Stubborn bacteria

[albahurst]

Thought we had the bacteria killed and the eyes cleared up...but it is back and is not going away! My horse apparently got dirt in his eyes from the western KS dust days this summer and we are not having any luck getting rid of this nasty bug. We have done everything we know to do at home as per our vet instructions--- we have done the whole nine yards for over two months now::: Tri Hist, spray feed and hay with water to cut down on any dust, all the eye medications for bacteria that is available for home use, anti-fungal eye medication. We have had his eyes checked and flushed twice, laid him down to put catheters in them to flush them out. He has had a shot of dexamethasone for allergies. The eye cultures came back (while he was on antibiotics) with three types of bacteria--- staph, strep, and bacillius- something. We are waiting on the fungal tests. Sensitivity testing shows the current (and last available that we haven't tried before) eye meds should kill the bacteria....but we still are having huge issues! He has only been on the last meds (Cipro) for 48 hrs so maybe I need to be patient....but that is so hard! He is also on the anti-fungal meds at the same time. I put one type of med or the other in his eyes seven times a day! Three times/day is the anti-fungal med and four times a day is the antibiotics. We even switched vets so that we would have one who is exceptional. I think that if this doesn't get it then we have to put him in the hospital

Has anyone else ever experienced anything like this with your mini?

Needing moral support -

Peggy

 

[Manyspots]

I am certainly not a vet but is there any chance that a small hay or grass seed could be inbedded? Some times according to our vet he said that they can just keep going in deeper. wishing you luck soon! Lavonne

 

[Boinky]

well this isn't really HORSE related but i have Lyme disease and some significant eye issues caused by it. Optomitrist is not sure if it's caused directly by the lyme or a weak immune system from it. ANYHOW i get severe eye infections that are not at all common several times a year. Anyways he was telling me that most of the opthamolic ointments do not penetrate into th eye well. they are for surface issues. He highly recommended taking oral anitbiotics with them if it was a bad infection. Have you tried having your horse on an antibiotic internally as well as the ointments directly in the eye?

Is the anitibiotic ointments you put in his eye just stuff you can get over the counter or something prescribed by your vet such as Erythromycin which is stronger? I know my opthamologist said the erythromycin works very well on staff and i think he also said strep. may also help him to get him on a steroid based drug such as toberdex which is an antibiotic/steroid drop. the steroids might make it less painful and help reduce the irritant to help it heal. Just a thought. I'm certainly not an optometris/opthamologist but this is what my optometirst has told me as well as proscribed for many of my issues to help get it healed ect.

 

[SkipsMom]

Because it's taking so long to heal a fungal infection sure sounds suspect. Kudos to your vet for beginning antifungal meds before waiting for that lab result which take a long time. Keep up the round the clock drops & ointments and I know how exhausting and time consuming eye care can be but hopefully you'll save the eye & vision.

 

[wildoak]

Can't really offer any insight, sounds like you are covering all your bases, but I can sure feel your pain. We had an eye issue with a mare earlier this year and treated her with 4 different eye meds 3-4 times a day for about 6 weeks. Thank goodness she was patient with me! We also had her on banamine for the first week or so - good news is that hers did ultimately clear up, thanks to a great vet who is an eye specialist and lots of persistence. Good luck, and hang in there.

Jan

Added - our mare started with what seemed a minor irritation - another vet took a look and had me change meds to gentamycin. By that evening her eye was horrible, so we suspected maybe an allergic reaction on top of the original insult.

 

[Reble]

Our vet has told us to put pen G, a few drops right in the eye.

When we did not have other ointments on hand. Ask your vet about this.

 

[albahurst]

Thank you for all the advice from the posts and PMs--- we are going to try some new things now.

Peggy

 

[Charlotte]

Peggy, please keep us posted on this. I'm sorry you are having such a hard time with this thing but I do want to thank you for sharing your efforts. It is educational for all of us.

As someone above mentioned our vet has occassionally put a bad eye infection on systemic antibiotics as well as eye treatments.

Charlotte

 

[albahurst]

Well, the eyes are starting to look a bit better- the pus is not running down his face any longer or crusting up around his eyes, for the most part. Still a little drainage, but improved. Both eyes are still quite red and still puffy, however. Oral antibiotics are being mailed to us- should be here by Monday, as UPS doesn't deliver on Sat. In the meantime, we will continue with the Cipro eye drops. He will also be on GastroGard while on the oral antibiotics and of course on Fasttrack probiotics. Today was the last day on the antifungal so now at least I can get by with only four rounds of meds in the eyes per day instead of 7 times! Good timing, too, as a blizzard has just hit this area and so I am not looking forward to lots of trips to the barn in the near future. So frustrating to do so much and just seem to be ....

, but hopefully we are starting to see a turn around. I just

my horses and I hate to see them hurting. My boy just lays his head on my arm and tips his head for me to put in his eye drops. I think he knows I am trying my best.

Hopefully next week I can post some great news.

Peggy

 

[albahurst]

What a difference a day makes! We are certainly not over this bacteria problem yet, but it appears the oral medication along with the eye drops were just what we needed with this guy. Looking much better by the hour, it seems!

Thank you to all who PMd and posted- your information was valuable!!!!!

Thanks again-

Peggy

 

[Boinky]

so glad to hear! sorry i haven't gotten back to you yet for your last PM. I'll send you the info on the optham's in your area just incase you still need it.

 

[albahurst]

I had a long talk with the vet this am. He said that the irritation from the dust set up a situation in my horse's eyes to allow bacteria to grow. The horse has/had strep, staph, and bacilius (???) in his eyes, along with fungal inf. Now, the fungal infection started because we used so many antibiotics trying to clear up the infection from the irritation. So, since he cultured the eyes and did sensitivity testing, we know what antibiotics will work. This am my horse looked pretty good until we did two things---put in eye drops and he had his head in the hay feeder. We are highly suspecting that the horse is severely allergic to dust. We are now taking him off leaf alfalfa and putting him on alfalfa pellets. He is also not allowed to have brome or any type of leaf hay for a few days. We suspect that the dust in the hay is triggering off this allergic problem which allows the bacteria to grow. It will be a vicious cycle unless we get to the bottom of the allergy problem. So, he will now get his Buckeye feed, beet pulp, and alfalfa pellets all soaked in water twice a day. He can also go out to graze because we have lots of snow on the ground and it isn't dusty out--just the hay is dusty from this past summer. Oh, and since he is on oral antibiotics (in which about 80 % of the meds will cross over into a certain part of the eye), we will also stop the eye drops on the off chance he is sensitive to something in them (which the vet thinks is not likely with this certain medication). I, too, have the feeling the dust in the hay is the source of the problem.

I hope this information is valuable to you all.

Peggy

 

[Becky]

Just throwing something out here, but do you use a fly mask? I have found those to be helpful not only with sun irritation/sensitivity but it also seems to have some dirt/dust benefit as well.

 

[albahurst]

Actually, we have used one part of the time (the other part it is in the wash!). I would be very glad to know more about sun sensitvity and sun irritation, too.

Thank you for the suggestion-

Peggy

 

[albahurst]

Took my boy to KState Vet for a check up by an opthalmologist. Doing testing- probably bacteria related. I will post 'The Rest of the Story' later this week after I hear back from KState. Hopefully, my experience will help all of you out there who run across stubborn eye issues with your horses.

 

[albahurst]

Well, this has been an educational experience for us!

The latest word from the opthalmologist is that no new bacteria is present, although they continue to culture in case one pops up in a few days. Also, no eye worms are suspected. Seems to be allergies to dust now that is retriggering the inflammation. We are now washing down the hay thoroughly (not just spraying it) and his eyes are calming down. We do have to continue the eye drops for now, as there was a bacterial component earlier and so we need to finish the meds off. A change in eye drops may be coming.

So, we will continue to wait to hear back again from the opthalmologist, but for now we are soaking all his food in water.

Western Kansas dust has sure played hovoc here.

PEggy

 

[muffntuf]

Peggy,

We had a horrible summer for hay, most was put up with a lot of dirt from the ground from just the machinery going over it. SO I have had lots of eye goop in the young stock. I did wet down the hay when i could, its too cold now to do that, that helped. I turn the stock outside with their hay during the day and feed hay cubes at night when they are stalled.

I have also abandoned feeding in feeders and hay racks this year because of the dust. I put everything down on the ground and notice the horses are using their hooves to pound out the hay before they eat it, I think this is a natural tendency for them when stuff has dust on it.

GO KState - I graduated my first degree from KState!