“My horses left eye is still draining from a poke. “…

My horses left eye is still draining from a poke. My vet did an eye stain test determined she was poked by a tree branch. He prescribed Gentamicin drops 3-4 times a day. Bantamine paste twice daily. I just bought this 9 yr old mare last week she got poked at previous owners home. It still drains, it’s half open and looks sore. How long does this take to heal? Is it normal to drain and drain. I am worried, please advise. Of course its Sunday night.

Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:

Kay:

A “draining” eye is non-specific as you’ve described it. It could be just weeping from tear production, which is induced by corneal irritation or pain. OR, it could be draining fluid from inside the eyeball itself, from a puncture would. Hopefully it is not the latter. In any case, you need to have your veterinarian re-evaluate her. It should be improving, and a two week time period seems like a long time to not get any better. Good luck.

 

“This time his inner lids are very red and the eye is a little swollen.”…

I have a 38 year old Shetland gelding, he occasionally gets a matted eye that weeps and exudes a thick yellowish/whitish substance. Especially when it is windy. It usually goes away within a week after rinsing it with the hose. This time his inner lids are very red and the eye is a little swollen. Is there anything I can safely put in the eye to give him some relief and faster healing?

Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:

Ami:

Eye changes are always an emergency. Having said that, older horses can have waxing and waning changes that probably have to do with depressed local immunity. I always advise people to NOT put anything in the eye if it is not a prescription. Especially human products – not all of these are transferable to animal use. Saline is one that can be used on both horses and humans, and should replace your hose water. Saline is balanced for the body, water is not.

So, to answer your question, you should have your veterinarian examine and treat it appropriately. Try to keep him out of the wind if possible (stall or box), and also please use a fly mask to cut down on the amount of dust, flies, and other foreign material that may be bothering him.

 

“My horse has had a weepy eye for a while….”
I have a 15 y.o. chestnut gelding. He has had a weepy eye for a while. The vets said that there was nothing we could do accept wash it with salt water. Is that a good idea???

Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
Kirsty,

Regarding the weepy eye that your gelding is being bothered by, I would wonder if it is excess tearing or whether there might be some infection of the conjunctiva (inner eyelids) which would cause a more thick type of discharge. If it is just excess tearing, the most common cause of excess tearing is a blockage of the nasolacrimal duct. Normally the tears that are produced will wash across the surface of the eye and drain into a small opening on the inside of the eyelid (the nasolacrimal duct.) From here the tears would travel down the nasolacrimal(tear) duct and either evaporate within the duct or show up as moisture accumulation at the end of the lower part of the inside of the nostril, where the tear duct ends. If this tear duct gets plugged up by dirt or thick mucous discharge, the horse will accumulate tears below the lower eyelid. If this sounds like what is happening in your horse, a Veterinarian can usually use a small catheter to flush and clear the tear duct to allow it to start to function normally. Usually the Vet will also leave an antibiotic and/or corticosteroid eye ointment to apply about 3 times a day that will help prevent or treat any secondary infection or irritation that may be involved. Recheck with your vet and ask him to check the horses tear duct.