[SRMequinetraining]

Alrighty ladies and gentlemen I have run into a predicament.

I've got an 18 y/o perchxpaint gelding with vision loss. In his right eye he has a fully mature cataract and in his left eye he now has recurrent uvitis.

I have put so many drops in his eye I'm starting to feel bad for the "old man", but he's a complete champ about it; because it is now recurrent to the point that his eye is now swollen shut the vet has given me two choices, enucleation or the dreaded euthanasia.

It's really put me in a catch 22. He literally owes me nothing, in the 12 years I've had him his only vet bills have been annuals, this is the first time we've had vet bills rack up on us.

The vet told me that some horses do fine 100% blind but it varies case by case. As of right now, he's 100% blind because of the cataract and swelling. So it's a what are we out situation.

So to answer my question, what are pros and cons to each. I've never dealt with an enucleation nor euthanasia and it's killing me. I'm scared I'll make the wrong decision for him.

As long as he's with his friends he's content and happy, he's mare leads him to his water dish and back to the hay, and when they walk the fence she goes between him and it so he doesn't get shocked. My old vet said unless he was whinnying in the middle of the field he should be okay.

Just looking for input from people that have dealt with blind horses, euthanized and gone through enucleation.

Cheers!

 

[KigerQueen]

i personally have never dealt with it but have seen and know a few who have had horses eyes removed. i would not blink twice (besides the bill) in removing one of mines eye or eyes if they could adjust. if he is happy as he is now then go with the eye removal.

watch this. this is endo. he had both his eyes removed. he can do more than alot of horses just off voice and seat ques.

 

[SRMequinetraining]

i personally have never dealt with it but have seen and know a few who have had horses eyes removed. i would not blink twice (besides the bill) in removing one of mines eye or eyes if they could adjust. if he is happy as he is now then go with the eye removal.

watch this. this is endo. he had both his eyes removed. he can do more than alot of horses just off voice and seat ques.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuLH9miix64&t=4s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPf9cJuDhZw

These videos made my heart incredible happy!

 

[KigerQueen]

look up endo. he is an amazing horse and happy as a clam.

 

[codyandelmer11]

I would also start with the eye enucleation and just see how he does. He’s still young imo.

 

[QtrBel]

Because of a cancer that spread my stallion went through enucleation. He has a buddy and though we could use him for work (he would happily comply and has) he is retired and spends his days grazing and playing with his pasture mate. Recovery was long but worth the effort. He's 15 now, no regrets. We had just put his grandmother down with the same cancer. Hers had progressed beyond removal being the answer.

 

[Dreamcatcher Arabians]

It depends on whether the horse can handle the blindness. We had one who lost the vision in one eye and due to his owner spoiling him and making excuses for his misbehavior, became dangerous and had to be put down. It sounds like your horse has already adjusted sanely to loss of vision, so other than recuperating from the surgery, he sounds like he'll do well. I can't make a recommendation without personally knowing your horse. There are worse things than euthanasia, should you choose that route.

 

[6gun Kid]

They had a one eyed race horse run in the Kentucky derby last year!

 

[SilverMaple]

Is he already blind and happy and doing well? If so, removal may well work out nicely for him.

 

[beau159]

So to answer my question, what are pros and cons to each. I've never dealt with an enucleation nor euthanasia and it's killing me. I'm scared I'll make the wrong decision for him.

Just looking for input from people that have dealt with blind horses, euthanized and gone through enucleation.

Ultimately, whatever decision YOU choose will be the right one. I don't have experience with enucleation with a horse, but if he's already blind and doing well, one would think that he would do okay with enucleation.

Does your vet want to do BOTH eyes? Or one?

As far as euthaniasia, there is nothing wrong with that choice either. While we love them dearly, horses are a financial item. ;-) If it makes more sense for you to put him down, rather than go through the surgery costs and/or continued extra care with eye drops, then do it. It's not a bad choice, and of course, you know he won't be suffering.

I put down my old horse when he was only 14 years old. I had had him since he was 6 months old. He had developed severe arthritis in his hip and had already been a pasture puff for a couple years. Despite daily pain meds, he was starting to become aggressive and that was just not my boy. It was a hard decision but it was the right decision.

My mom put down her "heart horse" a couple years ago. She had foundered quite a few years back and she just wasn't doing very well health wise (pretty sure she also had cushings or IR). She always had trouble in the winter with the frozen ground and her feet. She was still doing pretty good yet when my mom put her down, which was a hard choice, but she knew it could switch one day and she'd be back to being miserable in the dead of winter. She was a sweetheart and safe for anyone to ride, but it was the right choice to put her down.

So good luck with whatever you decide. Think about it -- weight the pros and cons of enucluation, and decide what's the best way to go for YOU.

 

[Smilie]

If only one eye was affected, and removed, that would make sense to me. Since the other eye already has uveitis, and which will be progressive, I guess my choice would be to have him put down

 

[Smilie]

i personally have never dealt with it but have seen and know a few who have had horses eyes removed. i would not blink twice (besides the bill) in removing one of mines eye or eyes if they could adjust. if he is happy as he is now then go with the eye removal.

watch this. this is endo. he had both his eyes removed. he can do more than alot of horses just off voice and seat ques.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuLH9miix64&t=4s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPf9cJuDhZw

The thing about a blind horse, they do become very tuned in to any body cue you give them, and un like sighted horses, seldom make any un expected moves on their own, as they must totally rely on your vision and cues

While I have never ridden ahorse that is blind 24/7, I have ridden Appaloosas that had CSNB (congenital stationary night blindness)
They are born , sot hat they are night blind. Since they are born that way, it often goes un noticed, as they adapt tot hat night blindness very well, in familiar surroundings.
Thus, way back when, I never knew, my one stallion, that was a snowcap, was night blind. I did know that he was spooky in a dimly lit arena, but just put it off to him being that way.
He could at times, be a chellenge to ride,in day light, trying to put in extra moves,etc.
Then, I had him on a Bighorn sheep hunt one year with hubby. We had ridden way in, on some pretty challenging country, and wound up needing to ride out in the dark, as Hubby's friend shot a ram.
I soon became aware, that if I did not rein my horse around every curve in the trail, he would walk straight on, into a tree, plus he was tumbling a lot over rocks and downed trees, something he never did.
I realized he was totally night blind, and was relying on me. Thus, this horse, who usually could be 'interesting to ride, obeyed my every and slightest cue. For the rest of the ride, I had to shine a flashlight down on the ground, tell my horse to pause, and step, if there was some obstacle to step over. He made not one move that I did not indicate.

 

[TXhorseman]

I mentioned the videos in the first reply to this post to a man I know. He was impressed, but he told me about a past student of his which impressed me even more.

This woman was blind. He could put her on any of his school horses. He would talk her around the arena once as the horse walked, telling her when she neared each corner. After that, she was comfortable walking, trotting, or even cantering the horse around the arena without any assistance.

Blindness need not be the end of life. All depends on how the individual responds to the situation.

 

[4horses]

I've known several blind horses at the horse retirement home. All adapted well to their disability. If the horse was mine i would not even consider euthanasia. Most horses seem to do well blind. I would hang wind chimes along the fence and put bells (try to find some with different chimes) on your other horses.

Blind horses seem to do just fine even in a 10 acre field.

 

[Smilie]

Are you okay with needing to have the second eye removed in a few years?
If so, then the decision is purely personal, and no one can decide what is right for your horse and yourself, besides you

 

[Smilie]

far as that blind horse Endo, does he look happy working, or stressed because he has to totally rely on his rider?
I assume he is an Appaloosa that developed uveitis in both eyes, and eventually needed the eyes to be removed, as the condition can be quite painful
Yes, blind horses do very well in areas they are familiar with, same as blind people, but have some trees come down, or have that horse fall asleep, while his buddies leave, you might wake up to frantic whinnies, as I did, one winter.

Einstein was night blind, and did very well. One wintery night, he had laid down while Smilie and Charlie left, and went tot he shelter, as it started to snow
Of course, they could not be bothered to answer Einstein, who was running in circles, calling
I had gone out in the pasture with just my housecoat, so that is all I had to lead him with. Yup, no neighbours, so there was I, with just my jammies, and my housecoat around Einstein's neck
.
I had led him back almost to the shelter, assuming he would know the two girls were there. Nope, he went running back out into the field, where he re-called them last being.
By then it was snowing pretty good, so I did go back for a coat and halter!
Guess I could have kept him in every night, but most times he was fine out with the girls, except when new trees fell down in their wood lot.
I used to think he was just clumsy, as he would then come up in the morning with a new cut or scrape, until I discovered that he was night blind

Certainly never even considered putting him down because he was night blind, and most likely would have kept him even if he was blind all the time,as he was very special to me.\Thus again, only the OP can decide if she wants to deal and have the commitment to take care of a blind horse.
I would think, that being a flight animal, blindness would be quite stressful

 

[gottatrot]

I don't really consider losing one eye as being blind, because I've been around two horses that could only see out of one eye.
One had enucleation done after getting the eye poked out on a trail ride. He was the most surefooted horse I've ever ridden, and I felt safe galloping on him.
The second horse was blind in one eye and also was safe to canter on. The only issue with either horse was that you needed to allow them to turn their head so they could see things like cars coming up on the blind side. Neither horse was spooky or nervous, they seemed to accept partial vision.

I've known one completely blind horse. She was a very trusting pony and kids could ride her in an arena. She believed they wouldn't run her into anything (and they didn't). Once she learned the perimeter of a field, she would trot or canter short distances, always stopping before getting close to the edge. She seemed to enjoy standing and grazing near buddy horses, and didn't appear depressed or anything.

John Lyons' famous horse Bright Zip went blind over a very short period of time, apparently from an allergic reaction. He still did symposiums and was ridden bridleless afterward. I think he was completely blind for the last few years of his life.

 

[Smilie]

The horse has every chance of needing the second eye removed in the near future, as it has uveitis . So yes, not completely blind yet, but the future is heading that way. Second surgery?
Yes, there are examples of blind horses performing very well, as long as they are in groomed arenas, and totally trust their rider, going on blind faith,as it were.
Trail ride a blind horse?Me, not so much. On a trail ride, esp in unfamiliar territory, there are times I depend on the input from my hrose, versus , 'blind obedience"
So, again, only the OP can decide her comfort level, far as having a totally blind horse in the near future, facing the real strong possibility the other eye will need to be removed at some point, and where, or even if she wants to ride the horse.
If just retired to pasture, ',blind horse can do very well in familiar surroundings and with a companion, ie, a 'seeing eye horse'.