Equine Conjunctivitis anyone with experience?

[barnbum]

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!

 

[Mona]

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.

 

[chandab]

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.

 

[Marty]

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.

 

[Jackie]

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.