eye problems

[RipSpark]

Cleo's eye has been acting up a lot lately, dripping etc. Thinking maybe it was all the dust getting in. What can I do to help her? I don't know what it is with my horses but they have eye issues lol. When I bought Cleo she was missing the upper part of her eyelid and Minnie was missing the lower part. Sparky also ripped his eyelid but luckily it didn't come all the way off and they vet was able to sew it back on and you can barely tell. His doesn't cause any problems, but Cleo's and Minnie's do. Since Minnie's is ripped it exposed all the white on her eye to the sunlight. It flares up and gets all red. I keep a fly mask on her during the summer to protect it. The vet said the main concern was cancer. Cleo is always squinting it, I had the vet look but they didn't seem too concerened. I can see where a few little eyelashes are and they are always touching her eye. I wonder if that bothers her.....

Here are a few pics of Cleo from today. Sometimes I really think she likes to milk it for what it is worth to because I look at her in the pasture and her eye is completely open then I bring the halter over and she starts closing it looking so pitiful ;-) Is really is acting up now though like I said has been dripping for a while and you can tell the bottom is swollen.

http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n464/RipSpark44/misc/100_1004.jpg

http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n464/RipSpark44/misc/100_1006.jpg

[WashingtonBay]

The eye seems a little puffy to me, in addition to the water running out.

When your vet has been out, did he/she flush the drain from the eye that ends inside the nostril? Sometimes that gets plugged up, and if so, excess tears just run down the face instead of draining out the nose.

I would take a hot wash cloth with clean water and wash the outside of the eye, removing dirt from around. Then take that hot wash cloth, re-dipping in hot water, and rub down the face, in a line from the eye to the nose, and then wipe out the inside of the nostril (if you look real close you can find the tiny duct where tears should drain out) and see if the combination of heat and rubbing will break up any clogs in the duct and allow it to drain. If it still looked puffy and watery tomorrow, I'd call the vet and at least ask. You may have some irritation or infection that should be treated, or you may at least need those ducts flushed and the eye checked.

[oursarge]

When my horse gets like that it's a flare up of his Uveitis, I have 2 types of eye ointment to put in and Bute 2X's a day. He also wears a fly mask any time it is sunny or windy even in the winter because the glare from the snow can set off his eye condition and he gets Devil's Claw every day and vitamins since they are supposed to help.

I would call the vet just in case it is something he needs ointment and Bute for. It might be the eye lashes but it might be more. My boy only had limited site in his right eye last winter, that came back then his left eye had a problem. It's very scary.

[vicklynn]

Sounds like a great idea.

THIS is why I love this forum. So many people with so much great information!

[JennyandJosey]

Josey had an eye irritation of some sort 2 summers ago. The vet had me put an eye ointment in it 2x a day for 7-10 days I think and it cleared up. I don't remember what it was called but apparently you can get it otc at a pharmacy. Of course, it could be many things so it's best to check with your vet.

[Suzi]

My appy Cora has eye issues. A couple of years ago, the vet came for spring shots and when I brought out Cora her eye was puffed up like that. She cleaned out the eye duct, mentioned earlier, by putting a thin tube in the duct in her nostril and flushing saline thru to the corner of her eye. It looked like she was crying, but didn;t seem painful. It cleared up quickly. I keep a fly mask on her in the summer months and my go to year 'round now that she is getting older. I also had her on a low dose asprin supplement for awhile.

[grandmadeb]

Well, when I noticed Al's eye kind of dripping the first thing I did was clean it with a clean white wash cloth and warm water. He kind of liked it. I had a vet who happened to be at the barn take a quick look when I noticed it contimued to ooze after I cleaned it. I was given an eye ointment to put in the eye 3 times a day. Cleared up really fast. I don't mess around with the eyes and with colic. Better safe than sorry.

[natisha]

Eyelashes rubbing against an eye is not a good thing or normal. That happens to some dogs too but it can be fixed. I would start there.

[HaveFaith]

I had a pom once that had a tiny eye and her lashes rubbed and it watered alot.

Last year, Sissy, my gray mare had one eye swell shut and drain. I got some antibiotic opthalmic ointment and it got some better. I flushed it with water and after some of the swelling went down I could prize it apart. There was something down in the lower lid that was green. I kept flushing and working with it and finally a rolled up green leaf came out. After that she was fine, but she doesn't have any lid problems.

[luckydoublesranch]

Oooo....looks like it hurts! :( You'll want to ask your vet to check for any injury first, a plugged tear duct, and it looks to me like her eyelid is turned in towards the eye. You mentioned she's missing an eyelid...so entropion would be a concern (eyelid turned in and rubbing). The sun can also be a bigger issue in the winter (I think someone else mentioned this as well) due to the glare on the snow. Eye issues can go from something minor to very serious very quickly. I've been at plenty of eye removal surgeries and it's NOOO fun and most of them started as something very minor. IMO Eyes are one of those things you just don't mess around with and be sure to seek Veterinary treatment for. You also have to be VERY careful as to what medication you are treating an eye with. For example...if an eye shows ANY signs of ulceration medication with steroids added can contribute and worsen the condition. So, if you have some antibiotic ointment laying around, be very careful about using it until the vet can determine exactly what is wrong. Good Luck and I hope she feels better soon! :)

[ImaBronsonBear]

Bronson's eyes got teary and goopy eyed and slightly puffy this past summer, and i thought it was conjunctivitis because my neighbor's horse had just had it. So i called the vet's office, and they had the brilliant idea of dust (duh!). He'd had a flymask on, but i wasn't cleaning the flymask. So i started cleaning it daily and voila! problem solved. Anyway, Bronson's eye was this goopy but definitely not this swollen. I would get the vet out, because my neighbor's horse's eye was like this and it turn out he had a corneal ulcer which can cause blindness.:(

[Tatesgram]

I'm with LDR on this one. Had pony with eye issues, running, some swelling, started getting a little yellowish color to the discharge. Turns out he had a small puncture in the eye and had to have surgery to close it up. Stayed at the vets for about three days and came home to drops and ointment 2x a day.