Sticky Eyes

[Scooter]

Hello folks,

My gelding who is just over 1yr old is having trouble with sticky eyes.

We have treated Simba with antibiotic ointment on a few different occassions since he arrived with us at Easter time and managed to clear his eyes each time. However, at this stage it is pretty much impossible to get anything into his eyes as he knows whats coming.

When his eyes got sticky again a couple of weeks ago the Vet suggested we bring Simba down to his farm for a few days so he could treat him there. He just gave him one jab and said that Simba's eyes weren't bad when he was there. He suggested that it may be his hay or his environment that is to blame.

I have taken his hay out of the hay rack and I'm using a bucket instead. I'm also damping the hay. There's shavings on the floor but the Vet says he used shavings too.

I asked about anti-histamines but the Vet said he prefers only to use them as a last resort.

All advice appreciated...

 

[happy appy]

It could be a plant too! There might be more of one kind at your place and not the vets.

 

[Scooter]

Thanks Tina

Its just 1st thing in the morning that his eyes are sticky - he is inside at night but outside all day...

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I have taken two horses to ophthamologists over the years. Here is a list of allergy drops that were given to me by the dr. I use the Opcon A.

Crolom
Acular
Zaditor
Alomide
Vasocon-A

Opcon-A
Naphcom-A
Alocril
Patanol
Alamast

The second horse did not respond to this so the dr prescribed one of these. They don't have antihistimine but deal with swelling. They are available over the counter but you have to ask for it:

Sochlor

Muro 128

you must use the 5%

These did not work so she is on a prescribed steroid drop. The antibiotic ointment didn't help much.

Try Opcon A and it might be that simple. My horses do not mind it, as I think it gives them relief.

Also banamine is very effective for eye swelling. The dr said 1/2 dose every day until the swelling went away, and then once a week was all right, if needed.

 

[Scooter]

Did your horses have green guk coming out of their eyes Martha? Simba's eyes are not obviously swollen.

 

[Equuisize]

This may seem very simplistic but it's worked for me and was recommended by my farrier of some 25 years.
His parents used this method in their barn of Arabian show horses if someone had a mucky eye.

Earl Grey tea bags. Steep the tea, let cool to a comfortable temperature.

Place the tea bag on the eye itself.

I squeeze the fluid in the tea bag slightly and move the fluid toward the tear duct.

Re-hydrate the bag and reapply as long as they've they'll stand for it.

Use a new tea bag for each treatment.

We sometimes get a dry summer with a lot of dust, eyes will get runny and mucky.

Our kids seems to appreciate this when their eyes are like that. I do not even need to halter them.

They will lay their head over onto the bag so I take from that it is comforting to them .

 

[Scooter]

Thank you Nancy - I'll certainly try that. Maybe if i could manage to lay it on his eye even once and he gets the feel of it he will let me leave it there...

 

[supaspot]

I always feed the hay from the floor/ low manger not a rack , dust and seeds can and do fall into the eyes good idea to soak the hay to settle any dust , try paper bedding , your vet may have used shavings but your stable may have a draught which could lift any dust up , at home hes sharing and two colts in together can stir up a fair bit of dust too , change basic management and common problems first before looking for medical issues

 

[supaspot]

just an idea , if the grass is short enough you could leave them out for the summer , its warm enough not to rug them too , it would probably clear up on its own , it may not come back again even when they come back into the stable later on

 

[Scooter]

Deleted

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

Could it be flies? put a fan on his stall and a flymask on while he'soutside. My guy gets goobers sometimes, but never when his fly mask is on

 

[Matt73]

When any of my guys/girls had runny/funky eyes, I found dripping saline solution (along with cleaning them with a nice cool, wet, clean rag) in the affected eye/eyes cleared it within 24 hrs

If it's green or yellow, it's an infection...and that warrants a vet visit, but if they're gunky due to heat and insects, saline has worked 100% of the time for me.

 

[wildoak]

Try Vetericyn eye ointment -wont hurt anything and might well help. Can be ordered from lots of catalogs, Tractor Supply also carries it. I've had really good luck with it, and always start there.

Jan

 

[Marty]

Vetericyn works miracles! When it was dry and dusty and windy, one of my girls gave me a heart attack one morning with two eyes swelled shut. She was in an end stall and apparently the wind blew dust in her eyes. Just one application and her eyes were fine.

I also do not appreciate horses eating from hay nets or racks because its too easy for them to get little bits in their eyes. Hay is on the floor. I used my hay bags just last week after I did baths only for about an hour while I had the horses tied up and there was hay junk all over their faces. Go figure.

 

[amysue]

Some horses just get allergies. If it is an infection, then the vet can give you eye ointment. I find that while standing on my horse's side (depending on which eye you are trying to work on) I stand on the opposite side that I am trying to treat and come around from behind so that they do not see my hand with the scary tube coming and flinch, thus making it harder to treat the eye. I'll admit, eye ointment is no fun, I had pink eye once and dreaded putting that crap in my eyes, plus it stung! So no wonder the horse does not stand still and comply with you putting stuff in his eye. Also, flies are a major culprit in the transmission of bacterial infections. If he will tolerate a fly bonnet, I strongly recommend getting him one. If it is allergies and not an infection, try soaking or steaming the hay, pelleted bedding may offer less dust that shavings or saw dust, shredded paper works too but is a bit trickier to muck out of the stalls. I feed some of my horses on the ground and it helps keep their eyes clean, but some need hay bags so as to keep from ingesting so much sand. I also try to keep my horses' forelocks braided. I know that some people say that it's purpose is to keep flies out of the horse's eyes, but I cannot help but notice that my horses with long forelocks see an improvement in those "eye boogers" once the hair is out of their face. If bugs are an issue and a bonnet is a no-go, try SWAT ointment. Obviously don't put it on or in the eye, but a good smear around the ears, on the poll and on the cheeks usually keeps the bugs and eye goobers away. Good luck.

 

[Scooter]

Thank you all

I am now damping Simba's hay and feeding him off the ground. I also spray his stable with a fine water sprayer to reduce the dust. This helped for a week or so and then one eye was sticky again - maybe because it got really hot here and was probably more dusty.... However, we gave him a bath a couple of days ago and his eyes are lovely and clear since so I think your point about keeping forelocks plaited is probably true for him too Maryann - Thank You!

My vet feels we should keep a close watch on him and not apply more ointment for the meantime...