Owners Must Be Vigilant With Eye Emergencies in Horses

“Horses do the dumbest things.”

Anonymous

It seems that warm weather brings out the greatest of accidents for children, and horses. Living on Mackinac with both of the aforementioned, certainly heightens one’s emergency readiness at home. Fortunately, we have a wonderful medical center and cadre of EMT associates, but since we don’t have a resident veterinarian, horse owners have to be vigilant when it comes to first aid.

A bay gelding was eating hay in his pasture with his stallmates when he was startled. For some reason, when he resumed eating, he nearly poked his eye out with a piece of hay. Freak accident? Yes. Major problem? Yes.

So, what do you do if your horse has an eye problem? You need to think and not panic. In the case of a puncture, rip, or something torn, pain is the most obvious sign he has hurt his eye. The usual cause of horse eye injuries stem from punctures (hay, wood branches, fencing, nails), injuries to the cornea (abrasion or a foreign body), and disorders affecting the inner eye.

All painful injuries to the eye should receive prompt medical attention because eye injuries progress more rapidly in horses than they do with other animals, and often lead to a loss of vision. But, while waiting for a veterinarian, one can assess the damage by looking for a few specific things.

If there is discharge from the eye, it can help define the cause. A watery or mucus-like discharge without redness and pain usually means there is a problem with tear drainage. Discharge with pain usually means the cornea and the inner eye. Discharge from both eyes can mean conjunctivitis; with fever it can be caused by the disease called strangles.

If a horse has a bulging eye, this can mean a fracture to the eye socket caused from a blow such as fighting with another horse, a trailer accident, or running into a foreign object. (A horse with a bulging eyeball may also be harboring a tumor behind it, but I’m talking about an altered state to your horse within a very short time, such as something that has happened to his eye within a 24-hour span, from normal to abnormal.)

If your horse suddenly seems to have puffy eyelids, he probably has had an allergic reaction to something. Eyelashes and even other horses’ manes and tails swooshing across his eye can cause severe irritation. First aid may consist of taking a soft, small sponge wrung in tepid water and bathing the eye, checking for dust, dirt, chaff, or bites. This can be done several times in an hour. It’s also important to take the horse out of the sun as soon as possible, for strong light can increase inflammation.

If a veterinarian prescribes eye drops or salve, approach the horse near his shoulder and administer these to the outer corner of the eye. One may have to bandage the eye and if so, be sure to use soft cotton gauze that breathes. It’s important not to startle a horse, but reassure him by your voice and touch. If possible, remove his halter while recuperating. Some eye injuries take a long time to heal.

If a horse does lose his sight, that is not the end of the world for him. Many horses cope quite well with sight loss in one eye. Did you realize that, although the horses’ eyes can rotate front, side, and back, they really don’t see that well? Horses, to a large degree, rely on their other senses, hearing and smell, for getting around. These senses will take over when the other fails.

So, what happened to the bay horse that nearly poked his eye out? He had a long recovery; a secondary infection occurred. He spent a long time in his stall, out of the light, with medicated drops and salves and eye baths. He did lose partial sight, but as Dr. Orr would say, “It was a long way from his heart.” In fact, he’s just coming back to the barn from a trail ride right now.

Candice Dunnigan is an active member of the American Equestrian Association, the Waterloo Hunt, and the Mackinac Island Horsemen’s Association. Seasonally she resides at Donnybrook and Easterly Cottage.