# equine recurrent uveitis



## Zookeepermama (Nov 12, 2007)

Jeez sometimes a person cant catch a break. Its been a heck of a year for our family. We lost our boy Sarge a few months ago and are still footing the bill for an MRI,CT scan and "specialists". Then we shelled out quite a bit of money for our new girl Daisy (enough that I was embarrassed to join the thread about the cost of Goldens nowadays.) Now my Thoroughbred is hospitalized for the last two weeks now. Originally he came in, his eye was swollen shut and teary. Doc said Uveitis, sent me home with some stuff to put in his eye. After a week it still wouldnt get better so I took him back, and he hasnt been home since. Now weve progressed to Uveitis and a corneal ulcer brought on by fungus, which was brought on by the steriods they were putting in his eye. Theyre putting 5 different medications in his eye 10x per day (even at night). And they still keep telling me they may have to remove it if it doesnt get better or if he shows signs of a corneal meltdown. Are you kidding me??? Im thinking about taking him to an equine opthalmologist, but its 200$ just to look in the window at them much less do anything to my poor boy. Im already gonna have to sell myself as slave labor to my vet for the bills Ive already incurred, and its xmas for petes sake. Anyone else had this happen before? What was the outcome? Should I bite the bullet and take him to the specialist? He has shown a little improvement with new drugs they ordered a few days ago.


----------



## foreveramber (Feb 25, 2007)

im so sorry about your boy! sounds painful. im not any help, ive never had anything like this happen. people on this forum dont seem to like horses much...i posted some pictures a few weeks ago and got some random comments. 

is your boy doing any better now?


----------



## nrhareiner (Feb 27, 2007)

I have been breeding and raising horses for well over a decade and do most of the vet work myself. However I will tell you what I have found. IN the long run it is cheeper to take the horse to a large University with a very good large animal clinic then to a regulare vet. They see more and have more experiance with most things and have the equipment and ability to diagnose the problem then a regulare vet even an equine vet. This is why I do most of the work my self and when I can not then I have to deside what I am going to do next and it always depends on many things but for something like this I would use a specalist.

You will save $$ in the long run I always have.

Heidi


----------



## Zookeepermama (Nov 12, 2007)

Wow, I was beginning to wonder if there were any horsie people here! An update, hes still hospitalized, but we are taking your advice nrhareiner and taking him to the opthalmologist tomorrow. He still has the ulcer, and its progressed, although hard to put into words how, but it wasnt good. We are hopeful that we will be able to keep the eye once we get the ulcer cleared, but the ulcer just doesnt seem to want to heal. The universities here dont do much for animal studies (the u of a in tucson does prevet but thats about it), im in phoenix, and asu doesnt do much of anything in that regard. And thanks foreveramber for your thoughts, my boy has really bad luck in the health regard, which is a shame cos hes a REALLY good boy, and everyone who meets him loves him and his disposition. Last year he was hospitalized for a nail which infected his hoof and wouldnt heal for 4 weeks. They had to cut his sole open at least once a day to drain. ugh...I wouldnt wish this or the foot thing on my worst enemy. I gotta find the pics you posted..


----------



## foreveramber (Feb 25, 2007)

i cant find the pictures i posted...besides, i have taken some new ones recently...shall we post them here?? nrhareiner has some beautiful pictures!


----------



## Zookeepermama (Nov 12, 2007)

Id love to see them! I cant find any good recent ones, think ive switched computers since Ive dusted the ole camera off...If I took some now he'd look silly with his big bugeye fly mask..hehehe..


----------



## foreveramber (Feb 25, 2007)

a little pic heavy...this is jewel...she is a 16h appendix QH. i am leasing her while i am in college, and she is soo much fun. i wish she was mine!!!! excuse her headset in these pictures...we're working on that 

im an english rider, and when i first started leasing her, all they had for her was a western saddle...a very nice girl at the stables commented on my english riding boots...haha. so she offered to let me borrow her english saddle that she never uses! so yea, i am quite excited i get to ride english now...im hoping to jump her, but shes stiff right now because of the cold...


----------



## Zookeepermama (Nov 12, 2007)

Beautiful!! I wish I was skinny like you again! Take advantage woman while you will still look great in that english get up!! I have a bay Thoroughbred (the one with Uveitis) and a Paint Quarter horse. Ive got some great pics somewhere, but I think Im gonna have to go fire up my old machine to get em (hopefully they werent on the one that the hard drive burned up!!). I think my thoroughbred would go great English, but Ive gained alot of weight, specially since the birth of my daughter, and am afraid to put on those tight outfits:hide::help!: You look fab though! I cant wait to see some of you both jumping!


----------



## foreveramber (Feb 25, 2007)

Zookeepermama said:


> Beautiful!! I wish I was skinny like you again! Take advantage woman while you will still look great in that english get up!! I have a bay Thoroughbred (the one with Uveitis) and a Paint Quarter horse. Ive got some great pics somewhere, but I think Im gonna have to go fire up my old machine to get em (hopefully they werent on the one that the hard drive burned up!!). I think my thoroughbred would go great English, but Ive gained alot of weight, specially since the birth of my daughter, and am afraid to put on those tight outfits:hide::help!: You look fab though! I cant wait to see some of you both jumping!


 
well, i hope to see some pictures..=) when the girl at the stable offered me her saddle, i said "are you sure you dont mind?" and she said "honey...does it look like my butt can fit in that thing???" haha. jumping is far off, im :crossfing she can do it...the lady that owns her is starting her on supplements in january to help with her stiffness so hopefully we can do some stuff in the outdoor arena in the spring. today she refused ground/trot poles :doh:....we shall see!!


----------



## Zookeepermama (Nov 12, 2007)

Major and I have done some competitive trail riding and were looking forward to doing some more in January (we do everything in the winter around here cos its so hot the rest of the year). But now I dont have time to get him properly conditioned to do 25 miles in 5 hrs not to mention if he loses the eye, all the additional training Ill have to start. I thought about jumping, weve done some unexpectedly on the trail (not my idea!) and he seems to like it, but he has some bone chips that dont bother him now, but could for something that. He came from the track, where he failed horribly and was sold to me. aww  We should chat sometime, send me a pm, I could use some good horsey friends. :wavey: I gotta run check on the above mentioned man. Hes came back home tonight so I can get him loaded up at 5am tomorrow to head for the docs. I gotta make sure he hasnt scratched his eye off or anything to worsen it before I head to bed.


----------



## Zookeepermama (Nov 12, 2007)

UPDATE-We have officially been diagnosed with a nonhealing fungal corneal ulcer with more than 50% penetration of the cornea (pretty serious). They anticipate full penetration (and subsequent eye rupture and removal) within the next week if left with the current treatment. The other option, the one I chose, is to sew a piece of his conjunctiva over the ulcer to help fill and stabalize the hole, and bring in much needed blood vessels for healing. It will create a permanent blind spot directly in front of his eye (if youre standing there looking at his eye he wont be able to see you), but will save vision to the front and rear around the spot. Its insanely expensive, I might be divorced after this, and equines are very sensitive to anesthesia, more so than many other animals. Many just dont care to wake up sometimes, so everyone please cross their fingers for my Major to have a safe surgery and speedy recovery! Hes scheduled tomorrow morning at 8am..thx


----------



## nrhareiner (Feb 27, 2007)

Glad you have it figured out. It maybe expensive but at least he will be felling better and he should be up and ready for summer riding.

Heidi


----------



## Zookeepermama (Nov 12, 2007)

ANOTHER UPDATE-I said in the first post, "some people cant catch a break" and I meant that. Today Major had his eye surgery, and everything was going fine. Then, somehow in all the commotion, he scratched the cornea of his "good" eye. Jeez!! Now I have to put all kinds of meds in both eyes every two hours and pray like never before that the fungus doesnt get in and ruin his other eye. If it does, Im out of money to save another eye.  In the meantime, he'll be recovering ever so slowly with about 3/4 of his vision left in the originally injured eye.


----------



## Penny'smom (Mar 3, 2007)

I'm so sorry to hear this. Boy, you are getting swamped with problems.

When all this is over I suggest you have him blood tested for Cushings. It has to do with insulin/sugar levels but isn't diabetese. It's an autoimmune disease. I was alarmed when you said he's had the hoof problem and that things just don't go away very fast.

I had a Cushings horse and he had these symptoms too. Just a thought...


----------



## nrhareiner (Feb 27, 2007)

Penny's Mom that is a good sugesion. I find that when horses start to get older they tend to got Cushings too. I am surprised my 28 yo broodmare does not have it.

Heidi


----------



## Tracey & Honey (Jun 26, 2007)

Hi, I really hope Major gets well soon. I haven't got ponies/horses anymore but I did BHS show jumping in the UK from the ages of 13 to 23 years old then gave it all up to buy a house, etc. Often wish I still had a horse or 2 but I am too competative so would be out showjumping all the time rather than looking after the family.

Anyway Good luck with Major

Tracey


----------



## Zookeepermama (Nov 12, 2007)

Thank you all, I will ask the vet about Cushings tomorrow, although hes only 8 years old, so if its age related hes pretty young yet. I appreciate the help. This medication every two hours thing is exhausting...Hes done for the night though, so Im gonna go drop in bed so I can do it all again tomorrow.


----------

