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Go Get Em!
Posts: 13502
     Location: OH. IO | SmokinBandits - 2016-02-03 11:44 PM
FlyingHigh, I'm very sorry your mare is not doing well. Are both her eyes affected?
Everyone else, I'm too tired to thank you all individually but I really really appreciate you talking to me.
Update: I feel sick from the stress. It is killing me seeing him like this and it is causing a financial hardship on my family. For three weeks I went out there 6 to 7 times a day and applied the antifungal ointments and the Atropine in the bad eye. He lets me so I am sure I am getting it in. His bad eye is exactly the same. His good eye had a little tear and looked sleepy. Vet didn't seem to think it was anything much to worry about. I don't think she thought it was related. But I thought it was a funny coincidence. She gave me an antibiotic ointment for that eye. Maybe he rubbed it? Maybe the pain from the other eye was causing it to tear? Way back when this all started, I noticed MY eyes felt a little irritated. I mentioned it to the vet. I tend to get pink eye but haven't had it in years and was thinking I was just getting sympathy pains. She took note. I forgot about it until today. I am sure I have pink eye. About a week ago I noticed the white on Lowdown's good eye is pink. I was thinking, hmm, is that normal? You don't normally see the whites of their eyes and I don't remember it being that pink-looking. I am extremely conscientious about washing my hands and not touching my face, etc. so if this is something that we spread to each other, it happened back in December before I even knew he had a problem.
When the vet came out a few days ago and checked the bad eye, she said it wasn't what she was expecting. She thinks the abscess, if it really is an abscess, might have ruptured. I will have to take him to the hospital to find out. I thought if I am going to do that, I am just going to have them take his eye out. I can't keep spending money on stuff that's not working. I just had expensive medication delivered that day--the oral anti-fungal--and so we decided to start him on that as a Hail Mary, and discussed adding an antibiotic. So far he hasn't had any antibiotics. Tonight when we were communicating, she seemed a little negative about the antibiotic; mentioned his gut. But I feel like we should hit him hard as a last resort. However, I am not the vet and it scares me to push my own ideas.
In a nutshell, I'm afraid if we take out the bad eye, something is going to happen to the good eye because that eye is not quite right. Does anyone know about giving oral-antifungal medication and antibiotics at the same time? I don't want to waste any more time. I want to get an antibiotic into him but I also don't want to stop the oral-antifungal.
I hope that was clear. I'm a little tired...
Take him to hospital...see what they say.you are way into this and if it was a rupture of an abscess truth is his eye is most likely heavily damaged anyway.I give you alot of credit for going so far with no improvement.my guys good eye was alittle teary due to overflow of crap from bad eye and cleared up great after bad eye was removed.continued prayers. |
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Veteran
Posts: 154
  
| I was hoping that your eye problems had healed up. Hopi g for some better news next time you check in. |
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
      Location: Arkansas | Prayers for your guy and also the 6 year old that just had his eye removed. We had a couple of people in our area that had horses with one eye and they coped great. And still ran dang good barrels! |
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 Having Smokin Bandits
Posts: 4572
     Location: Woodstown, NJ | Yes, I've had other opinions. I've had three vets here five or six times and my vet also consulted with eye doctors at Penn State and some top horse hospital around here. They THINK, no one is really sure, it's an abscess and fungus inside the eyeball. In their defense, we could have done more diagnostics if money was no object. I'm going to try the antibiotic and if there's no improvement in ten days or so, we'll take him to Penn State. They won't remove the eye if they don't think it needs to be removed. But if we get to that point where I take him up there, I think that's what's going to happen....
Thanks again friends. |
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 Having Smokin Bandits
Posts: 4572
     Location: Woodstown, NJ | There's been a slight improvement. A few days ago the tearing decreased to very little or none at all and the eye started opening up. I'm trying not to get my hopes up! The back third of the iris is all grey and the white behind it is pink. Two days ago we finished the 30 day supply of the oral anti-fungal and the improvement, so far, has continued. I was about to start the oral antibiotic but did not because he might not need it, going by the improvement. I'm watching him closely. At the slightest sign of trouble, I will start it, and/or restart the anti-fungal. I feel hopeful! |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
              Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | SmokinBandits - 2016-02-29 10:17 PM There's been a slight improvement. A few days ago the tearing decreased to very little or none at all and the eye started opening up. I'm trying not to get my hopes up! The back third of the iris is all grey and the white behind it is pink. Two days ago we finished the 30 day supply of the oral anti-fungal and the improvement, so far, has continued. I was about to start the oral antibiotic but did not because he might not need it, going by the improvement. I'm watching him closely. At the slightest sign of trouble, I will start it, and/or restart the anti-fungal. I feel hopeful!
I hope his eye just keeps on getting better, with all the hard work that you have been putting into him I think its time for some good news for the both of of. |
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 Having Smokin Bandits
Posts: 4572
     Location: Woodstown, NJ | Thank you South. It will be a miracle if this continues! |
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Go Get Em!
Posts: 13502
     Location: OH. IO | Maybe you have turned a corner!! Yay! I sure hope he continues to get better! |
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  If it Ain't a Paint it Ain't!
Posts: 8519
    Location: Mansfield, Tx | WOW, I hope this the eye is getting better ...
I know he is thanking you for all your hard work you are putting in taking care of him... Praying it pays off soon.
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 Having Smokin Bandits
Posts: 4572
     Location: Woodstown, NJ | Omg people, I think we made it! His eye continued to improve. We finished the oral anti-fungal about two weeks ago and then I stopped the Bute and the Atropine about a week ago and never started the oral antibiotic and the eye looks great! It is open and there is no tearing. I can see grey cloudiness in the back quarter. I'm pretty sure that has shrunk. I'm pretty sure that a few days ago there was more grey, about a third. But now it's only a quarter. The white behind it looks pretty good. It had been all red. It's white with some brown and pink in it now. And he can see out of it! I made motions being careful not to make noise or move the air and he blinks! I can't even believe it! Thank you all so much for all your stories and advice and just your ear. It meant a lot to me to have all your shoulders to cry on! |
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10D Crack Champion
         
| Hope the eye heals up! |
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 A very grounded girl
Posts: 5052
   Location: Moving soon..... | Many prayers to you. |
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  Witty Enough
Posts: 2954
        Location: CTX | Yay, sure hope the eye keeps clearing up.
Last year I was fighting an ulcer in my (then) 5 month old colt that ended up heeling so fast it turned into an abscess... it ended up heeling alright. Now you really have to know where to look, or you wouldn't even know he had a problem. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1131
  
| I'm so glad to hear he's getting better and will be able to keep his eye.
Wish I had a happy update, but sadly I don't. We have also stopped the eye treatments since she now has a fully formed cataract and complete loss of vision in that eye so there is nothing left to save. So far her other eye is unaffected, luckily. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
              Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | SmokinBandits - 2016-03-14 10:17 PM Omg people, I think we made it! His eye continued to improve. We finished the oral anti-fungal about two weeks ago and then I stopped the Bute and the Atropine about a week ago and never started the oral antibiotic and the eye looks great! It is open and there is no tearing. I can see grey cloudiness in the back quarter. I'm pretty sure that has shrunk. I'm pretty sure that a few days ago there was more grey, about a third. But now it's only a quarter. The white behind it looks pretty good. It had been all red. It's white with some brown and pink in it now. And he can see out of it! I made motions being careful not to make noise or move the air and he blinks! I can't even believe it! Thank you all so much for all your stories and advice and just your ear. It meant a lot to me to have all your shoulders to cry on!
You are AWESOME, you kept at it when lots would have giving up   , so happy to hear this great news, you need a huge hug  |
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 Having Smokin Bandits
Posts: 4572
     Location: Woodstown, NJ | Thank you!
FlyingHigh, I'm so sorry to hear that. But luckily, like you said, the other eye is okay. Will you have to remove the bad eye? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1131
  
| SmokinBandits - 2016-03-17 6:49 AM
Thank you!
FlyingHigh, I'm so sorry to hear that. But luckily, like you said, the other eye is okay. Will you have to remove the bad eye?
No, it doesn't seem to bother her too bad now that the cataract is fully formed. It still drains a little, but she doesn't hold it closed all the time now and it's not swollen anymore. We will still put a little in it if it swells up, but she is doing better with it now. She's adjusted pretty well to not being able to see out of it. |
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Veteran
Posts: 154
  
| Glad things are finally coming around.. Prayers for continued healing!! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 623
  Location: /ARKANSAS | I took my horse and dog to LSU, long trip, they couldn't help because he had uveitis in one eye and a large cataract in the other, the horse and dog! Had the dog's eyes removed one at a time. My horse does not seem to be in pain. He has a pasture to himself and shed. |
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