Eye infection? Opinions/treatment

[Whispering_Pines]

I recently got a couple new minis, little Delilah has eye drainage which builds up over the days. White/yellow. She is very very shy! Scared, ack of social skills ect. Her eyes themselves look ok. I want to avoid the hour trip to the vet, trailering her is very traumatic yet for her! What can I buy to treat this with before the ride to the vet? What do you think it could be? Apparently its been long standing for her. I see Valley Vet has some things to treat eye infections.

 

[Minimor]

I use ordinary penicillin--the kind ordinarily injected IM--much easier than ointment to get into the eye (I just use a small syringe, without a needle, and squirt it into the corner of the eye ). I have found this to be very effective for clearing up eye infections --and I know more than one vet that will recommend this treatment. It was my vet that initially suggested it to me.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I've used Polysporin Eye drops when a foal was having issues with mucky eyes but I have to say if this has been an ongoing problem I wouldn't mess around with it much. It may be a bit stressful to ride to the vet but even more so if she looses all or some of her vision and eye problems can get ugly really quick. Can you at least call and ask the vet's opinion based on what you can describe? Then he/she can say whether they think it should be a rush thing or you can try some things to avoid the ride.

 

[Boss Mare]

One of my mares almost sliced her bottom eyelid off, just so happen to be Easter Sunday -- made an emergency call and no return call until the next day.. Before the return call I tracked down a vet that was friends with a friend of mine.. IM Penicillin and flush the eye.. Normal vet came out and was only able to snip a small part of the eyelid, no stitches, but healed near flawless.. Very intimidating due to swelling and blood. I believe the prompt antibiotics saved the horse and the eye.

I have gotten new horses and young ones that have goopy eyes -- viral, allergies, blocked tear duct, etc. if it doesn't clear in a few days I seek a vet advice. Flushing the eye with a sterile saline solution can't hurt either -- use contact wash, make sure it doesn't have the addictives.

 

[sfmini]

Never use anything in the eye other than plain water without the advice of your vet. You could choose the wrong thing and do more damage.

I agree with the others, eyes are nothing to mess around with, get her to the vet.

 

[Jean_B]

Never use anything in the eye other than plain water without the advice of your vet. You could choose the wrong thing and do more damage.

I agree with the others, eyes are nothing to mess around with, get her to the vet.

DITTO !! Besides, once you get rolling down the road, she'll settle down relatively quickly.

 

[Whispering_Pines]

I am sure I can call the vet and describe it to her, I've been using plain warm water to clean them for her. I have some eye wash I could start using.

 

[Double T]

Not a vet, but I have a triple dilute mare that is notorious for having infected eyes in our dry climate, only when it's windy and dusty in the winter time, but still. Anyways. I keep a tube or two of the terramycin on hand, and as soon as I see her starting to get gooped up, I'll start dr'ing her twice a day. Prior to putting it in, if they are really bad, I'll flush 'em otu with regular old eye wasd. I jsut buy a bottle of the human stuff. Then I'll wipe any goop away, put some of the ointment in, and put a fly mask on her at night (she's a Houdini at getting them off during the day, so we don't use them during the daytime). But the fly masks sure help at keeping most of the stuff from getting in her eyes. I had a mare here week before last that scratched her eye and it went goopy one day, then just ran for a couple and I did about the same to her, other than I didn't turn her out with the herd and kept her up. It cleared it up in about 4 days. Key is to get on it as soon as you find 'em, or you'll be making a vet trip with all the goodies that come with that and the shots in the eye and stuff. Veteracin also works on the eyes, and for one that is shy will work too. One quick squirt is all you need twice a day, and there is no having to hold them or anything to administer it. The regular wound spray is half power to their pink eye spray, so either one would be fine (I emailed the company and asked about this specific thing).

Ayways, like I said, I'm not a vet, but it's what has worked here for us the last several years.

 

[SampleMM]

Never mess around with eyes! Always have a vet come and take a look!

 

[paintponylvr]

When you talk to your vet - see if she/he has a cell phone that takes messages & pictures. Then take a picture and send it to them. If they ask for specific shots, you should be able to give them some... It DOES NOT take the place of a vet eye exam but it might help in decision making.

Otherwise - I also wash both with cold water/cold hosing and sterile saline solution. I've never used antibiotics or ointments int the eye of a pony that the vet hasn't already looked at the problem - several times it has not been wind or allergy related and we could have lost eyes if hadn't been treated... I will restart with similar products if I see another eye infection starting.

Several of our silver dapples have different times of the year that their eyes "get sensitive". Usually coinciding with regular pollination around here (I have rhinitis - so it also happens a lot when I have itchy, watery eyes & sneezing). I rinse their eyes with the hose, especially when there's swelling; then use saline solution. I wash the drainage goo away and then put a fly mask on. If I keep the masks on, they don't usually need anything else.

I now have about 1/2 of our ponies wearing fly masks every day. The masks come off when they come in to eat breakfast and dinner, they get rinsed if needed and then re-applied. I like the Farnam and the Cashell Crusader masks. I don't get the ones with ears - as that makes mine rub and tear up the masks. Other masks - get torn up or they actually irritate the eyes, so I quit buying the less expensive ones.

 

[Hosscrazy]

Same advice as the others - eyes can be very serious, so give your vet a call. You'll be glad you did!

Liz N.

 

[Marty]

Could be a blocked tear duct

 

[HGFarm]

Have not read all the posts but agree that I would never mess with an eye problem! I would have a vet take a look as it could be a variety of things. Also, if she is shy, and you are giving shots to her IM (do you know how to do that?) she is going to run when she sees you coming. It may be that she could be given oral antibiotics or an eye cream or another simple treatment, but I would have a vet diagnose first and recommend.

 

[Whispering_Pines]

I did call the vet, but I also found out a vet has looked at her, apparently she has allergies, the get much better in the summer. I never planned on giving her an IM (intramuscular) injection. I am completely fine with the injections if I would need to, I give them to our cows, dogs, and give all of our animals their vaccinations. I knew becoming an RN would come in handy!

 

[wildoak]

My new favorite med - at least in the last couple of years - is Vetericyn. It's safe, non caustic and good for almost everything. They do make an opthalmic gel which is a little easier to apply, but I've sprayed the regular Vetericyn liquid directly in their eyes with good results. (I've used it on myself and in my eyes as well and I don't do that with just anything!).

That said, a vet is your first/best recourse but the Vetericyn should not hurt anything in the meantime.

Jan

 

[Whispering_Pines]

I eyed up (no punn intended lol) the Vetericyn last week at TS, but didn't buy it, I am tomorrow though.

 

[rubyviewminis]

I have to say also, use Vetericyn. It is better than plain water, and will always help never hurt. You can squirt it from a distance right in their eye, then they soon realize that it doesn't hurt. All my blue eyed horses here wear masks most of the year due to the wind, unending dust, and dryness. We are the driest state on the map. They get the goopy stuff in the tear duct in spring or windy days and I use Vetericyn to clean. I had them all vet checked first though. Even my dark eyed babies get the stuff going here in spring sometimes and they wear masks too if its windy. Just blatantly injecting antibiotics is a bad thing to do for sooo many reasons. Just my opinion tho.

 

[Double T]

I eyed up (no punn intended lol) the Vetericyn last week at TS, but didn't buy it, I am tomorrow though.

It's honestly a wonder drug and one, I'd say to keep on hand before others. Works great on cuts, scrapes, anything really. I can say it's been used quite a few times on our horses, both big and small, and a few places I figured we'd of at the least had the hair grow back white, and it didn't.

 

[Whispering_Pines]

Thank you for all the advice, but I am not sure where some of you thought I was going to "inject" antibiotics? I had never posted that or ever intended to do that! I just want to clear that up, so people don't think I am some crazy horse lady!

 

[Double T]

Thank you for all the advice, but I am not sure where some of you thought I was going to "inject" antibiotics? I had never posted that or ever intended to do that! I just want to clear that up, so people don't think I am some crazy horse lady!

I think because someone mentioned using the IM penicillin and squirting it in the eye, they picked up on the IM part and thought, it meant giving a shot?? Or that what I would of thought where it came from. Some don't realize you can do other stuff with it, besides IM inject it.