and after one week she stopped eating her grain, though she would still eat hay. We had wormed her and we think it was because of the de-worming that she stopped eating. She is now eating okay again. But now yesterday she had one eye closed and today her eye is cloudy and she can't see out of it. We will be taking her to the vet tomorrow, but I was just curious to see if anyone had ever had this happen before? And do you think the blindness is permanent?
This is an 8 y/o, she just had a baby in Sept. that was taken off her (not by us).
2007-11-14 01:32:10 · 9 answers · asked by SisterCF 4 in Pets ➔ Horses
Cloudiness in the eye could be due either to oedema or lipidosis. If her eye was closed and is now evenly cloudy the most likely explanation is that she has ulcerated the cornea. She definitely needs to be seen ASAP so that your vet can look for an ulcer and get her onto some medication. It's pretty common so no need to panic for the moment.
Whether or not the blindness is permanent depends on (if a penetration/corneal injury is the cause) how deep the penetration was, what sort of bugs are present in the ulcer (which will affect healing), whether or not she was blind in the eye prior to the ulcer forming (you'd be suprised how many horses are blind in the eye first and get a secondary ulcer because they can't see - they literally walk into branches) and how well the cornea heals ie whether or not it scars.
If the blindness is caused by someting else, such as recurrent uveitis or a prolapsed lens, then it will depend on the cause and pathogenesis (ie nature of the disease process) whether or not she will regain sight and for how long. There is also a faint (but this is rare) possibilty that it's a dying onchocerca (worm) larva at the back of the eye.
Common things are common, however, so, given that roughly 8/10 eye cases I see are straightforward ulcers that resolve with medication, I wouldn't write the eye off or worrying unduly until your vet has seen her.
It's also very common for horses to go off their food following worming as, if worms were present, their dying off irritates the gut and causes inappetance and, occasionally, spasmodic colic. If she was poor before you wormed her this history fits with worms. If she does not gain weight with correct feeding have her teeth checked and, failing that, have her blood tested for liver disease.
2007-11-14 02:15:49 · answer #1 · answered by Katie 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Depends on the injury/genetics/problem and how fast it is treated- she may have moon blindness, an old injury, cataract, etc, it can be one of many things.
As for being permenant- again, depends on what it is. If it is moon blindness- she can see when it is not cloudy, usually, something else- she may be blind.
Just a note: horses do extremely well blind or with one eye- I just had to remove my mare's right eye because of cancer 2 months ago and she has changed so much since- a lot calmer (less to see to spook at) and our bond has gotten a lot stronger.
good for you for rescuing this mare, she sounds like she needs it. To get her to eat more grain, you can try a warm bran/grain/oil mash- most horses won't turn that down.
2007-11-14 03:48:32 · answer #2 · answered by D 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Keep her in the dark and get a vet asap. It could be uveitis, my mare had it for several years and she is now permanently blind in one eye. Saying that, it hasnt stopped her having a very full competitive career!
Why did the mare lose her foal? The baby isnt old enough to be weaned and the mare will be pining for her foal..five months is early enough to wean most foals.
2007-11-14 05:42:00 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes definitely keep her in a low light area such as stall or barn also sometimes i would let my mare out in the paddock with a fly mask on, they have tented ones, so she could get a little excercise but not for more than an hour or so. The vet will have eye drops and antibiotics to put in her feed. Also if she is having problems with weight gain feed her a little calf manna a couple times a day instead of grain it is easier for her to digest, and it seams to make their coats and hooves shinier, I swear by it!
2007-11-14 02:08:55 · answer #4 · answered by Rae 2 · 2⤊ 3⤋
We had a mare that lost her sight. She led a normal life. She was even used to teach beginners how to play polo. She was a great horse before and a great horse after.
2007-11-14 05:05:51 · answer #5 · answered by Cindi B 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
She could of bumped it and that has caused the cloudyness. If that is the case, she should heal up, but I do not mess with eye problems and my guys go immediately to the vet.
I'm glad you are taking her and hopefully its nothing to terribly serious.
The lack of eating that day, definately could of been the wormer. If it returns again, I would have the vet check her for ulcers possibly.
2007-11-14 01:42:39 · answer #6 · answered by Mulereiner 7 · 4⤊ 1⤋
So sorry to hear about your horse losing her sight, it must be very hard for you. You strike me as an animal lover. Most folks who have animals know that you can love them just like they're children.
I hope things work out for you with her.
Agape
2007-11-14 05:27:19 · answer #7 · answered by sugarbee 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I cant really say, but any good vet will be able to tell you whats wrong, and if she does go blind, you can still compete her and such, you can even retrain her so she wont run into things.
2007-11-14 03:16:33 · answer #8 · answered by animegirl10000 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It could be an eye ulcer - your vet will give you eye drops. She could have lacerated it also. I would personally keep her indoors with low light until your vet can see her as bright light will make it worse. Good luck.
2007-11-14 01:38:24 · answer #9 · answered by Arin D 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋