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Discussion on New Mom lost her eye this week | |
Author | Message |
Member: Priscds |
Posted on Saturday, Nov 12, 2005 - 10:57 pm: You may remember back in the summer we had a thread going about a possibly pregnant mare, and then we changed it over to, waiting for baby. Well here is my problem , this past week mom had an eye injury that was so bad that she had to have surgery to have her right eye removed, The Dr wanted to try and fix the eye but at the cost of $5000.00 I couldn't at the time afford the cost, but during the surgery the Dr realized that there was no hope for saving the eye. Has anyone ever had a horse with one eye? I want her to be as happy as she can be and I need to know if there is some sort of special care she will need or training that I may have to give her ... She seems to be handling it all very well and has not lost sight of baby Levi at all , I am just looking for some advise if there is any out there.Baby is doing so great and growing so big and quite a hand full , I worry about the upcoming spring when I should be thinking about weaning him , since i don't want her to stress and end up hurting herself trying to find him .. |
Member: Ejar |
Posted on Sunday, Nov 13, 2005 - 2:12 am: Don't fret. I have many friends who have had blind and partially blind horses. John Lyons' horse is probably the most famous blind horse!One friend whose horse became blind in one eye after adulthood was more cautious of his surroundings. Whenever they led him, they would make sure he could see where he was going with his good eye so he wouldn't hurt himself. He preferred to have his buddy horse on his blind side. Smart guy; that way he didn't have to worry about anything happening on that side! There's another woman in my neighborhood who trail rode her blind horse his whole life without any problems. As for specific training, well, hopefully someone who has direct experience can help. But I know your mare can still live a wonderful and productive life! Good luck! Erin |
Member: Angel77 |
Posted on Sunday, Nov 13, 2005 - 4:39 am: Dear Priscilla,My 11 yr old 16.2 hand TB jumper lost his eye June 1, 2005. I was out of town. He was being cared for by someone else. 10 days after the surgery we popped over a couple of cross rails about 2 ft. He did great. I have brought him back very slowly. His progress has been miraculous. I was with him the entire time in both hospitals several hours a day. We did aggressively attempt to save his eye for about 12 days to no avail. The autopsy showed there was no way we could have saved the eye so that made me feel a little better about the enucleation. My story is posted at HA under eye ulcers that don't heal-I think. I am sure if you look around the website under eye diseases you will find the previous discussions. My horse has a fantastic support team. His 28yr old 14 hand mare Angel, his 17yr old 18.3 hand TB/Canadian gelding, and my 4yr old white lab. They are all great friends. Angel and my horse Aly get turned out together everyday after we have ridden and he is cool. I will ride Aly and we pony Angel on flat ground as she is not ride-able for anyone over 40lbs. Aly lost his left eye. When we pony Angel he has to have her on his sighted side so he can see her at least he is more comfortable this way. So I let him have his way to make him happy. There is a completely blind horse I have heard of that competes at the Prix St. Georges level of dressage. This horse does a lot of traveling and winning. Astonishing!!! Also there are a several horses on the A circuit Hunters and Jumpers competing with one eye. Most horses have a great attitude as long as they can trust their handlers and riders. I believe the hardest thing is for the people to get over it. Yes it is a horrible experience for both horse and rider. The horses adapt amazingly. Of course not changing their environment except for anything unsafe is always a good thing. Creating a clear path to food and water,etc. My horse is jumping 3'9 oxers, 6 fence gymnastic jumping lanes, and anything I ask him to jump. Today we went on our first trail ride up to the 1/4mile galloping track. We had so much fun. He loves to run. I can't turn him out by himself any more because he gets too excited and fell once on his blind side. Dec 1, 2005 will be six months. I definitely want to show at Indio this year. Some of the best compliments Aly and I have received since the accident have been that most people watching us jump are amazed to begin with at how well he jumps. When we walk out of the arena and the people realize he is bilaterally blind they cannot believe it. So there is hope. I am sure your mare will come through this. She will be back doing whatever her job is in life. I found the first 38+ days crucial to Alys recovery. Just keeping everything sanitary. good feed program, great farrier, excellent vet, etc. He wore the Eye Guardian Mask that attaches to the halter. Then, one day I showed up and he had removed it himself-very dangerous. So I just left it off. Thank God the eye was very well healed by this point. From then on he has not worn a mask. Lots of kisses on the blind eye works for my horse. He loves it. Of course this was after his eye guardian mask had come off after about 38+ days and the eye was well healed. I do kiss both his eyes. He really likes it when I kiss his bad eye like it is no big deal. I had a prosthesis implanted so I think he does feel something. Did you have one put in? I hope you have the same good luck!! We are sending good thoughts your way. God Bless the horses and the people who care for them. All the best to you. Sincerely, WTG |
Member: Huntjump |
Posted on Sunday, Nov 13, 2005 - 8:27 am: I have friend who has a Warmblood mare that had to have her eye removed years ago. The mare does great, even jumps. She is naturally a spooky mare so with the one eye, if there is something she may spook at you just have to make sure that she can see it with her other eye, and you want to make sure that she hears you if you approach her on the "blind" side. If we go for a hack, we keep horses on the side that she can see them. She leads a very normal life. Your mare should do just fine. |
Member: Redalert |
Posted on Sunday, Nov 13, 2005 - 10:13 am: Hey PriscillaI've owned two horses now that lost sight in one of their eyes ... one from "moon blindness", and the other horse had an infection which eventually led to enucleation. Both horses did not miss their eye sight one bit. I have to say, the one who lost his right eye was easier to handle, as the one who lost her left eye was a bit more dificult for me to be around, as I would forget about the blindness, and we would sometimes "bump" each other, which hurt me more than it did her! She was a broodmare, and never skipped a beat in foaling out or taking care of the babies! She ran around the pasture with everyone else, and did well in all her surroundings, including being moved to a different pasture when foaling out , and the foaling stall,too! I bet you will be just fine! Nancy |
Member: Kathleen |
Posted on Sunday, Nov 13, 2005 - 10:30 am: Priscilla,We have had two horses with a blind eye. Caprice lost her sight slowly due to recurrent uveitis. My daughter started team penning after she lost her sight in that eye. Yogi, my daughter's horse now, lost sight in his left eye very quickly. The eye doctor said sometimes it just happens. Yogi had a period of adjustment, not bad at all. The main problem was us remembering he had no sight on that side. My daughter is in poor health so the first time I worked with him, I couldn't figure out why he was freaking out. Duh, I was giving him cues and he only got part of them. When I was on his blind side and touched him to cue him to do something, for him it came out of the blue. Just a learning curve for both of us. Good luck, Kathleen |
Member: Tweeter |
Posted on Sunday, Nov 13, 2005 - 11:01 am: Priscilla:Just wanted to say I had a broodmare who lost her sight due to moon blindness shortly after giving birth. She had no problems dealing with being blind except as she got older. If the other horses were running and playing I noticed she would stop in the center of the pasture and watch them "act nuts". I think she was smart enough to know that she was slightly disabled and did not trust running with them. She had 4 foals while "one eyed" and I retired her from breeding at age 24. She lived to be 27 and just recently passed away. I miss her as she was sweet and an excellent broodmare and mom. Good luck with your mare. Kathy Clymer |
Member: Stacie |
Posted on Monday, Nov 14, 2005 - 8:03 am: Priscilla,My experience is under Glaucoma Levels. Ben has not missed the eye a bit.....Dusty keeps usually on his blind side to ensure he does not get hurt. They definitely adjust. |
Member: Jivete |
Posted on Monday, Nov 14, 2005 - 12:35 pm: My 3.5 year old filly is blind in her left eye due to an injury she suffered as a long yearling. Her blindness hasn't caused her any problems. We're doing basic dressage and starting on trails and she does great. She's also kept in the pasture and I've even had to move her a couple of times. She always does fine and finds a few boyfriends to boss around. I think how well they adjust does depend a lot on the individual horse's temperament but I hope to do everything I would do with a fully sighted horse with her, including some fox-hunting. |
New Member: Ella |
Posted on Wednesday, Oct 18, 2006 - 10:50 am: How do you find out about the prosthesis for the eye? How much does it cost to put one in? Are there troubles associated with them? Do they look real.I have a mare that may be in the process of losing her site in one eye. If they go blind do they usually remove they eye? Ella |
Moderator: DrO |
Posted on Thursday, Oct 19, 2006 - 10:41 am: Hello Ella,Run a search on the discussion it is a commonly posted about subject. If you don't find your answer post among the returns start a new discussion on your question. However you will usually find the answers to the non-medical questions like "availability very specific for an area and you will get more accurate information from your nearest equine surgical facility. DrO |