he had an eye infection the vet found he had cataracts in his left eye, and was half blind in it, probably had been for years. It never affected him in any other way, but that was always his spooky side.

Rio had cataracts in both eyes, she had them when I bought her, but they were scarring of the eye from a trauma as a foal/youngster and wouldn't get worse.
 
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