A Goopy Eye

Every now and again, Speedy gets a goopy eye. Fortunately, I haven't had to take him to the vet for it. Years ago, my Arabian Mickey Dee got an eye infection that blew up overnight. His eye was covered in nasty green goop that looked like it came from a science experiment gone horribly wrong. I scrubbed it clean, and when it looked worse the next day, I hauled him down to the vet and left him for a few days so that my vet could treat it several times a day. Speedy's isn't anything like that.

Mickey Dee

Over the weekend, Speedy's eye got a little swollen with a tiny bit of goop. I am sort of prone to eye infections myself, so I know that quick treatment is the best way to ensure that it doesn't get progressively worse. In Speedy's case, I always clean the affected eye with a wet cloth, and then I irrigate it with saline solution.

My eye treatment kit: clean container, small syringe, saline solution

Speedy's not a fan of the treatment, but he also doesn't resist too terribly, at least, not for long. Not many horses, nor people, will stand quietly while you flush their eye out. To do Speedy's eye, I have to bend his head around so that he's staring at his shoulder. At first, he flies backward, certain it's going to hurt. i just go with him, telling him it's okay. Once he stops, I pinch his nose a bit and rest the syringe in the corner of the eye. For the first squirt of saline, he usually jumps backward until he realizes it's not acid.

Pre-treatment

When he finally accepts the treatment, I can push the syringe underneath his eyelid - by this point he has his eye squeezed tightly shut. I think it must feel good, because once I start depressing the plunger, he stands pretty quietly. Or, as quietly as one can with liquid being shot into your eye. I wouldn't be able to stand still for long either.

Not my actual syringe, but you get the idea.

I usually flush it at least three times with a 20mL syringe, using all 20 mL in each flush. In between flushes, I always give Speedy lots of pats and cookies. You would think he would associate the cookies with getting his eye poked, but so far, he feels the cookies are his due payment for the pain and suffering I've caused him.

I am hopeful that by this afternoon the goop is gone and his eye is back to normal. If not I'll treat it for a few more days. If it's still not better, I'll give my vet a call, and then I'll need to order a new bottle of saline. Better to have too much on hand than not enough!