sore skin around eyes, are flies responsible?

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talie2rose

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I have had my new grey mare a week now and I have noticed the "black" skin around her eyes (eyelids) has turned quite sore and pink. It looks to me that flies are causing this as they are always around her eyes. I clean her eyes everyday and I have just bought a flymask to try and prevent the flies from being on her eyes but the girl wont let me put it on her!!! It doesnt look like she rubs her eyes as there isn't any hair loss or sore patches other than this pink skin on her eyelids. I have another mare in the same field and she has never had this problem, does anybody know what else it could be?
 
Sounds like the flies to me. I have a grey who likes like Alice Cooper when the flies are bad, poor lad! He gets a fly mask (under his headcollar as he's worked out how to undo velcro) but Vaseline would probably work if your girl won't let you put the mask on at all. Or a fly fringe?
 
Take care putting any creams on the skin surrounding a horse's eye as it can seep slowly backwards and get into the eye itself. Depending on the cream you've put on, if it gets INTO the eye it may cause even more problems than you started with. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself if you had sore eyes would you put Vaseline etc right close round your eyes. If not, don't do it to your horse! If it's flies, which it could well be, you need to have a schooling sesh with your ned on having a fly mask on. Take the time it takes, be gentle, reward every little try she gives you with a kind word or polos. then just leave the mask on for say half an hour. Go for a cuppa or a ride and do it again. If it's a safe velcro one, you can probably then leave ned out in it - she may try to scrape her face on fences etc but if you watch her for half an hour you should get an idea of how she's coping.
 
managed to get mask on her yesterday and hopfully she still has it on, she seems settled with it. I hope it sorts the fly problem, Thanks for your help
 
Mine will not keep masks on and they just get shredded or end up in their eyes .I have foud velcro fly fringes best for all 4 horses.I use field safe head collars .Before fixing them onto the head collar I give the fringes a godd spray with fly repellent (not soaking them) I wait about 10 minutes before putting them on .I have found the NAF fringes ones the most robust .
J
 
yes think next thing to try is a fringe, she kept the mask on but the flies bloody got in... i dunno how as i had a head collar over the top to keep it on. But eyes were very gungy today so gonna call vet 2mora
 
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