Swollen eyelid but no fluid? UPDATE: I'm shocked, it's uveitis

[WW_Queen]

I went up to the barn tonight and ride and noticed my gelding's eyelid was swollen. It was not HUGE but certainly enough that he did not want to open his eye unless he had to (ie, you had food or a horse was walking by).

He is otherwise fine....normal appetite, alert, no signs of distress. I've dealt with eye problems before and what strikes me about this one is that there is no sign of trauma, no synovial fluid, no mucus, nothing to show damage or irritation or anything else.

He got some bute tonight and if there is no improvement tomorrow morning the vet is coming out.

The only thing I can think of is some sort of allergic reaction to something he ate.

Any thoughts? It doesn't seem to fit ulcers, uveitis, cornea damage, etc. :confused:

[3Spots]

Well, my horse had uveitis and he would have his eye show up swollen with no symptoms or obvious signs of trauma, maybe just a little bit moist. Did you just worm him?

[sk_pacer]

Could be a bug bite - still lots of those nasty biting flies buzzing around, and they don't leave much of a mark but can cause some nasty swelling. There is also ragweed and a few other things still making pollen, and it may be a reaction to that. Or maybe something as simple as a bit of a bump, enough to raise swelling without breaking the skin or peeling hair off.

[whaat]

I was also going to say bug bite. Not too long ago my horse's eye was very swollen and we attributed it to a bee sting.

[Bank of Dad]

We had a bug bite like that in July. Vet came, couldn't find anything else.

[goodhors]

You probably already checked, but is there something IN the eye?

The horse who came up with a swollen eye here, had a seed caught under her eyelid. Being so swollen, it was difficult to get the lid up enough to remove seed, but we did.

Washed the eye with a rinse, a couple times a day, for a couple days, until swelling was gone.

I would not think allergy, only one eye is a problem. Anything he could have gotten his face bonked on? Sticking his head out a window or door, then quickly pulling back inside to avoid something?

[WW_Queen]

Hmmm, bug bite seems like that would be a match.

I did try to get his eyelid open as much as possible, took a quick peek around and did not see anything unusual. I figure if it was debris like a foreign object, there would be fluid constantly being produced with the eye doing it's best to flush it out, correct?

He lives outside but I'm sure could have easily whacked it on something like the hay feeder or while in the run-in shed. I would have thought the area AROUND the eyelid would be swollen as well, and the lower lid appears to be normal, but the upper lid is creating a hood around his eye.

No, I didn't just worm him. I was there on Sunday and he was perfectly normal. It's possible he was bitten on Monday and perhaps the worst of the swelling is going down?

I called the barn this morning to ask how it was doing, and they said it was looking a bit better today, no major improvement but better than last night.

He had bute yesterday, but I didn't want to put anything in his eye without good cause. I can give him some banamine today but is there anything else I should be doing? Someone suggested that I put tea bags on the eyelids to draw out the swelling and all sorts of people suggested sticking in some cream or another.

I am going up tonight to visit, and will assess then.

How soon (if this were a bug bite) should I expect to see improvement?

[goeslikestink]

never muck about with eyes---- as theere are tons of problems it could be
always call a vet asap as you could be making things worse by poking his eye about if there was ever a forgein object in there it can go deeper everytime you try to open the eye

[ryansgirl]

Call the vet - you don't mess around with eyes. My mare has had two corneal ulcers in the past 2½ years. The first one started with a swollen eyelid - I called the vet right away. She ended up spending four days at the equine "hospital" as it was that bad. Had I waited to call the vet she would have lost her eye. Her cornea was literally melting off. The next one started with a swollen eyelid also - thankfully it wasn't nearly as bad. I could actually see the ulcer on her eye - it was very tiny and the vet was surprised I could see it due to it being so small. I was able to treat this one at home. My mare has lost some vision in that eye (both ulcers were in her right eye) but she has adjusted to it.

Call the vet ;).

[Bogie]

My horse just had conjunctivitis . . . not the same as what you're describing, but my vet told me that I could treat it with the same pink eye medicine that I use on my kids (can't remember the name) as it happened on a Sunday. Can your vet phone in a 'script for ophthalmic ointment?

[OverOxers]

Well I have to say I agree with the others about calling the vet. I'm a veterinary ophthalmology technician and I can't tell you how many ruptured eyes we see because the owner thought they'd wait and see for a couple of days before calling the vet. There are only a few bacteria that will eat through a cornea, but lets face it, horses don't live in the cleanest environments in the world. Fungus and bacteria can literally eat through a cornea in 24 hours and once and eye is ruptured the chances of saving it become slim, and even if it's salvageable the chance of saving vision is even slimmer. I wouldn't wait, I'd call.

[WW_Queen]

I went up tonight to see if there was any improvement, and it was minimal. The BO said it was "better" this morning but from what I can tell there was little to no change. The vet will be out in the morning.

This particular vet practice is very "casual" about stuff (I would know, I was formerly a client) and the BO thought she was reassuring me by telling me they would just say "Put some ointment in, it'll clear up".

Yup....sounds like the practice I know and love [HATE!]. If they give that diagnosis in the morning I will most likely scream "Second opinion!" and call out my new (much better, but not "preferred vet" status at this particular barn) vet.

What a pain...pure politics. All I care about is his eye, I can worry about money later.

[WW_Queen]

So the vet came this morning, it's uveitis. I had to leave work and sit in my car for about a 1/2 hour, because I was crying. It's been a long year and a half with his other issues, and now THIS????

I don't know anything about uveitis, but from what I've read so far it looks poor, especially for a sporthorse.

I'm just beside myself. I can't believe it.

[3Spots]

WWQ, I am sorry for the diagnosis, but don't despair, it can be managed. You'll need banamine for ocular pain (not bute) and you'll need a good flymask (aka sunglasses) and then follow the program your vet recommends.

Non-specific eye swelling happened three times over twelve years before I realized what it was. Now I look back on photos and can see he squinted with that eye. He was spooky about the wind blowing things in his face, and now I realize it was because that eye was slowly going blind.

But -- that didn't stop him from being a perfect riding horse. We did cliff-hanger trail rides, you would never know. Clearly, I didn't.

Someone just posted on here about her success with a drug that is implanted in the eye. Do a search on the threads.

jan

[drifter05]

My horse had a flair up of Uveitis in the Spring. She's a Pinto. It was treated with bute, atropine, and another eye ointment. The atropine and ointment should be put in several times a day for about a week. Her's cleared up. She has a Guardian Google FlyMask for sunny days and wears an ordinary fly mask on overcast days and overnight. She is out 24/7 and always has a mask on...except when ridden. She has had no other flair ups. My vet told me that the first thing to do if you see a flair up is to give bute to get the inflamation down, and then call her.

[Altamont Sport Horses]

I have two horses with uveitis. A good mask, especially the Guardian Mask will help TONS. In 4 years of using 95% Guardian masks we have only had 1 flare up. The weave is so tight on them that they don't allow dust in, bugs and of course they limit UV light. Mine wear them 365 days a year from morning until just before dark. It is a manageable condition and if you are very attentive you can really slow down the vision loss. Treat aggressively as soon as you think there might be a flare up. Even a little squinting should be a cue to get busy. Our last flare up I caught only when I saw the horse squint slightly. I jumped on it so fast the flare up was gone in record time.

Always keep meds on hand. Ointment for horses with uveitis contains steroids so if you have any doubts that there might be an injury instead of a flare up then don't use the steriod. Using steroids on a scratched cornea will cause ulceration and fast. I keep triple antibiotic ointment on hand at all times plus the antibiotic with steriods and atropine. You definitely need a high quality mask when you use the atropine because the pupil will be fixed open to ease the pain (pupil spasms in a flare up) and with the pupil open sunlight can damage the retina.

If your horse has uveitis I recommend you get the Guardian Mask with the maximum amount of sun protection (95%). http://www.guardianmask.com/ They have masks for riding as well.

[Chall]

Wasn't there a post recently on someone who had experimental injections into the eye and it cured (or helped tremendously) there UVetisis (sp).
It actually was the second post that invovled injections, the other was 6 months or so ago (I bookmarked it but lost the bookmark).

Also, can someone clarify the link to double dosing with dewormer. I never got that clear, did it help or aggrevate UV?

[goeslikestink]

So the vet came this morning, it's uveitis. I had to leave work and sit in my car for about a 1/2 hour, because I was crying. It's been a long year and a half with his other issues, and now THIS????

I don't know anything about uveitis, but from what I've read so far it looks poor, especially for a sporthorse.

I'm just beside myself. I can't believe it.

slap you-- doesnt end a horses carreer at all, ossy has been a vitm of uv since 4mths old
and has had a wonderful carreer as a showjumper, its painful when it does flare up but it can be managed and controlled you just have to be a bit more thoughtful that all
no doubt hasnt effected your horse that much by the sounds of it, you caught it early so the process is good

there are lots of people on here with the same problem just do a search in the search box

fly mask fly sheet at all times during hot weather etc
shavings rather than straw and makesure you are next door to a shaving bed to
so any dust particals do puff up in your stable cuase the one next door has layed down or rolled
muck out when horse is out, use a watere spray bottle to spray in the air so dust is settled before he comes in
dont use fields or paddocks next to crops, or rape seed
always bring the horse in if really hot and direct sunlight as this will make his eyes run and irarate the eyes- same to with windy or cold weather
if really brightly lit stables change the bulb-- ie say from 100wat to a 40watt
dampen all feedstuffs hay included rather than a haynet feed from floor then any pours wont fly into his eyes

lead from the good side of the horse when bring ing turning out or handling
so you dont get trampled
always make sure ailes and walk ways are clear - should be anyways in case of fire
but- when horse has vision problem you dont need him to stack it or for you to stack in case of emergency
water in field and hay ,must be given in the same place
horses in fields - you are quite within your right to ask that the horse stay with the comapnions hes used to and that your to be told if any new horses are going to share your horses fielda as his vision isnt what should be each attack will reduce his vision by a %
so cant and might not see or get out of the way in time if a horse is being defensive of aggressvie

stables - feed hay and water to feed at same time and to be feed water in same place
coomonsense and strict rountine will help you and your horse
and your commands mussnt be nampby pamy baby talk- talk normal and clear as if you would to a blind person horses dont undertand namby pamby cooooos
you aid must be direct and clear- if you say no use you tons of voice
and ridden aids must be spot on- why- horses look to you as a rider for confidence anyways but when one has a problem you must be 100% in what your asking the horse to do so clear and precise signals
help the horse helps him and you and the horse cant still lead a quality life
ossy is a national show jumper p/c horse r/c eventer, x/c ht/ you name it this horse has done and won everything we have asked of him

commonsense-- and rountine is highly improtant

[3Spots]

Chall,

I made the comment about worming, but not double-dosing.

My guy would have midline itchies, I would worm with ivermectin, and he'd get a flare-up. The wormer causes a die off of the worms that have migrated to the eyes. The die-off creates the uveitis reaction.

I didn't figure THAT out until the fourth flare up.

jan

[scotchie]

Dr. Brian Gilger at North Carolinia Vet School is world renowned for his uveitis research and treatment.
http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/docs/personnel/gilger_brian.html

He can do phone consults, etc-
Best of luck to you and your horse-:yes:

[WW_Queen]

Thanks for the advice everyone (and the slap Jenny, thanks *lol*).

I had a chat with the vet last night, and he said there was no glaucoma, ulcers, anything else unusual except his pupil was constricted to the size of a pinprick. He gave him the atropine injection and some ointment. The vet said if this is due to trauma, provided it's treated agressively from the beginning there should not be any lasting damage. He will be coming by again today to take a look and assess the situation.

He said if it WASN'T trauma related (ie, bacterial, parasitic, etc) then it's more serious, there will NOT be a significant amount of improvement today and if the eye isn't 100% better after 5 days of treatment they have an optamologist on call whom they will contact to come out.

From what I've read there is ONLY the recurrent type....but when I called the vet clinic she indicated this might be a one-time thing. :confused:

So help me understand this...my horse currently lives outside. He will have to wear this Guardian Mask 24 hours a day, but he does NOT have to wear eye protection while being ridden? Can he be ridden in the sun? What about when you're away for a day of showing, should he wear the mask in between classes?

I'm trying to do as much reading as possible about it, but the literature seems so depressing. It seems that 17% of NON-appaloosa breeds with equine recurrent uveitis will eventually go blind in both eyes (my guy's a TB).

He is currently on MSM, which I guess it makes sense for me to continue giving him, correct?

Also, the only thing I've done differently in his equine life over the last 2 months is power-packed him with fenbendazole but that was 8 weeks ago. He's never been power-packed before. Do you think the uveitis could be a worm die-off but so "late" after the fact?

If this IS trauma induced, is there the possibility it might not re-occur?

I feel so lost..I've had horses for over 10+ years but never had any eye problems (other than ripping an eyelid open).

[betsyk]

I had a mare with uveitis years ago, and if I didn't tell you, you never would have known. She was amazing. One thing I figured out was that anything that tweaked her immune system would set off her eyes - so I managed her heaves very carefully, spread her vaccines out, just generally tried extra hard to keep her healthy with as little disruption to her routine as possible. One caution about wearing a fly mask 24/7 is that if you can't see her eyes, you might not notice a problem right away. She was gray and liked to rub her eyes on her knees when they were bothering her, so I learned to look at her knees and her posture when I came in the driveway and I could tell if she was uncomfortable.

[Altamont Sport Horses]

You won't know if it is equine recurrent uveitis unless and until it recurs. For this reason I recommend you treat it as if you expect it to recur. This will actually help prevent it from recurring. Each time they have a flare up they will experience some vision loss. So prevention is the key.

I have horses with uveitis and while I agree that there are many environmental things you can do to reduce the chance of a flare-up, I do not do all of them such as wetting down the hay and they have been fine. I don't clean stalls when horses are in the barn not only to protect eyes but also to protect the respiratory systems of all the horses. I used straw with my mare when she foaled out this year and she did not have a problem with it. I also do not spray the air to settle out dust partices but since we clean the barn after all horses are turned out in the a.m. and the dust has plenty of time to settle I don't think it is necessary to spray the air (for us, anyway).

I do not think a fly sheet is going to help your horse's eyes. A good mask is paramount but I can't see how a sheet is necessary or helpful. You want them to wear the mask every single day that they are exposed to sunlight regardless of whether it is sunny or cloudy. The sun is harsh on them regardless (even on cloudy days) and dust and insects are still around even when the sun is hidden by clouds. If I was riding my horses with uveitis I would try to use the Guardian mask intended for riding and only take it off when necessary in competition. http://horsemask.com/Cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=3&zenid=363f23492556737103b5ffa8f7daa162 You may want to consider that a dusty sand arena has the potential to irritate your horse's eyes and either use a mask or ride only on grass (or well dampened sand).

A lot of the other recommendations made by goeslikestink are good for a horse that is experiencing vision loss. Your horse may not have any vision loss or any significant vision loss so I'm not sure you need to put extra energy forth to treat him as if he does at this point.