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[doodie]

My Highland Pony has had weepy eyes for many weeks, which he gets everysummer so i have done what I usually do which is to wipe them daily and apply lots of Vasaline around the eye area to stop the gunk that is being produced in his eyes sticking the the hair on his face. Slowly over the last week the eye has started to produce more gunk and the har has statred to fall off around the eye area. When i went to check him this morning both of his eyes were weeping as usuall but there was a large patch of hair missing from each side of the eye which was bleeding and weeping badly. He looks such a mess. I've called the Vet he is coming tomorrow afternoon as it's the earliest he could do. HAs anyon had anything like this happen to any of there horses/ponies?
x

 

[Bossanova]

Does he wear a fly mask?

 

[Tia]

It could be a number of things; conjunctivitis, uveitis, ulcer etc. I would think that the hair missing and bleeding is as a result of the horse rubbing his eyes.

 

[dwi]

Can you keep him in until the vet comes to stop it getting any worse?

 

[doodie]

He's got nothing that he can rub his eyes on. I haven't tried a fly mask but you never see any flies near him or around him. Personally I think he would be better staying out because he's not the sort that likes to be in.
x

 

[Tia]

What do you mean he has nothing to rub his eyes on?

Sorry to sound a bit dense here LOL!!

 

[Shilasdair]

Could he be rubbing his eyes on his own front legs? Or have you removed them too? Just a thought

It sounds like a tear duct infection/conjunctivitis and I believe you can get treatment quite easily.
S

 

[doodie]

I haven't removed his front legs! [YET!] The other pony that shares a field wih him has no signs of any thing like this
x

 

[doodie]

What about a fungal infection? Just a thought
x

 

[the watcher]

I think it is possible that the vaseline has made things worse if he has rubbed his eyes on his legs and then got the Vaseline into them. It sounds as if it has reached the stage where you do need the vet, personally I might not have left it this long, eyes are delicate things.

It could be dust, pollen or flies that are the original cause and a netting fly mask may well help after the vet has been. He may recommend anti histamines to reduce the itching or a steroid cream to reduce inflammation

 

[doodie]

His face was fine when i left him last night it was just thismorning. All that was happening when i left himlast night was there was a small amount of gunk in the corner of his eyes like sleep. That's why i havent called the vet sooner
x

 

[Faithkat]

I had a filly that used to get weepy eyes in the summer as a reaction to flies. I used Optrex drops (a couple of drops) in her eyes every morning and that worked fine.

 

[Blizzard]

Just bathe them in water until the vet has been to keep them clean.

Dot put anything into or around his eyes, it sounds like he has an eye infection, or may need antihestimines.

Please dont fidle around with eyes, they are so delicate, and you coudl just make it worse.

 

[doodie]

I've just left them today. I'm scared I'll pull even more hair off and make them bleed even more. The vet will be there early tomorrow afternoon.
x

 

[kick_On]

if simple eye infection best stuff to use is 'Golden Eye' get from chemist and then get either fly fringe or mask.
Even if you don't see flies/midges doesn't mean there not there

Now it's got to stage where you do need vets advise (which your doing), but as a prevention i've found golden eye and mask to work wonders. It just making sure other ponies in field don't keep taking of mask!!!! but if you check at least twice day can really keep on top of eyes

 

[ThomasTank]

very seriously...bathe the eyes with cold black tea. It is brilliant

 

[rachelandcassie]

be very wary of using water in horses eyes, it's a huge carrier of all kinds of bacteria and can do real damage.
and if i had vaseline near my eyes i'd try to scrape it off too
echoing forester and kick on-my vet advises human eye drops too. my mare sometimes gets gunky eyes from pollen fly irritation but there's not much else that can be done since she also tries to scratch off face masks.
i think eye drops are the safer option and they cleared up her eyes in 2days and vet swears they're safe

 

[Tia]

QR -

I am so glad your vet is coming out tomorrow

. Please don't put anything on or in the eye until he has diagnosed the problem - you/we have no idea what is wrong so lessen the risk and leave well alone for now. It could well be just a reaction to the flies or vaseline......but it could also be something more sinister.

 

[gloster_image]

Can I just add - meanwhile clean with cotton wool soaked in either A) v mild salt water (1/2 teaspoon in a pint) or B) cooled down boiled water (this sterilises the water)

 

[dreamcometrue]

Agree with Kick_On that you should use Goldeneye. Put a blob on your finger and gently put it in the outer corner of the eye. It will melt into the eye and clears up the infection quickly.

 

[lucemoose]

Hope your pony is ok and that the vet cant sort if out for you- echo Tia it could be something more sinister.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Hamish - I do hope by now you've had the vet but if not some advice from someone whose been through the mill on eye problems that started off "easy" and ended up anything but. The most common cause of gunky eyes is conjunctivitis but this needs vet attention because it is a bacterial infection and no amount of cold tea, cooled boiled water etc will do anything other than offer some temporary relief. Untreated, conjunctivits can become chronic and very hard to treat. The structure of the eye can be affected. My horse's chronic conjunctivitis - not treated by his previous owners - suddenly flipped over to a milky cornea, ulcers, uveitis, keratitis and eventually, removal of the eye. The remaining eye is also under a constant cloud of suspicion because the hair has been lost all around the eye. Initially the vet thought that this was due to the gunk oozing from the conjunctivitis burning off the hair but a more recent thought is that there is now a kind of dermatitis in the skin around the eye. It responds very well to periodic applications of a safe, greasy (so kind to the eye itself) antibiotic eye cream that I rub AROUND the eye whenever it flares up. It's been a hard, hard journey so please get the vet out for your ponio and good luck with it x

 

[doodie]

Vets coming today =]
I'll let you know the out come later.
Thanks for any advice that's been given
Hamish__xx

 

[MagicMelon]

Id just wipe the eye with clean warm water often, and put on a fly mask until the vet comes. I wouldnt start putting stuff in his eye etc. until the vets seen it.