# horse



## memela (May 22, 2011)

We recently rescued an old horse The owner of the horse was going to shoot him because he had no money to feed him. he is about 23 yrs old and is very gentle. We have 80 acres of grass and he loves it here.We have lots of horse flies and mosquitoes. we have tried all kinds of things but nothing works they put knots on him. my question is last night his eye was running clear and i wipped it and had some flies under the eye today it is really red and swollen just alittle. What to do about his eye? Thanks new at this


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## patandchickens (May 22, 2011)

Eye problems need a vet, period, IMO.  First, because your horse only has the two of 'em and he needs 'em both WORKING. Second, because if there is damage to the cornea, it is important to AVOID certain ointments that you might otherwise use if it were other problems, therefore you need a vet to do a fluorescein test to look for any scrapes or whatever to the cornea. And third, because most eye problems present pretty much alike, but different problems can need considerably different treatments.

So, first call the vet.

Then, while you're waiting for him to come out, put a fly mask on the horse if you have one (one that fits properly and does not rub the eyelashes or eye). It functions as sunglasses and reduces discomfort to the horse. If you do not have a fly mask, put some Swat around the area (NOT anywhere it could get INTO the eye, just nearby) to discourage flies, and try to keep any discharge wiped away. If the horse seems particularly bothered by bright sunlight, try to turn him out somewhere shady, or even stall him during the brightest part of the day if he seems happier that way.

Then see what the vet says. It is probably something very simple, so not to get all worried or anything, but you do need it diagnosed and appropriately treated.

As far as flies and mosquitoes, the only half-decent solution I have ever found is to put a good quality flymask and fly sheet (the stiff turnout type, not the floppy gauzy type -- I like Schneider's turnout fly sheets a lot, personally, www.sstack.com) and then apply a water-soluble citronella-based flyspray to all available parts of the horse right before sunset every night. And/or stall the horse at night, with screens in the windows and a fan blowing on him if it's still real mosquitoey in your barn.

Good luck, let us know how it goes,

Pat


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## memela (May 22, 2011)

Thank you so much for the advice. He goes to the vet tomorrow will let you know what he says


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## Lizzie098 (May 23, 2011)

You sound like a wonderful person for taking the horse!! I hope everything goes well with the vet!!! I don't know alot about eyes but, do you know what 'Goldenseal' is? It is supposed to be really good for eye troubles, you just apply is 2-3 tims a day till it clears up. But I'm sure the vet will be able to give you something better for it. Best of luck!!!


   To the commenter; I really don't know ALOT about eyes, but is it really true they NEED two working eyes? I rode a very sweet older horse for qite some time, and he had gone blind in one of his eyes. He was so nice, a 2 year old could ride him!!! Eventually he got older and went completely blind and could not eat and was put down. I miss him but he was a great hores, so I was wondering if it was true that they need both eyes? No I'm not saying it does not matter if he looses it or not( I really hope he does ok) I was just curious about what you said.


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## memela (May 23, 2011)

The Vet was not in today.however when we got up this morning SHINE'S eye was not swollen or red. Maybe he just got something in it.Will be watching him closely.Lizzy thanks for the complement I love animals we have a small farm with 83 acres and wish I could fill it up with all kinds. I do have 8 Borer goats 10 cows and now a horse which i truley love and almost got a LLama that was homeless but I had to do some research on that one. thanks for all the help. I'll keep a close eye on my Shine(shine is short for sunshine)


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## patandchickens (May 23, 2011)

Well that's good news!  Do keep an eye on it -- for any return of redness or weeping or squinting, and for any sort of whitish hazy mark on the surface of the eye -- but you certainly may be right, it may well have just been something passing. Which is always nice, compared to the alternatives 



			
				Lizzie098 said:
			
		

> I really don't know ALOT about eyes, but is it really true they NEED two working eyes?


Well, whatcha mean "need". I mean, heck, I've known totally-blind horses who got along quite well given the right circumstances. But the right circumstances can't always be provided, and not all horses are so flexible. Even just one-eyed horses do not _always_ cope well with it IME, especially if the problem occurs late in life (it can be hard for an older horse to learn to cope with losing half his vision, and can cause behavioral problems and/or injuries when he whops into things).

Basically you only get two eyes, they are pretty easy to screw up permanently, and life becomes a LOT more complicated if one or both of them should fail.

(I mention total blindness partly for completeness'  sake but also because one not-uncommon eye problem, that you'd want to rule out or treat correctly, is moonblindness, which while it usually *begins* in just one eye can *spread* to both and is one of the more common causes of blindness in horses)

Good luck, have fun,

Pat


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## LauraM (May 25, 2011)

Often older horses will develop an allergic reaction to the fly saliva which will make their eyes tear constantly, which attracts more flies which can aggravate the allergy.......eventually the horse can get red swollen itchy eyes which he then proceeds to rub on everything which then causes him to poke himself in the eye eventually causing a corneal scratch which can then develop into an ulcer which can potentially eat away at the eyeball. 


All of which can be prevented by keeping a flymask on the horse during the daylight hours of the fly season.


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## goodhors (May 25, 2011)

If a visit from the Vet can fix the problem of the eye, why not call him?  Sure a better solution to letting the eye go blind!

Two things I have found with horses kept in fields.  

First is to make sure the flymask fits.  It should not be touching the horse eyeball, or skull bony socket of the eye, when flymask is firmly snugged up to wear.  Snug fit keeps most flies from creeping under the edges.

Flymask with ear covers is more protective, but might be tight on a horse with big ears like mine.  I am currently using Cashel flymasks in Warmblood size.  They give better eyeball clearance for my big-headed, bug eyed horses.  I have had good luck with Farnum masks in the past for other horses of different breeding.  I have two masks per horse, so I can wash them daily if needed, have a clean one ready for the next day.  One horse here seems able to get her mask filthy, even with dry field conditions, so mask NEEDS daily washing.  I hang them to dry.

Second issue might be the forelock length.  While cute and attractive, a long forelock that touches the eyes transfers dirt, rubs the eyeballs, may be part of the cause of eyes weeping.  I have given up on long forelocks, keep our horses trimmed shorter now.  Their forelocks end at what would be "eyebrow length" above the eyeball itself.  No hairs long enough to rub the eyes.  Have to say trimming forelocks short GREATLY reduced or removed any weeping on those horses, even with flys out and no masks.  Some of our horses have naturally short or thin forelocks, never need trimming.  However the other 4 look like they have enough hair to be ponies.  So they have long, thick  forelocks, must be trimmed regularly.  It is easy to shape forelocks to look natural after shortening, not Moe's straight bangs from the 3 Stooges!

I have also heard that grazing in tall grass can abrade or rub the horse's eyeballs, causing irritation, maybe pollen or seeds in the eye itself.  I have found seeds in the eye of my horses, so it is possible.  I keep my pastures mowed and don't let my grasses get tall.  I don't have your acreage, so must manage it carefully to keep good grazing going all season.

A horse with only one eye can have depth perception problems, may startle easily because he doesn't see you, not listening for your approach.  They may move into fences, kick or hit you accidently if surprised by a touch they didn't expect, get hurt on things with no vision on that side.  Some horses seem to have no issues with vision change, but some do.  Given the choice, I CERTAINLY would rather have a two-eyed horse that can be observant of his surroundings, not needing special handling and fences.  Without the Vet checkup, you probably won't be able to find the reason he is weeping so badly.  

One of my horses is having an eye issue now, with weeping coming and going.  We had the eye stained, checked for injury, found nothing.  Vet seem to think it is just dry eyes, possible off-shoot of Cushings, but both eyes are not weeping.  And OF COURSE horse was not weeping when the Vet came!!  We are now medicating the eye, have a 2nd fall back solution if she doesn't change after the course of medication.  I don't think this horse would deal well with loss of an eye, but loss is likely at this point.


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