Eye Infection?

[newtominis]

Last Thursday, we had the vet come out and do some eye exams on Teddy, there had been some drainage coming out of his left eye for about a week, so she flushed out the blocked tear duct and gave us ointment for a small scratch on his eye. It's been a week, which was the prescribed amount of ointment, put he is still having a tiny bit of white "mucopurulent ocular discharge present from the left eye and maybe a little tearing."

Any idea what this could be and why, and if we would want to have the vet out again?

 

[MiniNHF]

ive had a scratch on my big horses eye before and usually the ointment works, i cant remember how long it took though to heal because it was a while ago. Maybe instead of getting the vet out again can you just call them and describe what you are still seeing etc? Might save you the cost of a vet visit again

 

[drmatthewtaylor]

Call the Vet. Even better, text or email a photo.

You are probably fine. But eyes can get secondary fungal infections or inflammatory issues leading to problems. Be safe rather than sorry.

Dr. Taylor

 

[Barefootin]

Calling the vet with questions and concerns is always a good option especially when dealing with eye issues. It is easy to pick up a secondary problem due to scratching, rubbing, even off your hands when you medicate the eye. Minis are hardy little guys and(knock on wood) all of the ones we've dealt with have come through just fine. Even the one we thought would be totally blind sees perfectly well.

Another thought, have his teeth been checked recently? After 40+ years of horses if we have runny eyes one of the first things we check is teeth especially upper teeth. Depending on the age of the horse I'll look more closely for certain things. Young horses often have a stuck cap or lodged debris from chewing on things. Older horses I look more for cracked/broken teeth and sharp points.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Better safe than sorry with eyes. My vet often will swing by while on the road for local appointments for free just for a quick look see and I have also sent her photos close up for viewing. I once had a boy that had eye problems off and on when he was younger. I also put a fly mask on him 24/7 when I was treating something.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Do follow up on this.

Is he wearing a fly mask?

 

I'm in favor of having the vet examine the eye again or as Dr. Taylor said, send him/her a picture of what you're seeing now.

And to me, also, a fly mask is critical when dealing with eye problems -- just to protect the eye, and we all know how "light sensitive" an eye can become when being treated. Just protecting it will help with any discomfort from light sensitivity.

Keep us posted.

 

[disneyhorse]

I don't mess around with eyes... My vet has requested he come out ASAP for any eye issues... He says that damage to the eye can happen very quickly because horses often are annoyed by it and rub on things which can damage the eye unnecessarily further.

 

[AngC]

I wouldn't mess around with eyes either.

Nicky (avatar photo) had an eye injury. Initially we treated it with an ointment that our 'field' vet prescribed. After a couple days, Nicky got really good about squinching his eye shut, and I was having trouble getting the medication into his eye. Regardless, he wasn't doing well. Our on-site vet was coming every day and when he was deciding whether Nicky should go to the vet hospital we took photos. In the barn, the vet had us shine a flashlight from above and he snapped pictures with his iphone and sent to vet hospital. If you get the angle right, you can get pretty good photos. So if you can, I would send a photo rather than just asking on the phone.

We were prompt getting the vet here (within 2 hours) and our situation is probably different (since we learned when Nicky went to the vet hospital that he also had cataracts on the other eye) but I gotta' tell you that a pretty much blind horse is a head-twist to deal with.

Good luck.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I've taken horses to the animal eye specialist. One was a simple case of using allergy drops. His symptoms were swelling and tearing. The other is more complicated. She has scars in her eyes from past problems, probably weepy eyes that were not treated properly at the time. Her symptoms are pus, tearing, and swelling. The only thing that works on her is the steroid drop. And she wears her fly mask every day.

I am bad about wanting to fix whatever is wrong with my horses, whether behavior or health. Some things cannot be fixed, but must just be managed. The eye condition with the mare is one of these. I'm more relaxed now, dealing with it; I try to keep her eyes comfortable.

Banamine is very effective for eye swelling. A half dose of paste is what my horse gets occassionaly.

I think disneyhorse is right: injuries are frequently caused by the horse rubbing an itchy eye. Something simple turns into something serious.

 

[newtominis]

We did get a fly mask today, and he will be wearing it religiously from here on out. I had my riding instructor come out and look at it, and she said it looks fine. The eye seems to have cleared up now, there hasn't been any more discharge or pus. I will keep a close eye on it (no pun intended) for the next couple days just to make sure he is completely healed up.