Would you buy a horse with uveitis

Miss Horse lover

Miss Horse lover

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I went to see a horse today and she was a lovely wee sweetie but the owner said she has uveitis in her left eye that is managed with a blacked out fly mask. There was no mention of this in the ad the owner put up in a local tack shop. I have heard of uveitis before but never came across a horse with it.

Does anyone have a horse with it currently or has had in the past? I just want to know what her future would hold as I'm aware that this can cause blindness, would she have to be retired. Would anyone here buy a horse with it.

Thanks to all that got this far x
 
Don't think I would as I know someone who had a horse with this condition. It can sometimes end up with having to have the eye removed.
 
the foal my mare arrived with was diagnosed with this about 6 months after he came (so aged about 10months) vet did injections and some sort of drops if i remember rightly, he had to be kept in out of the sun for about a week and that was it

He belonged to a friend who has since moved away with him so im not sure what the vet said with ref to future prognosis though but as far as im aware he is perfectly fine!

Kim
 
The owner said all they have to do now is put her out with a fly mask that has duck tap over the left eye and they have also put some tinted window in her stable to keep the bright light out but she couldn't remember what the vet done to her at the time but will phone them and let me know. So I thought I would ask the lovely helpful people on here while I'm waiting :)
 
There is one mare I would buy who has this condition but only because I know her very well, she's an absolute peach of a mare and in her case it doesn't give her too much bother.

But an unknown horse, sorry no, I wouldn't.
 
Our old horse had it. He did eventually go almost blind. The first time he had it it returned 3 times and he was in his dark stable for well over a month. He also wore a mask but hated it. No, after seeing how unhappy he was at that time i dont think i would buy one with uveitis.
 
No horse is perfect, and there are lots of conditions I may consider for the right horse, but Uvitis is not one of them
 
Don't put yourself through the heartache please, I speak from experience and the horses often end up having to have the eye removed. If it moves to the other eye (again fairly common) then only option is PTS. The owner really should be making that decision rather than passing her onto somebody else UNLESS of course it was openly advertised and the buyer is fully prepared for the battle that is uveitis :(
 
neddynesbitt said:
Don't put yourself through the heartache please, I speak from experience and the horses often end up having to have the eye removed. If it moves to the other eye (again fairly common) then only option is PTS. The owner really should be making that decision rather than passing her onto somebody else UNLESS of course it was openly advertised and the buyer is fully prepared for the battle that is uveitis :(
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Sounds like I should leave well alone, shame she really did seem to be a lovely mare. The owner didn't advertise that she had it and only said about it in passing and I tried to get as much info a possible but she wasn't very forthcoming :(

Thank you everyone for your replys :D
 
I bought a little eventer nearly 15 years ago. She had uveitis in the past but we took a chance. She's 28 now and was retired a few years ago as she was was going blind. In those in between years tho we never had any recurrences. She's now got 30% vision in one eye and 50% in the other. How much of it is just related to old age tho? Quite a lot I think
 
No
I worked with a retired native pony who had it (along with cushings etc), lived in a fly mask even in dull weather/snow, had to be stabled most of the day if it was sunny and drops in when eyes started weeping.
Its a lot of effort and planning to manage correctly, its doable but ask yourself if you really want to take it on when you could have an equally nice horse without it.
 
Absolutely NOT. Dont listen to what the owners say, they are trying to sell/off load a problem.
Its a heart breaking condition that causes pain and expense.
PM me if you want more information but just dont do it.
 
Absolutely not! It's a very painful condition. My horse had flare ups every 6 weeks. You have to put drops in upto 4 times a day. I battled with it for 4 years with my horse. I had the £100 mask from America but it still didn't stop the flare ups. Please please walk away, will save you a lot of stress. And the eyes will be excluded from insurance.
 
We looked at a super mare for my daughter, but on the vetting uveitis was discovered & our vet recommended we walked away. I also know a horse which had the condition & he also lost an eye, then was eventually put down. A very good reason for having ALL potential purchases vetted! Why should the owner tell you what is wrong with the horse? You wouldn't if you were selling a car. Buyer beware......
 
We had to put our old mare down due to this. We tried to manage it with the vet but in the end I couldn't allow her to continue to suffer. It was horrid and I would never want to go through that again.
 
No!! My elderly gelding has been suffering with this on and off for a year or two. He is depressed when it flares up. Even with the eye mask it comes back. He is having his eye out next week due to the medication not taking affect any more. He started with uveitis then onto Kerititis (think thats how its spelt) and now is blind in the eye with an odema. Stay well clear the operation next week is going to cost me over £1000!!!
 
Thank you everyone for your replys, I contacted the owner tonight and said i wouldn't be taken the horses due to its condition. She did say that she was going to consider pts as nobody wanted her when they found out she had it. It's a shame but it's maybe the best thing for her as it would be a shame if she was passed from pilar to post due to it. So the hunt continues for a new horse :)
 
Miss Horse lover said:
Thank you everyone for your replys, I contacted the owner tonight and said i wouldn't be taken the horses due to its condition. She did say that she was going to consider pts as nobody wanted her when they found out she had it. It's a shame but it's maybe the best thing for her as it would be a shame if she was passed from pilar to post due to it. So the hunt continues for a new horse :)
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Ah it is a shame for you but you have done the right thing. I do hope the owner wasn't trying to make you feel guilty?

To be honest it would be fairer on the horse than to pass her onto a new home and surroundings. Luckily you had the common sense to research it instead of just taking their word for it. Lets hope the owner does the right thing for the horse and she doesn't get someone who will accept the owners word for it that it's not a problem.

It is a heartbreaking condition and you are honestly better off without it.

Good luck with the horse search xx
 
Miss Horse lover said:
Thank you everyone for your replys, I contacted the owner tonight and said i wouldn't be taken the horses due to its condition. She did say that she was going to consider pts as nobody wanted her when they found out she had it. It's a shame but it's maybe the best thing for her as it would be a shame if she was passed from pilar to post due to it. So the hunt continues for a new horse :)
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Wise decision.

Speaking as a vet, and one that has spent time working purely in ophthalmology, I wouldn't touch with a proverbial bargepole.
 
No, no and no again.

Totally different if a horse you own develops this condition but to buy one knowing he has it is crazy to my mind. You won't get insurance cover, probably not on the other eye either as it can develop in the 2nd eye too. It can sometimes be managed but equally sometimes it can't and you may end up with a horse that costs you a fortune in vet fees/drugs/masks, has to be stabled most of the time, has regular flare ups when he will need the vet and no certainty at all whether the eye may deteriorate and pain would mean surgery (won't be covered by insurance) to remove the eye.
 
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