Horses with puffy eye?

Question

I brought my horse out of the field today and one of her eyes was REALLY puffy. She could hardly open it. Of course i thought it was hayfever then one of the people on the yrd said to me it was probably a fly that had bitten her. She always has runny eyes in the summer and she has a fly fringe on in the field with fly spray but tbh i think fly spray is useless but i put it on anyway. Do you think I should get her a fly mask or is there a way of stopping her hayfever or keep flys well away?

Thank you :P

Answer 1

definatly get her a flymask,

the swelling shouls go down within  few days;;

to help with this i would suggest soaking a teabag and holding i on the eyelid for a while

the ingredients in the teabag act as an anti-inflamitry

there is also a supplement called think fly, my friend uses this on her pony as he has very sensitive skin and bad reactions to bites it really does help keep the flies away .

hope this helped :)

Answer 2

call a vet. If you can't afford one, at least get the advice of a vet.

Answer 3

my horse has alot of problems with her eyes due to severe allergies. you say her eye is runny... is it clear or goopy? if its white/yellow or anything but clear it is infection and that can cause a horse to go blind if left untreated. its possible the flys are bugging her and maybe one of those huge bomber flys bit her. you could try getting a fly mask, that always helps :). if you think it may be infection then get some eyedrops from your vet or if you cant or if your vet cant make it out soon, make chamomeal tea and rinse her eyes with that.

Answer 4

Hello,

We just had the same thing a couple of weeks ago!

My daughter gave her mare bute 2 times a day for 3 days and fly masked her during the day.  IT went away!  We think it was a bite too.

Our mare looked like someone socked her in the eye.  BUT, it was NOT the eyeball, just the lids!

IF it is the eyeball, YOU need a vet to look at it!  Because the eye is infected!

IF is is just the lids, it probably is just a bite!

Answer 5

I was advised by a vet nurse to bathe them with cold water and then to use Brolene eye ointment on them.

The swelling has usually gone down by the next day.

Smear a little Vaseline around the eyes to help keep flies away and stop the tears from causing burns.

Edit> mine won't wear fly masks or fringes in the fields - they seem to think they are toys to be dragged off and thrown around.

Answer 6

Definitely put a fly mask on her, that way flies can't get in, and neither can little objects that might get in her eyes. It might be puffy because she scratched it on something sharp, or accidentally hit it on something. You should probably wait 1-2 days and if the swelling doesn't go down, you may want to call a vet. (Usually it IS just an insect bite though, so no worries)

Answer 7

Sounds like your horse has an irritation from some kind of tiny debris more than an allergy. There is an eye ointment you can get from a vet. It's not to pricey and works very well.

I can't think of the name of it. It has been years since I've had to use it on a horse. Just talk to your vet and they should be able to get you some without having to see your horse.

Answer 8

I would get a fly mask. The same thing happened to my horse only he had a cut on (well around) his eye. Check for any cuts or bites =]

Answer 9

If there is any question that it may be an infection or an ulcer on the eye, call the vet right away.  If it is not really painful and the fluid draining is clear then it is likely caused by the flies and/or dust.  My horse has done this several times and in her case it is usually because of the dirt and debris on windy days.  I clean her eye(s) off and rinse them with a saline for horses eyes.  After that I put her fly mask on.  Within 24 hours you should see significant improvement.  If you don't then it may not be the flies/dust and the vet should see it.

Answer 10

My 25+ Gelding has the same thing. They're just extra sensitive to flies, and a fly mask is highly recommmended.