Did you know that among the land mammals, horses have the largest eyes, which is probably why they are more prone to eye infections and problems. Now keeping a regular vigil on your horse’s eye is your responsibility – one which needs infinite patience and knowledge. The patience will be up to you, but we can help with the knowledge department, with the basics of horse eye care…
First of all, what should a healthy horse’s eyes look like?
They should be:
- Clear
- Bright
- Minimal tearing
- Lids should be tight
- The inside of the lids should be pale pink and moist
How do you know that your horse’s eye needs treatment?
Checking your horse’s eyes at least once a day is mandatory – and we’re not talking about a simple once over, but a detailed check up that could take a few minutes. Now the following are the conditions that need immediate treatment:
- Swollen eyelids
- Cuts on or tearing of the lids
- Damaged eye
- A white film all over the eye or white spots
- Inflammation and copious tearing – usually caused because of a tear in the tear ducts
- Any sort of tumor in or on the lid
Now as you can probably guess already, you can’t possibly treat all of the above mentioned conditions yourself – some of them will need the vet’s expertise. But for small cuts and tears, you yourself can give your horse a first aid treatment…
Here are the basics of a first aid treatment for the horse’s eyes:
You will need:
- Saline solution
- Fly mask
- Gloves
- Shelter from the sun
Now for the steps—
- Flush out the eyes with the saline solution to disinfect any cut or tear.
- Now apply the anti infection ointment above and below the eye to prevent infection and to help with the healing.
- Now use a fly mask to keep flies and other insects away from the eye.
You can help your horse heal faster and better if you place him in a stall away from the sun. Harsh sunlight can further inflame the injured eye and make healing a slow process.
But at the need of the day, it’s always a better choice to get the vet to check your horse’s eye – even after you’ve personally treated the eye. The vet can identify if further treatment is necessary or if you’ve missed any particular step in the first aid. After all, there’s no compromising with horse eye care.
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