November 2017 8 Arizona REAL COUNTRY the magazine Mike Barna Publisher mbarna@963realcountry.com (602) 622-3695 Erika Smith Royal Editor erika963realcountry@gmail.com Misty Voitovski Creative Director Contributing Writers Desiree’Byrne, Kimmie Dillon, Robin Etnyre, JoAnn Kramer, Jim Olson, Bob Roloff, Buddy Uldrikson, Jennifer Wolf, Michele Wilson, JolynYoung 801 W. Wickenburg Way Wickenburg, AZ 85390 (602) 622-3695 ArizonaRealCountry.com Arizona Real Country is owned and published by Barna Broadcasting LLC. No person, organization or party can copy or reproduce the content on our website and/or magazine or any part of this publication without a written consent from the editor’s panel and the author of the content, as applicable. The publisher, authors and contributors reserve their rights with regards to copyright of their work. /ArizonaRealCountry @arizonarealcountry /arizonarealcountry Burr in Eye Q: My horse came in on Sunday with tons and tons of burrs and one of his eyes was a bit puffy and runny and he was closing it a lot. We thought that maybe a little piece of a burr got into his eye and was bugging him so we put some triple antibiotic ointment on it and drops etc. Last night his eye wasn’t as puffy and much more open (still runny though) but it looked like there was a small gray circle on his eye – almost like a blister? A: It sounds like your horse has a corneal ulcer from the burrs scratching his eye. I would touch base with your vet since these problems can get out of hand and result in a permanent scar. The triple antibiotic ointment is fine to use in the meantime but be sure that there is no cortisone in the ointment as that will slow healing and enable a bacterial infection to establish. Burr fragments tend to get lodged under the eyelid and continue to scrape the cornea so I will often apply topical anesthetic and explore the underside of the lid with my finger to be sure there are no foreign bodies remaining. Weepy Eye Q: I have a mare that was thought to have scratched her eye on something outside. I had the vet come and look at it. He said it was a little infected and gave genta spray and chloramphenicol ointment. This cleared up the infection but the mare was still holding the eye mostly shut and it kept weeping clear fluid. I had the vet come back out and do a tear duct flush and more genta ointment was applied for 1 week. She was sensitive to light shining in the eye. Other than holding the eye half shut and it weeping a little less I am seeing no improvement. Any advice on what to do next? A: It sounds like there may still be either a persistent scratch on the eye or she is suffering from a bout of uveitis (non-infectious inflammation that is called moon blindness when chronic). I am not sure if your vet has stained to eye to check for ulcers but it may be worth repeating this test. Sometimes a small foreign body can be trapped under the lid that continues to rub the cornea despite medication. This has been going on a little longer than normal for a routine corneal abrasion so a more thorough ophthalmic exam may be required. I suggest you give your vet a call to discuss her ongoing situation, as different medications may be in order. Cataracts Q: I have a horse that has become “suddenly” blind. She was diagnosed with cataracts (at 10 years old – no signs of uveitis) that she may have been born with, but have progressively gotten worse over time. Over the last 9 years of ownership, there have been no obvious signs of vision trouble until this summer. At this time, I know that surgery is the only option for restoring sight; however, someone told me that there is apparently an eye drop available that claims to dissolve cataracts in humans and dogs. What are your thoughts on this and would it be worth asking my local vet to investigate this further? A: Cataracts occur when there is scarring in the lens of the eye. The lens serves to transmit and focus light that enters the eye onto the retina, and if there is an opaque region in this structure it interferes with normal vision. Cataracts can be congenital, or they can form later in life due to injury or inflammation of the eye. Even if there were no immediate clinical signs of uveitis, it can be difficult to evaluate the retina and optic nerve if a cataract is obscuring the lens without specialized examination equipment and techniques, so I would not yet rule out episodes of uveitis as the inciting factor for the worsening of her cataracts. Since bilateral vision loss is a severe issue in horses, I suggest you consult a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist for a full evaluation of her eyes in order to develop a plan to address the cataracts and prevent further loss of sight. I would certainly obtain a leptospirosis titer to determine if this infection is present, which is a high risk factor for uveitis and the associated complications. Identifying and treating any predisposing factors in her case will help to prevent or at least slow the onset of further lens scarring. Surgery is still the most effective treatment for mature cataracts. There has been some investigation in the use of N-Acetylcarnitine drops for reduction of mild immature cataracts, but the evidence for their effectiveness even in these cases is weak. They would not have a useful effect on a mature established cataract. Ask the Vet: Eyes