Swollen Eye Advice

[2DogsFarm]

I’ve had to deal with this twice in my horse & like others say: Eyes are No Bueno, Call Vet for me.

Staining both times showed no tear, just abrasion & I had the pleasure (NOT!) of getting ointment in the eye 3X daily for a week.
My solution to treating was to put the ointment on the tip of my finger, then dab that in the corner of the eye.
I know, not sterile, but got 'er done with 16h of noncompliance VS 5’2" me.
My softish fingertip was easier for horse to accept than the pointy end of the tiny ointment tube.

Doing the Not A Big Issue Dance for your mare!

[ThreeWishes]

Jingles for your horse!!!

[Larbear]

Previous vet I used when I called in for my guy’s eye (told them he was squinting, tearing etc) was hesitant and asked if it was an emergency…uh yeh, it’s his eye, I would say it is.

[Texarkana]

I once moved to a new area and started using the old school horse vet down the road that the barn owners used. He was well beyond retirement years at the time and was, uh, a minimalist in his approach, to say the least.

My horse came in with a swollen and pussy eye. Being a former veterinary nurse, I wasn’t about to eff around and find out with that. So I called the vet.

He told me to just BLOW IN IT. That the air and spit would clean it out.

I can’t remember if I succeeded in convincing him to come out and treat it, but I do remember promptly finding a new vet.

[OzarksRider]

@GraceLikeRain

@ClassyJumper

Tractor supply carries terramycin over the counter which can hold you over until the vet makes it out.

Call before you go. In my state they can no longer sell it over the counter as of July 1 of last year.

I once asked my vet if over the counter triple antibiotic ointment would work in a pinch. He said he had actually used that when he couldn’t get the ophthalmic ointment due to backorder. It certainly wouldn’t be ideal, but better than nothing if the eye is starting to go south. This is why ophthalmic ointment is always in my first aid kit.

[trubandloki]

@OzarksRider

I once asked my vet if over the counter triple antibiotic ointment would work in a pinch. He said he had actually used that when he couldn’t get the ophthalmic ointment due to backorder. It certainly wouldn’t be ideal, but better than nothing if the eye is starting to go south. This is why ophthalmic ointment is always in my first aid kit.

This is so the almost the opposite of what I learned.
I had a horse with a chronic eye issue, but even though I was pretty sure what was wrong when it had a flare up, I still had the vet look at it before I put anything in it (other than the meds that were put in it daily). Because putting antibiotics in some things can make them worse, putting steroids in other things will make them worse.
Never self medicate an eye with left over meds.

Edit to add - at least that is what the vet who specialized in eye stuff told me.

[Larbear]

@Texarkana

I can’t remember if I succeeded in convincing him to come out and treat it, but I do remember promptly finding a new vet.

In my case, the eye thing was the last straw with the vet practice and I found a new vet!

[Scribbler]

Update: I had the vet out, sedation and staining. Couldn’t see any corneal marks but left me eye antibiotics and banamine for inflammation. Vet thought conjunctivitis from flies. I will put a fly mask on too.

[OzarksRider]

@trubandloki

antibiotics in some things can make them worse

I’m just curious . . . what things can antibiotics make worse with eyes? I know inappropriate use of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance, but are there any specific eye conditions that are made worse?

[ThreeWishes]

Usually it’s the use of a steroid that causes problems. Not sure about antibiotics
Maybe when it’s fungal? I’d also like to know.

[cayuse]

Steroids make fungal infections worse. That’s why the vet needs to stain the eye and diagnose the issue so you know what you are treating. If you happen to have an antibiotic ointment that also contains a steroid and use it on a undiagnosed fungal infection you can get into a mess. This according to my vets who I have many of .
Edited cause my brain’s not working.

[Ghazzu]

PSA.
If you (g) happen to have leftover eye medication around, throw it away now.
If the tube has been opened, it has likely been contaminated.
Yes, things can grow in antibiotic ointment.

Furthermore, NEVER use a corticosteroid in an eye unless it has been confirmed there is no corneal defect.
Melting ulcers are not pretty.

[Scribbler]

Further update. Weirdly my other horse is also showing milder but similar symptoms. They are both in fly masks now and getting the eye drops as per vets advice. Vet said it was unlikely it was particularly contagious.

[2DogsFarm]

Here, in my part of the Midwest, it’s a particularly bad allergy season.
I’m usually oblivious & I’ve been coughing & sneezing & having some laryngitis-like episodes.
Maybe something in your pastures is causing the irritation?

Still dancing…

[4horses]

Gnats love to fly into the eyes or just irritate the horses until their eyes swell up. Those things Hurt if they fly into your eye and are none to comfortable if they fly up your nose either.

I actually bought myself a hat to match my horse’s fly mask. If you don’t have a stiff breeze they are bad. Skin so soft is great if you aren’t allergic to it.

If you go outside at night in the summer with a headlight on they will swarm your face. I actually bought orange light mini flashlights and clipped them onto a baseball cap so I can have a headlamp without getting a face full of bugs. They do sell orange light headlamps but the one I tried broke after a week and amazon had to refund me.

I have one horse that gets swollen eyes from gnats. Her eyes almost swell shut but the eyeball itself is fine, it’s the eyelid that swells way up. She’s allergic to gnats so has to be kept in a flymask or else her eye lids swell.

[Demerara_Stables]

@Texarkana

He told me to just BLOW IN IT. That the air and spit would clean it out.

[pn]

I have a senior mare i my barn> She has corneal ulcers from someone not taking care of her eye years ago. Today it is treated with 3 ointments, 3 times a day, 10 minutes apart. for the rest of her life. Please take eyes seriously

[Pico_Banana]

@pn. My senior mare had a very serious corneal ulcer that we could not get to heal after months and months of ointment multiple times a day. We tried all of the options, as well. My vet learned that another local vet had tried a somewhat new procedure for eyes so we decided to try it on my mare.

The vet first debrided her eye with basically a q-tip. Then she put in eye drops - I think she said it was basically riboflavin - one drop at a time, something like 30 seconds apart, for ten minutes. Then she had a special UV light that she shone into the eye for 10 minutes. (It was a while ago so this is probably not completely accurate, but you get the gist.)

I continued the antibiotics after the procedure within a week, she was noticeably more comfortable. Had my vet back out for a recheck a couple weeks after the procedure and she was completely healed.

It was such a lifesaver for us. Treating eyes multiple times a day for long periods of time is both exhausting and demoralizing.

It’s now more than a year later and my now 30 year old is still doing great. I would totally ask your vet about it.

[cayuse]

How are the eyes doing? Hoping for a quick resolution for both.

[Scribbler]

I think there is some improvement after 2 days of antibiotic ointment and fly masks!