# Equine Conjunctivitis anyone with experience?



## Marty (Sep 24, 2010)

This is on Sonny my big 29 year old Quarter Horse.

My vet will not be here until Saturday so for the meantime if anyone has any ideas for me for home remedys I'd appreciate it.

I am completely and totally freaked out beyond words. Thursday am at breakfast I noticed he had a small glob of....looked like a small dab of thick snot in his bottom eyelid. I wasn't alarmed and wiped it off. Thursday evening he came in from the field with it again. Still not alarmed but this time I washed it off with a wet wash rag figuring he bumped himself as rowdy as he is. This morning, same thing but with a whole lot more snot looking stuff that kept coming and coming and again I washed it out this time getting concerned and I used a few damp gauze pads in warm water. Tonite, I could just puke. He came in from the field with the top of his eye swollen beyond belief. Its huge and scary. At first his eye was stuck shut with crusty stuff built up around it until I cleaned it. Then he opened it and I swear I could hardly see his eyeball, just the white and that's when I about fainted. I thought I would die, I still might. Then I saw a little bit of his eyeball in the corner. OMG. It looks so swollen its like his eyeball is competely bugging out and its draining running down his face. I don't know if that's a good thing. Needless to say I have a very weak stomach for this and unsure of what to do until the vet shows up in the am. I am fixing to put some compresses on it now.

I put him on one gram of bute for the night hopefully to get that swelling down because I have no other idea as to what to do except keep trying to cleanse it.

I thought at first he has gotten some kind of something stuck in his eye somehow, a weed or splinter or anything, poked himself, but now that I read up on equine conjunctivitis, this really fits the profile perfectly and the flies in his field returned this week possibly causing this.

He is eating and pooping just fine, hollering at me to hurry up and feed him, wants his hay etc. I'm a lot more upset than he is. I can't imagine how this could have gotten so out of control so fast is beyond me.

Any input is appreciated.


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## Reble (Sep 24, 2010)

I swear by it, put penicillin drops right in the eye.

You will be amazed as good as eye drops and will help the swelling & any infection.


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## SHANA (Sep 24, 2010)

Your vet will probably give him atropine(comes in cream or liquid form and you put that in the eye). I have actually had a horse worse than this and she was fine after treatment.


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## Laura Leopard (Sep 24, 2010)

I keep that hydrocortizone cream (for eyes) on hand for my three year old. He has sensitive eyes and can get this way sometimes. Usually with a couple of doses of that cream and a little bute he's almost back to normal by the next day.


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## chandab (Sep 24, 2010)

Marty,

Hope the vet is ontime for you in the morning, so you can get Sonny looked at right away. I try to keep eye ointment on hand (the kind without steriods that's safe to use regardless of the issue), so I have something while I wait for the vet.



Reble said:


> I swear by it, put penicillin drops right in the eye.
> 
> You will be amazed as good as eye drops and will help the swelling & any infection.


While we haven't used this for horses, our vet recommended it for heifers that get hay chaff in their eye that then causes irritation and then weeping (not so easy to doctor a heifer's eye, they aren't halter-broke, you know).


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## Reble (Sep 24, 2010)

chandab said:


> Marty,
> 
> Hope the vet is ontime for you in the morning, so you can get Sonny looked at right away. I try to keep eye ointment on hand (the kind without steriods that's safe to use regardless of the issue), so I have something while I wait for the vet.
> 
> While we haven't used this for horses, our vet recommended it for heifers that get hay chaff in their eye that then causes irritation and then weeping (not so easy to doctor a heifer's eye, they aren't halter-broke, you know).


I use it all the time with my dogs and horses.

Vet said it was OK. Yes, would be hard with a heifer...


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## albahurst (Sep 24, 2010)

We have had a great deal of eye issues here which have included the need for equine opthalmologists. We keep triple antibiotic ointment on hand (no steroid unless you have had the eye checked for ulcers/scratches and have found NONE). We can generally get this from a vet without any problem. Our vet has recommended NEVER to use penicillin in the eye, even though many people do it. I don't believe it can penetrate effectively and is too harsh, is my understanding. The equine opthamologist we used once said we could use silver sulphadiazine (it is a burn cream), which treats both infection and fungus, but it is pretty difficult and messy to get into the eye and you have to do it for 30 days, which is a pain. I would use some triple antiobiotic ointment for the eye (without steroid). It is a good place to start. Can you get some from a local vet? I don't know what type of home remedy would be effective in the meantime- just wash it out with sterile saline, I guess, to help wash any possible foreign object out.


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## dgrminis (Sep 24, 2010)

Not sure if it would help or not as I haven't tried it but have heard that cucumber juice is very good for skin/eyes -- that it reduces swelling and puffiness -- so might be worth it to try and see if maybe it would help with the swelling as well..

Hope your guy gets to feeling better very soon!


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## stormy (Sep 24, 2010)

Actually had a similar thing happen in a rescue mare, much worse though. After trying all kinds of treatments, surgeryy and even suturing the lids shut, turned out to be a bad tooth that had become infected.






This is Nutmeg with her eye at it's worst. The tooth was pulled and the swelling decreased very quickly. Her new family just recently let me know there has been no recurrance. At your guys age I would sure look at those teeth!


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## ohmt (Sep 24, 2010)

We had 3 older mares have the same exact thing happen over last winter. Made me sick. My vet said there wasn't much to do except put eye meds in (she said definitely not any with steroids). I used hot compresses on the eyes 2x a day and would have done it more if I hadn't had to be at school/work. That seemed to help a bit. Meds went in every morning and night as well. 2 of my mares are partially blind and the other has a little spot on her eye but seems to have almost all of her sight still so it did work. The way they looked, I didn't know if they'd keep their eyes at all.

It happened to my girls when we got new hay. I believe there was something in the hay and because of the mare's age they had a lower immune response causing the eye infections. all of my other mares were fine, and the new hay was the only thing different. Check your hay and any new weeds just in case!


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## Mona (Sep 24, 2010)

Yes, I have dealt with equine conjunctivitis on several occassions, but NONE that swelled up like that!



I always use Polysporin eye and ear drops or ointment. (ointment is easier to get into a horses eye, and drops works best for dogs) It is non-steroidal so SAFE to use. I have also had the vet prescribe other drops/ointments that have contained steroids, but only use them AFTER I know it is safe to do so and that they do not have an ulcerated/scratched cornea. Good Luck with your old boy.


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## Marty (Sep 24, 2010)

I"m taking this a lot worse than Sonny seems to be. He's eating his night hay and is really getting annoyned with me and my compresses and is starting to fight me over it so I'm going to leave it be for the night. I do have Clear Eyes on hand and a thingy of old old old triple antibiotic ointment from Jeffers I found but its very outdated. Bute hasn't seemed to kick in and reduce any swelling yet. The vet called me back to check and told me at this point not to put anything in it until she examines it so I don't make matters worse. This is so horrid. My Son-Man, my king of kings looks terrible. I'm a basket case. Morning can't come soon enough.


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## yellerroseintx (Sep 24, 2010)

back when we had bog horses...we got in a mare that had eyes like that...had the Vet out and she said it was fly larva...eeewwwiiii...ointment twice a day and it cleared up...


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## kaykay (Sep 25, 2010)

We are usually given gentamiacin drops by the vet for eye infections.

Best wishes Marty! The good thing is conjunctivitis usually clears up really fast and you will see a big difference after just a few doses


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## barnbum (Sep 25, 2010)

I always keep an eye ointment on hand for this very thing (It's from the vet--but it's in the barn in the First Aid kit so I can't tell you what it's called). As soon as I see one drop of goop, I check for redness. If it's not red, it's never a problem and I leave it; if there's any red, I get the ointment in and 95% of the time that's all it takes to clear it up. The ointment must wash out any debris that was causing the issue. The two times the situation was beyond conjunctivitis, was when there was a scratch on the cornea. This happened with one big horse I had and Whisper. Then there are two ointments that need to be used and they had to keep the eye in the dark.

I haven't had conjunctivitis issues in a while, but they come up it seems when it's dry and windy! All kinds of stuff blowing around to go in a horse's eye!

Good luck, Marty!!! I agree with everyone who's mentioned this: a case of conjunctivitis will clear up fast!


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## Marty (Sep 25, 2010)

Morning update: Yes we have been in one horrible drought here with some breezy conditions lately and he does have flies in his field. I'm so not used to having as much as a scratch on any of my horses or sickness this has thrown me for a loop. All the swelling is down and back to normal!!!!!!! There is only one little tiny spot of nasty goop in the corner of the eye. I can't wait till the vet brings me out some meds. Sonny is cantakerous as ever beating on his door for his breakfast and whinnying for me to hurry up with it. Its like a miracle. My Archangel is watching over him that's for sure.


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## billiethekid40 (Sep 25, 2010)

I've found in the past that Vicks in the nose can help speed up treatment by allowing the sinus to keep draining. I had this recommended by my vet years ago and use it anytime I see "goopy" eyes starting, in addition to treating the eye. It usually helps and has never been a harm so it's worth trying.


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## wingnut (Sep 25, 2010)

{{{{Marty}}}}

Egads that must have been terrible to see! And scary too! Glad to hear things are well on their way back to normal.





Our 11 yr old had it last fall and scared me to pieces! Being a horse newbie, I called the vet at the first sign of gunk. Once he confirmed there was no damage/injury to the eye, he declared it conjunctivitis and gave us meds to put into her eye. That was NOT fun. She was NOT happy about it and fought us like crazy the 10 days (x2) we had to administer it! I was so glad to be done! LOL!


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## albahurst (Sep 25, 2010)

billiethekid40 said:


> I've found in the past that Vicks in the nose can help speed up treatment by allowing the sinus to keep draining. I had this recommended by my vet years ago and use it anytime I see "goopy" eyes starting, in addition to treating the eye. It usually helps and has never been a harm so it's worth trying.


This is really interesting! Thanks for the tip!


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## Marty (Sep 26, 2010)

Thank you all for your suggestions and support. I'm quite ashamed of myself for going over the deep end on. He has never been hurt or sick a day in his life before now. He's old and proud he did not need this, poor man. He's never had a scratch on him a day in his life. Its hurting me so much to see him like this. I hope this goes away fast.

The swelling is back as of tonite, I suppose because the bute had worn off, but its not as huge as it was and there is no more pussy stuff. I do have meds on board now but its hard getting it in his eye, he fights that pretty good and it falls right out. Its a gel, non-steriod and seems to just make gunk of its own in his eye. On the other hand he is loving the compresses now. He'll hold still easy for that so I am doing that several times a day and at night. He keeps his eye open now also, its not stuck shut but it sure looks sore. He is going to have to stay in his stall for a few days I suppose but that's his favorite place anyhow the big sissy. Its a big stall some (20') but I'll hand walk him around.


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## barnbum (Sep 26, 2010)

Marty--when I had to put ointment in a big horse's eye by myself--I couldn't do it. Then a vet showed me how to use a stud chain-(I have no memories of how it was done or that I even had one then, so maybe it was the chain at the end of an old lunge line???)--but it went carefully under the top lip and on the gums. All I had to do is hold him with the chain there--no pressure--and he stood still long enough for me to get it in. The vet said to praise him lots afterward... and to never ever pull that chain hard. It was the only way I could handle the task alone. I never did have to pull it even a tiny bit, but he held still for shorter times toward the end of the med application. I was never so happy to be done! Good luck!


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## Mona (Sep 26, 2010)

With the minis, I have never had trouble treating their eyes, I guess because I am taller than them, so could work standing "over" them, giving me a better vantage point and more control, however, since getting the riding horses again this year, I have had to apply ointment to eyes on two of them after getting them here, and found it not as easy. Since they would let me open their eyelids and remove "gunk" with my bare hands, I found that even though they would not allow me to put the tube right up to their eye (and actually I was nervous about doing so anyway in case they jerked and poked their eye onto it!), what I did was squirt the ointment onto my finger and then just open the eye up nice and wide with my other hand (while they are tied) and apply the ointment that way, directly from my finger onto their eye. Was better than nothing, and worked out well with my horses, clearing it all up for them. Good Luck with Sunny.


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## chandab (Sep 26, 2010)

Mona said:


> what I did was squirt the ointment onto my finger and then just open the eye up nice and wide with my other hand (while they are tied) and apply the ointment that way, directly from my finger onto their eye. Was better than nothing, and worked out well with my horses, clearing it all up for them. Good Luck with Sunny.


This is what I do too. Actually, I do this method for all our animals; full-size hroses, minis, cats and dogs. If I put the ointment on my finger, I'm less like to poke their eye, and I don't contaminate the tube of ointment, and can use it for any animal.


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## Marty (Sep 26, 2010)

The best way I found to administer the meds was to put Sonny in cross ties so he wouldn't knock me off of my step stool anymore, darn powerful thing he is at times when he's freaked. I put the ointment on a gauze and gently manuevered it in there. Works much better. He quit throwing his head once he found out I was not coming at his eyes with the bottle which was his objection. He's 100% better. Seems to be a matter of maintence now with keeping the area cleaned up well and meds in place. Not possitive in my mind this was conjunctivitis because it could have been debris from the wind, who knows, but I'm really glad the worst of this is over. Anyhow, he's all groomed to perfection and clipped up pretty and has clean shavings to curl up in and I finally get to relax! I'll let him go out tomorrow for a while sporting his stable sheet if he promises not to get too rowdy. All is well on the mountain tonite.


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## Jackie (Sep 26, 2010)

Marty...just saw this thread. Do you have a fly mask for him? That keeps the debris out of his eyes, especially when healing. When it's really windy, I put Cooper's on to keep his one eye socket clean.


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