My horse has to have her eye out - Can anyone give any advice

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Ellie1

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My mare last year had a bad head injury which caused her to go blind in her right eye, at the time I was told she could keep her eye but may need to have it out at some point, the last few weeks she has been rubbung her eye and her third eyelid this morning was hanging out but ended up going back, I made the decision this morning to have her eye removed as she is now in pain and I want to do the best for her, but was just wondering if anyone out there has been in the same situation or knows of someone to prepare me for what is going to happen.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Ellie1
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i know of two horses who had to have an eye taken out. One was an ex racehorse who had got kicked in the face when he fell at a jump. once he recovered from the initial shock of the operation and the injury he semed to cope quite well. didn't race again but hunted and hacked out until he was early 20's.
the other was a little conemara pony. she got Uveitis (moon blindness) and depsite treatment for quite some time they couldn't clear it and she went blind in that eye. she then got an infection in the optical nerve and had to have the eye removed. again - once the operation was over she was a little confused for a dy or so, and apart from being a little spooky she was pretty much her normal self again.

I think that its the horse's mindset that helps them recover. If your mare is the sort that wil fight to come back and rcover then I think you're doing the right thing, and its jst a case of some special management while she gets used to things again.

best of luck, xx
 
Thank you for the reply, she is a very strong mare but kind with it and I'm sure she will be fine as she adapted to going blind within a few weeks now hacks out on her own and competes, just scares me the thought of her having a op I'm a bit of a woose when it comes to things like this/

Thanks again.
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I have no experience of a horse having an eye out but i have been through this myself 2 years ago after i was assaulted. I have no doubt in my mind that you are doing the right thing. I think the worst thing you will have to cope with is your impression of what your horsie will look like without an eye. She will adapt very well after the operation, I know im a human but the principle is the same, i cant remember what its like with two eyes now!!! Yes she will have to adapt but it sounds like she has started to already.

AnasTINSELtasiaLLT1 little foalie sugarbabe had to have its eye removed earlier this year, she might be able to help you with the horsie side of things. If it helps once i had had my eye removed i felt no pain afterwards. yes it was uncomfy whilst it healed but there was no pain like you would expect.
Hope all goes well.
 
If she is already blind in that eye I would imagine she won't really be aware of any difference. I have now experience of a horse losing an eye but my old GSD had to have her eye removed due to a tumour. She adjusted brilliantly and though it took a while for us to get used to how she looked (she basically just had a hollowed out socket) in the end we became totally used to it. Some people used to recoil a bit when they first saw her but most were fine. Sadly the cancer spread in the end and I lost her in August 2006.

Hope all goes well with your mare.
 
Thank you very much Snowbomb for your reply and very helpfull advice. Hearing it from someone who has been through it personally has helped with the understanding of how she will cope after the op.

Many thanks again
Ellie1
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Its not quite the same... but ouir dog had its eye out, and it was fine... It had a bit of trouble wit hdepth perception to begin with... but that improved as time went on (she went to jump up onto things and missed completely!) and is almost like normal now (except for obvi one blind side!)

know of several horses aswell... one was a v successful WHP who didnt continue in this field but had alot of fun dressaging and eventually showjumping!

hope your horsies ok
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My daughter had a mare that had a rare disorder in one eye which despite other treatments eventually had to be removed. We were very apprehensive and worried about the GA as she was a large horse (Clydesdale) but she came through it and was at the hospital for five days in all. When she came home I think she had to be stabled for about a week. The skin over eye socket was neatly stitched and flat but as it healed the skin begins to sink into the socket over a period of a few weeks. I think stitches were removed after 10 days without any fuss. In her case she must have felt so much better as her damaged eye would often bleed and must have been painful. The vet told us that when he finally removed the eye it collapsed and has been kept to study!!
She coped very well with one eye as I believe most horses do. Just remember to talk to your horse as you approach the blind side and make allowances when going through gates and doors as they can be miss judged by the horse at first. I guess your mare will be used to coping anyway if she is already blind. I'm sure your horse will feel a whole lot better. Good luck.
 
Ellie1 - my gelding had to have his eye removed 18 months ago after a 6 month battle to save it. Please PM me with anything you'd like to know or send your phone no and I'll ring you to talk you through what will happen. Just to skip straight to the end of the story, the surgery is very fast, he was only in the horse hospital about 5 days. Came home 100 times happier than he had been when he had such a dreadfully sore eye. Box rest a few days and take care about walls and touching him and using your voice gently but we let him in the outdoor school for a run around after a few days as he was doing so fabulously well and he belted round the school a few times and then loose jumped himself TWICE over a couple of 2 foot jumps that had been left up in the school!!!! He was back to his old self again in no time and I now hack him regularly, pop him over little jumps for fun and we recently came FIRST in our 1st ever walk and trot dressage test with 76%. KEEP SMILING! PM me and we can talk or I'll answer every single question you have. xxx
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I was a veterinary assiatant and used to assist with the operation and after care of horses that had eyes (should say 'an eye!') Make sure that you apply a bit of fly repellent around the area I know its winter but there are still some of the blighters around. To start with teh swelling looks as if the eye lids have been stitched together with the eye in but over a couple of months the swelling goes and it 'sinks in' I knew a lot of horses and they all adapted well, I always talk to them loads as I handle them to make sure they always know where I am.
 
I've known quite a few horses with one eye..some of whom still jumped...but they approach with their head turned a little to one side...so their remaining eye could see the jump.
I also knew a completely blind horse...no optic nerves...he was treated normally, turned out in a field with his mate...where he ran up and down the fenceline when there were girlies about...without ever hitting it.
They adapt very well
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Thank you all so much for your replies I am so pleased I joined this site only registered the other night. I have the Vet out on Thursday afternoon to have a look and will up date then.

Thank you again it's nice to know there are people out there who care.

Ellie1
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Have no experience of this but just want to send you and your horsey best wishes. It must have been very upsetting for you to have to make this kind of decision.
Good luck.
 
I also know of two horses with only one eye.

A good friend of mine has a lovely TB mare who went blind in one eye as a youngster. It didn't affect her at all as my friend point to pointed her for a couple of seasons, did XC, SJ, hacking on the road. The mare is now 24yrs old and still going strong with her competing.

Another friend's horse recently lost his eye. He has coped very well, and even recently been hunting.

The vet made a very good job of the eye removal, so it looks OK really
 
Thanks again for all your responses, my Mare is going in tonight to have the op tomorrow, very worried but I know she is in good hands.

Ellie1
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how has she recovered from the op.
a friends horse has been in hospital for 2 months with an ulcer on his eye. he has just had his 3rd op. if this one doesnt work his next op will be to remove the eye.
hope it all goes as well as can be expected
 
Op went ok, only a bit of a complication now and that is it won't stop bleeding, the vet has done blood tests and turns out she has low platlets. Eating started to become a problem so now on Morphine A big shock when I first see her but she is still the same kind gentle Mare and not made a fuss once. Hopefully have her home at the weekend all depends how she goes over the next couple of days. I know she is in the best place I even thinks she prefers being there!!! (totally spoilt)

Aran - I hope your friends horse is ok it's a relief once it's done but a big and hard decision to make.

Let me know

Ellie1

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