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Miss Southern Sunshine
Posts: 7427
   
Location: South Central Florida | This is new for me. Mare came up with eye half closed and puffy, Vet immediately, they did the stain and no corneal scratch but tiny mark probably something hit it.
Treated with Atropine and antibiotic/antifungal gel in the eye. 4 weeks later, not much improvement and zero blood vessels grown into the abcess and it actually got larger. Vet recommended visiting an equine eye specialist.
Eye specialist suggested (completely blocked on the name of the procedure) basically needles into the (in the eye through the cornea) pocket of fungus, which we did. Followed with continued treatments of the 2 gels, and banamine then bute for pain. This was last Thursday...today is Tuesday.
As of today the pocket behind the tiny dot looks about half the size it was to begin with but the mare is still keeping eye about half closed and a lot of tearing.
Saw regular vet today, he was sending photo's to specialist and I'll hear tomorrow if it is progressing well enough to not need a trip back to specialist (several hours away)
Just wondering if anyone has dealt with this and what kind of success you had?
Sorry it was long.
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| My cousin had this happen to one horse, the horse has a small scar on the eye, but no visual disturbances noted, no cloudiness.
They were actually impressed she has little to show as hers was really bad, she was at the vets for a month getting treatments every 8 hrs |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 490
| First of all let me say... IM PRAYING FOR YOU.....
I went thru this with my retired mare last year. It started in early Jan. She came up to eat and I noticed her eye was runny and there was a cloudy film over it. My husband took her in early the next morning. The vet diagnosed her with an abscess on her eye. And he warned us it would take months of intensive doctoring to save her eye. So the adventure began.
5 TIMES A DAY EVERY DAY we had to put meds in her eye. And banamine twice a day to keep the inflammation down. I would doctor her before I left for work at 5am. He would doctor her before he left for the day at 8am. Come home again around 2pm. I would doctor her when I got home around 5pm and again before bed around 9pm. EVERY SINGLE DAY. He wanted to see her weekly. Every Saturday we made the hour long drive to see him.
After about a month of this we were able to go to 3 times a day. He wanted to make the eye mad enough that her body would form blood vessels on the surface of the eye and then the healing would start. I think it was 2 weeks of 3 times a day treating, so we are almost into March at this time.... Then she had a flair up and I rushed her back in. We changed meds and went back to 5 times a day for about 10 days until he gave us the ok to go back to 3 times a day. I think we were still at banamine 2 times a day and 3 different meds in her eye. It was in March that the eye started growing a blood vessel. And in March that the abscess popped. I thought we were home free but NO she had another one above it. The vet missed it because they were so close. SO... We were back at square 1. At this point I begged him to take her eye. I was tired of poking and prodding on her.
In april we were down to treating 3 times a day and going to see the vet every 2 weeks. It was cool to watch the vessel move in and encircle the abscess. I could see changes daily. I believe it was in Early April that he had us switch to a DMSO/eye med drop 2 times a day. That was AWESOME TO PUT IN HER EYE.... She was a trooper about it but it hurt her. I don't blame the mare one bit!
In May we got the ok to stop all treatment. All in all she has a $5000 eye. And I learned a lot through it all. My mare was amazingly cooperative about everything. Never got mean or nasty about it. It was more of an ok I know you are helping me but lets get it over.
I learned that 5 bottles of banamine in a horse in 4 months will make them lose all of their hair. I learned the easiest way to put drops and salve in an eye. I learned my mare loves me and will let me do anything to her. I learned that I never want to go through this again.
So I am praying for you and your mare. Good Luck. Its frustrating and tough. My mare has a scar but it doesn't seem to bother her. She will close the eye if I walk up to her but will open it if I walk away. That was her only thing she did to me through almost 5 months of treatment. |
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Miss Southern Sunshine
Posts: 7427
Location: South Central Florida | Wow, after the procedure we were at 2 meds every 4 hours. We saw the vet every 2 weeks, but since the procedure...every 3 days. So far, still no blood vessels, but hoping this procedure may have sped things up and or is killing the fungus or what ever. Thank you for the prayers. I hate doing this to her but want to save the vision. Vet said there will be a scar but it should not effect her vision. I have never heard of this before but now know several that have dealt with it. She has been a trooper. Vet actually said next week start exercising...it will help flush blood through out the body and help. Thanks for the prayers and any other encouragement is appreciated! |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| Ask them if they can do a lavage. They braided the line in his mane, then inserted the needle above his eye. I injected his meds 5 or 6 times aday in to the tube braided and taped in his mane. It was much easier and I knew the meds were going where they were supposed to. He kept that in for 6 weeks. Of course he was in a stall/small run and a flymask on at all times. Actually, I am surprised they haven't already. |
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 Tough Patooty
Posts: 2615
Location: Sperry, OK | Have they put in a subpalbebral levage? And if not, why? |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1182
Location: Do I hear Banjos? |
The Lavage tube is a MUST!
Makes it much easier to treat and the meds actually go where they are needed. We had to treat every 4 hours for 11 weeks. He also wore a hood with a cup covering the eye to protect it from light and that reduced the pain/tearing especially helpful when on Atropine. The cup had a liner that was changed and washed daily.
We used a combo of itraconizole, cephalosporin, atropine, and I drew blood and spun for the serum that was then also applied through the lavage tube.
I was given a poor prognoses to start. But they don't anticipate a client being that dedicated for 11 weeks. He healed beautifully and only has a small cloudy spot that you really have to be looking for to even see.
Edited to add that we also gave banamine IV throughout. Didn't lose any hair however.
Edited by TrailGirl 2015-03-11 12:42 PM
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 Expert
Posts: 3782
Location: Gainesville, TX | We had a mare that ended up with corneal abrasions, not fungus thankfully. We treated her for a couple weeks really hard, like every 4 hours at first, then to 6 and then to 8. She had them in both eyes. The lavages were essential to us being able to treat effectively. She came out of it just fine. Thankfully the lack of infection or fungal growth meant it went a bit quicker, just a greater risk because of both eyes. |
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Miss Southern Sunshine
Posts: 7427
Location: South Central Florida | ACEINTHEHOLE - 2015-03-11 1:07 PM Have they put in a subpalbebral levage? And if not, why?
No, and the main reason he gave me was that because of there being no blood vessels growing into it, no matter how much medication we put in the eye only a minimal amount will be absorbed through the cornea and it was a large abcess. We discussed it but only brifly. I will see someone tomorrow and check again about this.
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Miss Southern Sunshine
Posts: 7427
Location: South Central Florida | She wears a fly mask 24/7 but not a cup. She is out of the sun in a barn now but turned out in the evenings/night if she wants. So far, she doesn't want. |
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Miss Southern Sunshine
Posts: 7427
Location: South Central Florida | UPDATE about my horse. So after 4 weeks of treating with the little tubes, then discussing surgery. I actually SCHEDULED the surgery, but suddenkly the woman who schedules had to leave, and no one else could do it. So we were forced to do the lavage system for this week. Originally we would do this and next week have surgery. Then the Lavage ststem has started working. She is growing blood vescels AND has decreased the amount of water draining. Hope for things unseen to be changing and coming to the surfact.
Edited by Swannranch 2015-03-18 11:46 PM
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Miss Southern Sunshine
Posts: 7427
Location: South Central Florida | ACEINTHEHOLE - 2015-03-11 1:07 PM Have they put in a subpalbebral levage? And if not, why?
Yes!
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Miss Southern Sunshine
Posts: 7427
Location: South Central Florida | has anyone treated with a homiopathic medication. It has been suggested to draw her blood, seperate the blood and use the seperated serim to inject in the same line? I have done that before, but nevr a lavage.. Interesting reading this site
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| Yes, I did this through the levage. I don't know how much it helped because he has scar tissue and only partial sigh in that eye. I can't remember how long I did this but it was way longer than a week. |
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Miss Southern Sunshine
Posts: 7427
Location: South Central Florida | Update and more questions, if anyone knows.
The Lavage system has been in since last Sat. At that point they were talking about surgically removing the abcess. It gives 99% positive results but leaves a larger scar than if the body does it itself. As of yesterday she has had a lot of improvement and they are now thinking surgery is not likely. We will continue with the current treatment 6 times a day with the atropine and an antibiotic. They injected directly into the eye again when they did the lavage.
Just wondering if anyone has ever had experience with the surgery and what that was.
I ask for continued prayers. I am BELIEVING we have this licked but I know it will be a long haul.
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