In need of a hug

[Minouri]

This morning Scooter came up to me in his paddock when I fed him breakfast and he gave me a sad hug. I knew something was wrong. He's not a very huggy horse and certainly not at mealtime. I gave him a once over and noticed that he had one eye closed.

Oh, boy. I couldn't see anything in it but it was definately tearing. Luckily it was Tony's day off. So he called the vet and we had an emergency visit this afternoon.

Looks like Scooter scratched his eye on something. A little scratch, really. But you can see it when you shine a light on it. Just enough to necessitate bute, antiboitics, and some eye drops to dialate his eye. I don't know. I just know I've got all of the directions written down carefully and the vet said to keep him in his stall for a few days and out of the sunlight. Keep a flymask on him and keep applying the antiboitics every four hours.

I wasn't here so I'm going to call the vet tomorrow to hear the rest of the news...but the vet said that when he was checking out Scooter's eyes he noticed that he has mature cataracts in both eyes. Tony said he didn't seem worried at all about it and that's all he said except that Scooter might have had it since birth. I asked Tony if that meant that Scooter was going blind and he said..........I didn't ask that part. Uggggggggg. Well, I'll ask tomorrow. I've been reading about it online and I'm not sure how they can have it from birth and still see. They don't have operations for adult horses that seem to work out.

I don't know why I took it so hard. I can't imagine having two blind horses. I know horses come with no guarantees, but I was sorta hoping to have many more years of adventures with Scooter.

I'm hoping that the vet will tell me to expect to big changes in Scooter's eyesight. Maybe it's a slow progressing.....to stagnant thing. It would just break my heart to watch him go blind too right now. I'm not even sure I know what I'm doing with Snowy yet.

So if you don't mind sending a hug this way tonight. I sure could use one. I'm feeling a little deflated tonight.

[Barbwire]

Oh Ruthie, how upset you must be! I hope the vet has good news for you tomorrow. (((hugs))))

[appyday]

:( I thought we WERE talking about the app...then I saw Snoweys name.. :(

[Minouri]

Trying to cheer myself up....I've gone through about 10 ...the horse will be blind websites....but I did find this quote.....


The result of ageing changes and either unilateral (affecting one eye) or bilateral (both eyes).

A cataract on its own is not painful, but the eye may be sore if there is other ongoing eye disease, which may have caused the cataract.


Unless a cataract is large, the horse's owner may be unaware of its existence.

A large cataract may show up as a blue or milky haze within the black pupil. Advanced cataracts may have a yellowish quality, especially if there are other ongoing eye diseases.


Although a cataract will not block all the light going into the eye, the affected part of the lens will prevent a meaningful image being produced at that point. Instead, anything in the affected area will look blurred as if seen through dense fog.


Cataracts can range from tiny developmental defects with a minimal effect on vision to extensive cataracts that can affect the usefulness or safety of such a horse.


Cataracts are part of the normal ageing process and occur in all species of domestic animals as well as man. One survey of 83 horses and ponies over 15 years of age showed that 10 animals had cataracts, yet none was reported to have any visual defect.

So it could be possible he's always had it and it's not going to be changing anytime soon. From what I've read the vet won't really be able to tell unless he comes back and checks it again to see if it got worse. I've never seen Scooter be anything but surefooted so I have a hard time believing it has already affected him.

(sigh)

[ErinC]

((((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))))))))

[baileyholc]

sending huggs your way. I hope everything is going to be ok.

[Linda Y]

Ah, geez. ((hug))
Tario has cataracts. He is 28. I don't see any difference in the way he acts. All we did was put a flymask on him that he wears all the time so the sun doesn't hurt his eyes.
It is probably nothing to worry about, but I know you are scared and concerned. Fingers crossed for a good answer to your questions.

[Heidi]

Hugs to you. It seems to me that the vet was unconcerned about it, enough to not mention blindness to Tony...so I wouldn't worry until there is something to worry about. I'm sure most of your fears will be alleviated tomorrow when you talk to the vet.
Let us know what they say...
Heidi

[Fino1]

{{{{{{{{HUGS TO YOU}}}}}}}}}

Judy and Chloe the Bengal who wandering around the house carrying her spydee.

[Jasfino]

Minouri...((((hugs))) Having a blind horse.. I understand your feelings. I got out my horse owners vet book and looked up cataracts. I found that there are three categories of cataracts... congenital cataracts, cataracts secondary to eye injuries, and those related to old age. It stated that congential cataracts could be inherited, are usually not progressive, and in some cases do not significantly interfere with vision loss. Thats good news.

The cataracts due to uveitis is the most common. Because of the inflammation and scarring, the horse usually goes blind. Uveitis is often caused by leptospirosis, or the worm Onchocerciasis.

With the cataracts that develop with old age, it says they do not generally interfere with the horses vision and do not need to be treated.

I will say a prayer for Scooter....(((hugs)))

[Jane Hurl]

Prayers for Scooter.
Hugs for you.

Hopefully tomorrow till be a ray of sunshine.

[Terri]

Oh Ruthies, hugs to you :hug and Scooter :hug
Keep us up to date with what the vet has to say. Geeze these horses can make us nuts!!

[Beth Worden]

Hope your hores recovers and from the sounds of it, he will. Did the vet run a "dye" to check his eye for damage? THere is no way of telling how extensive a cataract is without running a dye. How old is Scooter? SOnds like it could be congential and lots of horses have that - people just don't know that. The Rocky Mt horses are said to have a high degree of cataracts along with their other eye problems - BUT my theory is that the Rockies have no higher incidence of cateracts than any other breed - it's just that they run dye on their breeding stock to check for (what the heck is the name of that genetic crap they get because of the silver dapple gene???).

[Pasogirlz]

I sorry for the sad news.
But having seen the Largo race w/my own eyes....I'm sure no matter what happens there will be MANY more adventures for you and Scooter. ;-)
(((((hugs)))))

[pnalley]

Beth,
I believe the dye test shows corneal scratches, not cateracts. Cateracts can be seen with one of those doohickies you look in eyes with (technical term here).
Ruthie,
I'm so sorry. Hopefully this is just a cateract that will not progress, and has no underlying disorder (uveitis).
Keep us posted.

[Beth Worden]

Pnalley - thanks for letting me know that. I guess every time I had the vet out for eyes we had to run dye and somehow I remember (or don't remeber!!!) him telling me he would also check for cateracts while doing so.

[pnalley]

I only know because I have suffered through uveitis with a beloved horse. It is a heartbreaking disease.
Like Ruthie is doing, ALWAYS have your vet out to check eye problems. They can be devastating.

[DebbieS]

Hugs to you Ruth! Hope the vet has good news for you! :hug

[Blameitonbrio]

I am so sorry; I hope everything turns out ok. :hug

[Beth Worden]

Paula - Last year I had to put my personal riding icelandic gelding down at age 13 due to leptospirosis which was the cause of his UVE. I know the feeling well.

[pnalley]

Yeah, we had to put our App mare down due to uveitis. She was 16 and we had owned her for 14 years. It was heartbreaking. We never learned the cause of the uveitis. So far her 3 babies are fine and they are 15, 13, 8 years.

[Brigitte]

:hug I'm sure he'll be fine and stay the same Scooter

[TrueStepPaso]

Ruthie......so many ((((HUGS)))) going out to you and Scooter....from Poco & I!!! :hug

[Minouri]

The vet is out of the office till Tuesday. Ugggggggggggg. I suppose I can wait till then. I hope he doesn't forget in between what he saw. I know he sees a lot of horses. I might have to pay to have him come out again.
I think I'd like to do that anyway because what Scooter technically has is a small ulcer.....that's what he called the scratch. It looks like a little dot on his eye....white...on the outside. He said it should be gone by Monday. I'm hoping so. But I'd like him out to double check Scooter's eye anyway. He doesn't have it closed anymore so I'm guessing that either the bute is working well or it doesn't hurt him as much or both.

That you all for your support. I've had five fantastic years with Scooter......never a lameness issue, never behavioral, never really been sick. So I suppose we were due for something. I just hope it's something that doesn't stop me from riding him and doesn't bring him any discomfort.

[Laura S]

My mare had a scratch on her eye, and they called it an ulcer too. It took at least 2 months for it to heal with putting the antibiotic ointmnet in her eye 2 - 3 times per day. We went thru 2 tubes of ointment. The vet came back to check her eye after the first month. You could see it with your bare eye and just a flashlight. I have had a scratch on my own eye, they call that a corneal abrasion. But it does hurt a lot for the first few days only. Good luck to Scooter!!

[pnalley]

A corneal scratch or abraision, turns into an ulcer. Usually you do have to treat 3 to 4 times a day with antibiotics & pain meds (in the eye as well as bute or banimine). I have had them heal in 7 days and I have had a much poorer result. Also the vet most likely told you, the bright sunlight is very painful. Keep the fly mask on him, and make sure you wash it so it is fairly clean.
It sounds like he is healing well. Jus the fact that he is not squinting is a REALLY good sign. What breed is Scooter?

I too have had a corneal scratch. I felt like someone was shoving an ice pick up my nose & poking me in the eye, not fun.

Ruthie,
I have a very good friend that used to farm horses that had eye injuries. It was her job to treat them every 4 hours (for the vet). Sometimes through a lavage, sometimes just directly in the eye. If you have questions I could most likely get the 2 of you in contact via email.

[JennLM]

I am sorry to hear about the cataracts and really hope it is not a pregressive issue and that you have lots of sightful years of trail riding ahead.

[Moniece Dickerson]

Oh sweetie i'm so sorry and (((HUGS))) to you and Scooter!!I'll pray for good news!!Your friend,Moniece

[Barbwire]

Any news, Ruthie?

[Minouri]

Barb,

Thanks for asking. :hug The vet is coming this morning. He asked me to dialate both eyes last night and he's going to do some test this morning to tell me the severity of what Scooter has. He's also going to take a look at how the injury is healing. I'm pretty sure he is going to have to watch it over time to know if it is progressive or stagnant in nature.

Hopefully I will know more tonight.

I hope it is something that I missed and that he has had all along. I don't mind if he has diminished eyesight since it has never affected him in any of our riding anywhere. But if he's going to be another blind horse at my farm.....of course I'll deal with it.....but I'll be heartbroken.

[Minouri]

Well, the vet came and went today. Some good news. Some bad news. Some just frustrating.

First, the ulcer. Healed nicely but left a small scar. We will start using an ointment that is a steroid to help reduce the scar.

Full eye exam revealed that Scooter is completely blind in one eye and has diminished vision in his other.

The vet said that the only possible good news is that he can't tell if Scooter has always had this. He might have been born like this and compensated his whole life. There is a chance that he has adapted to his limited vision. OR he's going to be fully blind soon. The only thing I can do (besides try to contact his old owner and see if she ever had a full eye exam done on him) is to wait and see if it changes. If it doesn't progress....chances are he's always been like this.

If I try to be hopeful I remind myself that I have not noticed any change in Scooter's behavior. He never stumbles. You've all seen the picture of how he runs. He's always loved to run. He still loves to run. He hasn't suddenly become afraid of things. He walks confidently next to me during the day and at night. (Not leaning on me for guidance like Snowy).

The vet said there is surgery for cataracts. I've heard, however, that it's only 50% successful and risks severe complications.

My gut is all twisted up. I'm not sure how I feel yet about it. On one hand, there isn't too much I can do right now. On the other hand, the news just makes me want to sit down and cry.

[TrueStepPaso]

:cry: OMG, Ruthie! I canNOT believe it!!! I feel so badly for you right now....I'm just SO sorry, honey.... :cry: :cry:
Listen, the good thing is that he really is fine. He's completely healthy otherwise...not to mention the fact that he obviously does not see this as a set back for himself on ANY level! He walks into WATER like its nothing, and that drops off, & is an inconsistent surface...he doesn't stumble/falter in any way. He runs with NO problem!
You need to treat him just as you were before you knew this, only now with an awareness of his "limitation". If he goes completely blind, than that is another issue....but unless he's some "super horse", then I don't think thats the case. He seems WELL adapted.
Besides, maybe you're the appointed angel for certain blind horses that would've otherwise had a tragic fate. ;-)

(((((HUGS))))) :hug

-Abbie

[pnalley]

Oh Ruthie, you have had a bucketful of eye troubles.

From everyones description of the was Scooter acts it sounds like he adapated to this long ago. At least the cataracts do not cause pain.

You have got to be just stunned. Hang in there.

[Terry Wallace]

You are pretty close to one of the world's foremost and best equine eye doctors there is..that would be Dr. Ann Dwyer, at the Genesee Valley Equine clinic in Scottsville, New York... if anything seems questionable, she can surely help you out... I HIGHLY reccommend her.... she knows the equine eye like no other vet I have ever know....
Just F.Y.I

Her phone number is 585-889-1170 .. tell her Terry from Colorado with the rare-genetic eye defect horse...sent you....!

[Barbwire]

Gosh Ruthie, I am sorry to hear about Scooter, BUT like Abbey pointed out he acts just fine when you ride him, and that is something to be thankful for. :D

Just curious, did you have a pre-purchase exam done before you bought him?

[Terri]

Oh no Ruthie!!! I can't believe this! When we rode with you this summer he was perfect. Do they really think it has been a long standing condition. Wow! This is so sad, but if it has been long standing, he has adapted wonderfully. Oh I am so sad for you.

[ErinC]

I e-mailed the old owner for you , but I am not sure she would have ever had his eyes checked, that is not a normal thing in any exam I ever had.

but lets send a few prayers up !
((((HUGS))))

[Minouri]

Thank you all for your support. I can't tell you how much it means to me. You have each made me feel a little better in a different way.

Cataracts don't happen overnight. That means that if Scooter is half blind now, he was half blind this summer. Which makes all of his adventures with me that much more incredible to me.

I don't see how he could be that confident if he was just now losing his eyesight. Wouldn't I have seen a change in him? That's what I'm going to hope is true, anyway.

Thanks Erin for any help you can give me. I suspect she probably didn't do a complete eye check. Most people I know don't unless there is a reason to. Like I said, we've had the same vet for years and he always gives the horses a once over and never noticed. :(

[Jasfino]

(((hugs))) to you and Scooter. Still praying that he will be ok. I know how sad you feel.

Looking on the bright side.. its really good that you havent noticed any changes in Scooter. I did notice a real change in Josephina's behavior when she started to become completely blind. The first thing I noticed was she would walk rather gingerly.. always a ways behind the others. Once while I was riding her, she ran into the side of the roundpen. My mom saw her walk right into a tree. :cry: Also, she began to nicker alot to the others.. as if saying.. where are you at? :cry:

[Jane Hurl]

Well, Minouri ... time to regroup and consider ....

Scooter's no worse off (eyesight-wise) than he was this summer ... so, in effect, your lives together have not changed. That's a good thing.

John Lyons rode his favourite Appy (Zip") for years after Zip lost his eyesight from anaphylactic shock. They were a great team. Zip trusted John so much that they could lope across fields -- Zip trusting John to make sure that the footing was safe. No reason you and Scooter can't do the same if Scooter's eyesight fails further.

You love Scooter to bits (and trust him) and Scooter loves you to bits (and trusts you). That puts you in a position that the sky is the limit, doesn't it?

While Scooter's loss of sight is not GREAT news, it could be far, FAR worse.

[Minouri]

You guys are all so right! Thank you for the kind words and regrouping thoughts. That's why I asked Bobby if he could go to the clinic. It's only two days before so most likely the answer is NO, IT"S FULL. But it was a step for me. I'm going to be careful with Scooter....but I've always been careful with him just out of love for him and consideration for his comfort.
But I'm not going to look at this as an end to our adventures. I'm going to take him with me to all the places I took him before. If the day comes that he doesn't want to go....well, I'll adapt then. But for now he's always game for my crazy ideas.

And it will push me to make that good riding path around my property as smooth as I can. We were going to anyway....but now it's going to be a necessity rather than a luxury. My little racetrack with be the perfect place to still run on him despite his limited vision.

And our paddock if we smooth it out some more can easily double as an excercise ring.

It's all going to be fine. Thanks for not giving me a royal kick in the behind when I wallowed for a day. When you think about all of the things a horse can have.....I'd much rather choose something that doesn't hurt him and still allows him to have a long life with me. Oh, yes, and also justifies the money I was going to spend on the clay/sand mix for the path....lol

:hug Thanks!

[jodiTowne]

I am curious?? How can a vet in the field determine a horse is blind??

I am sorry about the news!! But sounds as if it isn't hindering him at all!!

Keep us posted.

[Minouri]

Jodi,

He has us dialate the eyes. Then he check the density of the cataracts with a light. He wrote down that he was unable to see something in the back. I'm not sure exactly. I wasn't here...I was at school. But Tony said he did that test and a reaction test and something else.