swollen ouchy eye!!

[MrVelvet]

my 3 yr old has a red swollen eye! im assuming its the flies as there are loads about now!! iv bathed it with water and cotton wool... and going to get a fly mask tomoro!! is there anything else thats worked for anyone?

 

[*hic*]

Bathe gently with a used teabag.

 

[MrVelvet]

just a normal tea bag ? thanks i shall try it!!

 

[Foxhunter49]

Far better than a tea bag is milk, ordinary milk, skimmed, semi skimmed full fat pasteurised or not!

Just wash the eye out with it.

It works equally well with people, no stinging, just soothing.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

For god's sake don't put tea or MILK (????????) in a horse's eye, especially one that is damaged in some unknown way! You have to ask yourself, if you woke up one morning with a very sore, red, swollen eye, would you nip down to the kitchen and put tea or milk in it? No. Of course you wouldn't. You'd see your GP. Anything that goes into a horse's eye needs to be STERILE to start off with. Next, it has to - obviously - do no further harm. Yes, flies can congregate round a horse's eyes and make them sore and red but it could equally be a scratch from a thorn, a foreign body still in it, conjunctivitis, or even the start of something very serious such as uveitis. Eyes are very precious and they don't heal well since they don't have a blood supply. If you must bathe it with anything, use plain boiled cooled water and don't use cotton wool as the tiny fibres break off and you can cause more damage. Some people swear by either boiled cooled tea or Golden Eye Ointment or even Optrex for minor sore eyes but the most any of these self-help products will do SOOTHE tired eyes. They can't fight infections or remove foreign bodies and if not properly sterilised and APPROPRIATE for eyes, then you could cause a whole lot more damage. If it doesn't improve overnight,vet. If it deteriorates before that, vet.

 

[miss_molly]

Dont mess with eyes. call vet and get a proper check up and some eye drops. Like previously said eyes dont heal well and so I would never risk further damage or delay a proper check up. My last vet bill for eye examiniation was very reasonable (under £90 considering call out is £47 not much for treatment and drugs). This was for anisethic (cant spell), dye, full examination and drops. Better to be safe than sorry. I had a friend who left a couldy eye unchecked and few years down line is telling people her horses poor eyesight in that eye is due to old injury which really annoys me as she did not have it checked and could of at least prevented any further damage or delayed sight loss of a reasonably young horse.

 

[Foxhunter49]

For god's sake don't put tea or MILK (????????) in a horse's eye, especially one that is damaged in some unknown way! You have to ask yourself, if you woke up one morning with a very sore, red, swollen eye, would you nip down to the kitchen and put tea or milk in it? No. Of course you wouldn't.

Sorry but you are incorrect First thing I go for if I have a sore eyes milk.

Some years ago I stupidly managed to tip a gallon of creosote into my face. I was totally blinded. As we were snowed in at the time there was no way I could get to a doctor or hospital. No ambulance could get through the drifts and there was no such thing as air ambulance.
First I lifted the creosote from my eyes with Fairy liquid and then rinsed and rinsed with milk. My eyes were fine, no damage done at all.

Sometimes many of the 'old' things work as well as the modern medicines - and, as a matter of fact this was told to me by a GP.

 

[Kat]

Boiled and cooled tea was advised by a doctor for my friends baby with sore runny eyes. It is unlikely to make matters worse if there is no wound just soreness and puffyness. My friends horse came in with a red puffy eye covered in flies a week or so ago, the yard staff checked her carefully kept her in away from the flies and bathed in tea, it was much better 24 hours later and she was turned back out with a mask on, 48 hours later her eyes were normal.

Op you could use boiled and cooled salt water to be on the safe side and give it a day to improve away from the flies before you decide whether it is a vet job. Or call the vet and ask what they suggest.

 

[calon]

Milk and cold tea have been used for eons for sore eyes and will not damage them at all only sooth as has been said ,i find fly bites minor eye infections respond well too golden eye drops from chemist used them recentley myself for the same thing in my mare all cured in two days i applied twice daily and milk bathed inbetween too ,

 

[hayinamanger]

If the eye itself looks clear and not cloudy, and the horse is not sensitive to light (ie keeping the eye shut/half closed) then yes, bath with cold tea bags and monitor. Never take chances with eyes, always call the vet if there is any involement of the eye itself.

 

[Black_Horse_White]

I had the same problem with my horse, I did heve the vet out a number of times over a 4 year period. He had dye put in tear ducts flushed, and eye drops. After 4 years he was finally diagnosed with Uevitis. Luckily I thought it was all those years my vet failed to diagnose and treated as such. And had saved his sight by being vigilant. So don't take any chances get the vet out. I also gave one bute as it's an antiinflammory and his eye would be ok in 24 hrs. And my horse didn't seem to bother about the light either.

 

[Syrah]

Would you really call a vet out without trying some basic care?

Must admit, I don't run to the dr's at the first sign of something wrong, I try to rectify it myself.

Surely if the eye isn't cloudy, bleeding, you would try some basic husbandry before calling the vet

 

[oscarwild]

I never take any chances with eyes and always contact the vet.
A couple years ago I thought my horse had a swollen eye which I thought was due to flies left him for the night to see how he was. Had to call the vet and he ended up with a eye ulcer and had 4 months boxrest. It was touch and go if he was going to pull thorugh. He had a bad eye on the other side too and he was nearly PTS. He eventually pulled through but will never take any chances with them.

I would bathe the eye with saline solution and talk to your vet. They will tell you if they need to come out for a visit or other things you can do for the weekend to see how it goes.

 

[EQUISCENE]

I have had this recently with all three of my horses - first time for years! I think it is down to flies and I would bathe with salt water and use golden eye ointment, if they do not improve quickly then I would get further advice from a vet.

Mine all went back to normal within 24hrs..

 

[Black_Horse_White]

My horses eye wasn't cloudy either, Uvetiis gets worse if it hoes untreated. They do get over the attack in time but the longer it takes to get treatment the more damage is done to the eye. I'm not saying it's always Uveitis ad my vet always diagnosed conjunctivitis. As the symptoms are very silmilar.

 

[MrVelvet]

its not his actual eye, its his lower lid. its a lot better today with just water and cotton wool!! gonna put him out with his new mask on tomoro and see how it is! thanks everyone!!