Does anyone have experience with uveitis in their horse? Did you have the cyclosporine implant done? Do you use the Guardian mask?
Yes, my late App mare suffered from it.
The cyclosporine implant was new when I had her, so that was not an option for me then. She was on 10 human aspirin a day (per the Auburn Vet School study) and lived in a Guardian mask. That simple system kept her flare-free for two years. She was then euthanized due to an old knee injury.
Interesting. And I guess the aspirin didn’t cause any ulcer issues?
We have a mare that developed uveitis last September. We went through several months of the BNP + Dex ointment 3x/day… we would wean her to 2x/day and then to 1x/day but whenever we would get to 1x/day it would flare horribly and we would have to start back at 3x/day. In the beginning, she was also getting a drop that dilated her eye. Finally come December we elected to have the implant put in. Unfortunately, at this time, she developed a mild glaucoma which we needed to get under control before proceeding with the implant. We put her on the glaucoma medication ( two different drops) and within two weeks the glaucoma was out of control too. Around this time, she also developed a scratch on her eye, ostensibly because the eye was painful and she probably went to rub it. She was always wearing a fly mask but we elected against the guardian at this point because it did not fit very well on her head. Due to the scratch, we had to take her off of the BNP + Dex and put her on the one that only has antibiotics in it.
at the beginning of February, she developed conjunctivitis and was very painful. At this point we elected to remove the eye. She also rejected the implant that the surgeon put in. However, she is much happier now and living a wonderful life. We made the decision that if she develops uveitis in the other eye… Hopefully she doesn’t… We will put the implant in ASAP.
My mare had uveitis; I chose to do daily aspirin with 24/7 UV blocking fly mask, even in winter. She was fine with it for about 3 years before she contracted EPM.
My horse had a bout this spring. Luckily we caught it very early and symptoms resolved within two weeks. We continued treating with the antiobiotic / steroid for another month, slowly weaning down to once a week.
i got the Guardian mask right away and since then he’s worn it every time he’s turned out, regardless of the weather.
Fingers crossed we haven’t had a flare up so far.
I chucked in a couple of Fruit Flavored Tums… 
I had a mare who I discovered had recurring uveitis before I got her and therefore had almost no vision in that eye. Lots of scarring. It was painful and we removed it. Was given the choice for the implant but at that time, the vet said it was probably good for only 2 years (about 15 years ago). Gave her aspirin for a couple of years after that and watched her other eye carefully. Did not buy a guardian flymask. She never had an occurrence in her other eye and she was put down last year due to a neurological issue (could not get up and her legs didn’t move, just her neck). She was 26.
We’ve been battling with uveitis for about 6 weeks now on a 17 y/o Morgan mare. First treated with neo-poly-dex and banamine, plus fly mask. She then developed an ulcer, so has been getting .2 mL each of ciprofloxacin and blood serum four times a day for the past month, as well as wearing a flymask with duck tape or a full cup blinker hood. She was also getting banamine, but vet recently switched her to Previcox. Unfortunately, there has not been a lot of progress, she’s getting sores from wearing a flymask/hood all of the time, and is being increasingly less cooperative.
Vet has suggested sending her to an equine opthamologist, so hopefully we can get it under control. Would hate for her to ultimately lose her eye, but it’s looking like that may be the way it goes.
A friend’s horse had the cyclosporin implants done about 5 years ago. He is actively eventing and has not had any more uveitis. You do need an equine ophthalmologist. Where are you located? NC State, University of Florida, and New Bolton, all do a lot of ophthalmology.
The New Bolton equine ophthalmologist, Dr. Nunnery, now does farm calls in certain areas of Maryland and Virginia. She has a website. We had her see my younger daughter’s horse a week ago for a complex eye issue, and were pleased with her knowledge and care.
I am located in Vermont, so looking for someone in the New England area or Cornell. Fingers crossed we can get her eye under control!
Have been talking with vet at Auburn. They have been doing a Gentamicin injection for 7 years for Uveitis and success rate is great. Less invasive than the implant. My horse is 23 years old and vet suggested that it might not be Uveitis. It is unusual for an older horse to develop Uveitis. So a complete exam by an ophthalmologist is next step.
