Selling a horse with Uveitis

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Switchthehorse

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I have a wonderful 6yo who is very handsome, a bit green due to being picked up and put down, vice free and easy as anything on the flat, to jump and on the ground. I am having to sell him as I can't afford to keep him, he is homebred but circumstances have changed. He has cracking breeding.

The first person to view him fell for him and got him vetted, he failed due to (unknown) chronic uveitis. This was such a shock to us, and completely unexpected. He has been seen by specialists and he is being treated with steroids and responding well. The plan is to gradually reduce his steroids and see how low a dose he can be kept on (will be at least 4 tablets a day c. £100 a month), it may be he needs surgical intervention - we just don't know yet.

I just don't know what to do from here. I can't afford to keep him (I can hardly afford the drugs and vet bills currently, all my savings are going going gone). But would anyone buy him with uveitis? What if I gave him away for free? Is there anyone out there that would take on a horse who will inevitably lose their sight in one eye in the coming years, and who needs ongoing meds for the rest of their life?

Am I mad to even try and sell him? I worry so much about him going to someone who just doesn't bother with the drugs and so he ends up in terrible pain. I considered loan but then surely someone would just enjoy him then send him back when he gets too expensive?

Should I consider PTS?

Interested to know what others would do as my brain is scrambled.

Thanks so much
 
Gosh, what a shock for you, poor you and poor horsey.
My 3yr old has uveitis (acute onset of symptoms but probably been reumbling away as there was already a cataract when found) which quickly progressed to her having the eye removed as we couldn’t keep the ulcers under control. Thankfully, hers was only in one eye.
I know that I could never sell her on. I would consider loaning her, but I would accept that I would need to pay for any ongoing treatment.
You may be able to gift to the right person but be very, very careful as there are so many unscrupulous people who spin a very good story but then end up moving horses on.
 
Gosh that is rough, I am so sorry. My boy also has a chronic condition which like yours can be managed with medication. I'm fortunately able to keep him going comfortably for the foreseeable future but I have mulled over 'what if' scenarios and I don't think I could ever give him sway for the same reason you fear, unless it was to someone I knew or who came very highly recommended.

You say a loaner might just return him once it gets too expensive, which is a real risk. However by then your own situation may have changed so that you are better able to cover his treatment, or there may be better treatment options available, or it may simply never happen and the loaner loves him and is happy to pay for him and he has a home for life. Any even if your worst fears are realised and he comes back to you and you can't make it work so that PTS is the only realistic option left, at least he will have had that time and hopefully enjoyed it and given someone enjoyment in the process?

I hope I'm not overstepping, it's just I've been through the thought process with my boy and this is what I've come up with. Many hugs to you, this is such a cruel situation to be in.
 
What an absolute nightmare for you. That must have been a huge shock.

Having been there with a nasty ongoing (years on and off) Uvietis pony, who would without a doubt healthy have been worth his weight plus some in gold as was only 4 when diagnosed I think, 6/7 when we called it a day. I've always said that If I ever had another one diagnosed I'd PTS straight away. This is, of course easy to say after our experience and would I, If tomorrow my mare was diagnosed and I'd really not known, maybe not, not at this point but the second it started becaoming an issue I would yes, and in all honesty I don't think you should sell, no I think that would be very wrong. So many people thik its just a funny eye, just a weepy eye, Its not Its awful, Its incredibly painful and I'd never want to take the risk that the horse falls into the wrong hands or just ignorant hands.
I've since known two who I swear had Uvietis but the owners were adamant she's always had a dodgy eye, its fine, or one told me "she's a bit thick she just bangs it all the time and it swells" So neither revieved a diagnosis or so much as pain killers now and then.
We could probably have carried on competing ours even during a flare up because he was a star. If the same pain had been in his foot he'd not have been able to walk let alone jump. That i find is the scarier part of conditions like this.

Sorry, It's really rubbish
 
I once had an ex-polo pony who it turned out had uveitis which wasn't disclosed. Fortunately daily eye drops kept it under control but I would never knowingly buy a horse with this. I am sure this must have been a huge shock to you. Is it just the one eye that has this? If so, it would be worth considering having the eye removed as many horses cope very well. If not then I think I would be giving very careful consideration to PTS.
 
Just to say one of mine had this years ago, the vet at the international centre for the horse in deauville, a world renowned centre.
And vet, treated it With all sorts Inc acupuncture any way it was OK with no other medication for 6 years

Then suddenly it deteriorated and the eye was removed, that was 9 years ago He is now quite old but still fabulous to ride

Had no problems since. Touch wood, just observe the other eye closely, he had no meds since the eye removal, except if a bit dirty antibiotic cream for a few days as precaution

Several irhe vets have commented how well horses cope with only one eye

You do need to be careful with companions on turnout

Hope you can find a way through this

Consider the eye removal, it was all healed and sorted very quickly

The idea takes some getting used to but worked in our case with no ongoing costs
 
Poor you and poor horse. I do know of one whose symptoms seemed to subside and the horse was sold. Also a six year old. He’s doing well. Heard about him recently and seems fine. Just to add a bit of balance. I’ve not dealt with it otherwise. Do know of three who had eyes removed too who went on to live comfortable lives.
 
Our homebred had it in both eyes and after spending vast amounts of money it was diagnosed as leptospirosis. We treated for it and horse has been fine and just has annual check ups with her eyes. I should add the vast amounts of money went on drugs as had 2 weeks in horse hospital with her flare up before being tested for Lepto. The expensive thing with eyes is the steroids and getting them in properly. I would never have another one. I think our horse cost £15k in the end and we were lucky to have a good outcome.
 
eggs said:
I once had an ex-polo pony who it turned out had uveitis which wasn't disclosed. Fortunately daily eye drops kept it under control but I would never knowingly buy a horse with this. I am sure this must have been a huge shock to you. Is it just the one eye that has this? If so, it would be worth considering having the eye removed as many horses cope very well. If not then I think I would be giving very careful consideration to PTS.
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We had our ponies eye removed eventually, feeling confident that would be the end of it. He had only ever had it in one eye.
Within a month he had his first attack in the remaining eye and was pts.
 
Daughter's mare had one eye removed when she was 6 or 7. Not the same circumstances I know, as we believe it was a field injury which kept ulcerating. We didnt realise just how much pain she must have been in as when she recovered she was a totally different horse, full of beans and loving to jump. She is now nearly 20 and still full of life.
 
I'm sorry that you are in this situation. I understand that you are in a very difficult position. In your situation I think I would be making the hardest decision. Your horse has no concept of the future. It will only understand it's present which might be very painful and miserable, if you can't ensure the uveitis remains controlled by a responsible owner and you can't keep it yourself. There are many worse fates for a horse than to be quietly pts at its home.

If it was only in one eye and your personal circumstances allowed sufficient funds/time for removal and recovery before selling or loaning then that is the route I would take. I would not let the horse leave my care without a permanent solution (removal) in place. It sounds like you don't have sufficient resources to allow for removal/recovery due to a change in circumstances. Please don't beat yourself up about that, sometimes despite our best laid plans life happens and things don't work out how we expect. The way I see it is we have a duty to protect our animals future welfare as best we can in these circumstances. Sometimes that's straightforward by loaning or selling, sometimes that's by implementing a permanent solution such as eye removal earlier than might normally occur then loaning or selling and sometimes that's by taking the hardest decision of all and pts. The important thing is to take the best decision for the horse within the constraints that you have, tough as that may be. Again I'm sorry that you are in such a difficult position.
 
With the price of horses as they are, would there not be someone willing to fund the operation in return for what sounds like a lovely horse? It's finding the right person, there's the rub...

...other than that, agree with alibali. So sorry OP, must be such an awful position to find yourself in.
 
I'm so sorry. Horses do like to kick you in the teeth just when you think you have it all sorted. I get uvetis. I cannot begin to describe the pain. I shattered my spine and the uvetis definitely hurts more. I'm pretty hard core but I once collapsed screaming in A&E, the one and only time I have ever done that. I'll also add that even when its totally under control, the vision is never normal. It would be better to take the eye out if its just one as it causes me no end of problems. If its both eyes I would PTS because no human or animal should ever have to experience pain like it when it flares up.
 
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