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5, 6, and 7 Panel Testing

5, 6, and 7 Panel Testing

Jun 11, 2023 | 5, 6, and 7 Panel Testing

Whinny’s Wisdoms

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Tony and I were chatting recently about genetic testing. Well, I was asking him questions while he was attempting to sunbathe, but let’s not argue over the details of the event. I had heard one of the Docs talking to someone about 5 panel testing recently, and I had no idea what they were talking about! Tony let me know 5 panel testing is so 2010. Now there’s 6 and even 7 panel testing! So off this mouse went to do some research about genetic testing.  

The AQHA, APHA, and ApHC offer members a genetic test for a panel of 5 different genetic diseases affecting Quarter Horses. The panel tests for Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis (HYPP), Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy type 1 (PSSM 1), Malignant Hyperthermia (MH), Hereditary Epidermal Regional Dermal Asthenia (HERDA), and Glycogen Branching Enzyme Deficiency (GBED). The other two add-ons are Immune Mediated Myositis (IMM) and Overo Lethal White Syndrome (OLWS). All these diseases are genetic, and are caused by single mutations in DNA that are easy to test for. All AQHA breeding stallions have to have the 5 panel test results on file.  All APHA (Paints) must have a 6 panel test result on file. The ApHC (Appaloosas) require HYPP testing of foals from an HYPP positive parent, and recommend stallion testing. This requirement doesn’t restrict the use of stallions that may test positive for one or more of the diseases, but it does give mare owners valuable information to consider when making breeding decisions.

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Whinny Wisdom: All of these tests look for two gene copies. They are reported like this: A/B. One copy is A, and the other is B. The letter N is used to denote a normal copy, and the acronym for the disease is used to report the mutated version. So a single copy of HYPP would be reported as N/H, and two copies would be H/H.

HYPP

HYPP stands for Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis. This disease affects the electrical impulses within the body that control muscle contraction. The defective gene results in clinical signs of muscle tremors and fasciculations (mice just say ‘twitching’ but veterinarians have $10 words for everything). In some severe cases, horses may be unable to stand, or even breathe. Horses can show symptoms with only one copy of the defective gene, but symptoms are often more severe if they have two copies of the mutation. This disease mostly affects halter horses, and can be traced back to the prolific stallion ‘Impressive’. Since Impressive lines were also used in Paint and Appaloosa halter breeding programs, HYPP is found in those breeds as well. AQHA does not allow registration of foals that test positive for two copies of the defective gene (H/H), but will allow registration of foals that are H/N which is one defective and one normal gene.

PSSM 1

PSSM stands for Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy. This disease causes changes in the way sugars are stored and used by the muscles. It causes frequent episodes of ‘tying up’ if not properly controlled by a special diet and regular low intensity exercise. There are two types of PSSM. Type 1 is caused by a genetically identified mutation, which is testable. Type 2 is suspected to be genetic, but that mutation has not yet been identified by researchers. Most Quarter Horses with PSSM have type 1. Horses will show symptoms of PSSM type 1 with one or two copies of the mutation.  Like HYPP, PSSM type 1 is more common in halter QHs than in other lines. Some QHs have been shown to have mutations for both HYPP and PSSM. There is no genetic test for PSSM2.

HERDA

HERDA stands for Hereditary Epidermal Regional Dermal Asthenia. Horses with HERDA have defective collagen, an important protein that is part of skin, cartilage, muscles, and tendons. The major clinical sign is skin that is easily injured, torn, or even sloughed off. The skin is also very slow to heal. There is no treatment for the condition, and horses that have it are often euthanized. Horses will only show symptoms if they have two copies of the mutation for HERDA. Horses with only one copy of the mutation are clinically normal. These animals are called ‘carriers’. They can pass copies of the mutation to their foals, and if one carrier is bred to another carrier, the foal might inherit the mutation from both parents and be symptomatic. HERDA is limited mostly to horses with reining and cutting horse bloodlines.

GBED

GBED stands for Glycogen Branching Enzyme Deficiency. Like PSSM, this disease also affects how sugars are stored, but in a different and more severe way. It results in abortions, stillborn foals, and foals that are alive but weak at birth and die or are euthanized soon after. Like with HERDA, horses may be carriers for GBED – if a horse has only one copy of the mutation it will be clinically normal. Paints and Appaloosas can also carry the GBED mutation.

MH

MH stands for Malignant Hyperthermia. This disease changes the way muscle cells handle calcium, and thus the metabolism of the cell. Horses with MH will appear normal most of the time, but have specific occasions when they show symptoms. During an attack, horses will have a very high fever, profuse sweating, high and irregular heart rate, high blood pressure, and rigid muscles. Attacks are triggered by certain anesthetic agents or stress, and are sometimes fatal. MH is believed to be less common than either HYPP or PSSM, but the percentage of affected horses is not yet known. Several breeds including Quarter Horses and Paints can be affected. Horses may be positive for both PSSM and MH together, and these animals appear to suffer from more severe episodes of tying up than horses that have PSSM alone.

IMM

IMM stands for immune mediated myositis. These horses are susceptible to sudden onset muscle wasting. It can be set off by many things, but most commonly the organism that causes Strangles is implicated. A Strangles vaccine can also cause an episode. Some of these horses can have episodes of profound muscle loss with no obvious cause at all. Horses with one copy are at about 20% risk of having an episode, while horses with two copies of the gene are at an 80% risk of having an episode. Double positive horses generally have worse muscle wasting and are at a higher risk of life-threatening complications. 

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OLWS

OLWS stand for Overo Lethal White Syndrome. This genetic mutation is associated with the coat pattern known as frame overo. Frame overos have white centered on the body and neck, meaning it doesn’t cross the topline. If you’ve got one copy of this gene you are only a carrier, and won’t experience any issues. However, foals born with two copies don’t form their intestines properly, and cannot survive. 

Genetic testing is super important for breeding! It’s actually pretty useful for anyone with a horse, but that’s a different blog. Knowing all this information about a stallion and mare can help make successful breeding decisions. Knowing all this information about any horse can help you and my Docs make good health choices! For example, knowing that a horse has a copy of the MH gene means any procedure requiring anesthesia will be managed very differently. I hope you’ve enjoyed this dive into the 5, 6 and 7-panel tests. I think I will spend the remainder of my day in the sun with Tony talking genetic testing. I’m sure he’ll love it!

Until next week,

~Whinny

P.S. If this just whetted your appetite and left you wanting more knowledge about these problems, you can listen to the podcast my docs did, or watch a video they made. Both take a deep dive into these disorders, but the podcast is the most in-depth. If you want pro-level knowledge, check them both out!

Whinny’s Wisdoms is the official blog of Whinny the Clinic Mouse at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. If you liked this blog, please subscribe below, and share it with your friends on social media! For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

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Equine Vital Signs

Equine Vital Signs

Jun 5, 2023 | Vital Signs

Whinny’s Wisdoms

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Hi everyone, Whinny here! There’s a ton to learn as the Springhill clinic mouse. Fortunately, the Springhill vets really like to teach horse owners how to take great care of their horses, and I get to listen in! I know they think it’s a great idea when people know how to check their horse’s “vital signs”. Vital signs are the heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, gut sounds, capillary refill time, and digital pulses. Not only should you know what your horse’s normals are, but it can be of great help to my vets in case of an illness or emergency. It can also help my vets determine whether they need to come out to examine your horse. Taking vital signs is really not as hard as you may think!

Heart Rate

First of all, go buy an inexpensive stethoscope. You can get one for as little as $20! Amazon, CVS, Walmart, they’re not hard to find. Sure, my vets probably use a fancier one to hear all the subtle things, but a basic one will let you count the heartbeats just fine. Then practice ahead of time, don’t wait for an emergency to happen. Put the stethoscope ear buds in your ears so they point forward. Listen for the heartbeat on the left side, just behind your horse’s elbow, about where the girth rests.

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It’s helpful to have him stand with his left leg forward a bit so you can push the stethoscope forward under the muscle and get good contact with his chest. Try pressing more or less firmly until you can hear the heart clearly. A horse’s normal heart rate is around 26-46 beats per minute (much slower than yours, and way, way slower than mine!). Since it’s so slow, you will probably be able to hear both heart sounds. It will sound like “lub-DUB”. Be careful that you don’t accidentally count double – “lub-DUB” just counts as one beat. It may take a couple tries to get the hang of it, but at least you don’t have to listen to my mouse heart, which beats 600 times a minute!

Once you have the rhythm of it, set your stopwatch for 15 seconds and count the beats in that time. Then multiply by 4 to get your horse’s actual heartrate. For example, if I listen for 15 seconds and hear “lub-DUB” 10 times, I multiply 10×4 and so his heartrate is 40 beats per minute.

Whinny Wisdom: There are places you can feel the pulse with your fingers to count the heart rate, but these are usually trickier to master than just listening with a stethoscope. When my vet comes out to vaccinate your horse, you can ask her to show you the technique for listening to the heart or feeling the pulse.

Respiratory Rate

Counting your horse’s breaths can be done in a couple of different ways. You can listen with your stethoscope, but it’s usually just easier to look at his flanks moving in and out. If he’s breathing hard, you can watch his nostrils flare, but if he’s breathing normally this might be harder to see. Remember that inhale + exhale = one breath. Count for 30 seconds and then multiply the number of breaths by 2 to get the respiratory rate. The normal respiratory rate of a horse at rest is 12-20 breaths per minute.

Gut Sounds

Gut sounds are what you will hear when your horse’s intestines are moving normally to push food through. A normal horse has active rumbles all over his belly, and you shouldn’t have to listen for much longer than 15 seconds to hear some. Your horse’s gut sounds can be heard on both sides of his belly, high and low, in front of his hips. Again, practice ahead of time to get used to his normal.

Digital Pulses

Digital pulses are a good indicator of the amount of inflammation in your horse’s feet. My vet’s favorite place to feel them is at the fetlock (your horse’s “ankle”). Using your thumb and middle finger, feel on either side at the widest part of the fetlock, towards the back. You will often feel a “squishy” area that is the artery and vein on either side – that’s the right spot. Use light pressure and feel for the pulse. It’s usually a light movement against your fingers and may be a little hard to find at first.

Get to know what it feels like in a normal horse so you can tell if it’s more prominent than usual. My vet says if there is inflammation in the foot, the pulse will feel stronger than usual. She calls it a “bounding digital pulse”. It’s kind of like the throbbing feeling you would get if you hit your thumb with a hammer.  

Temperature

Get yourself a plastic digital thermometer like my vets use. They’re quick and easy to use. Keep it just for your horse’s use of course! To take his temperature, it’s safest to have someone holding him for you in case he objects to it. If your horse strongly objects or you just don’t feel safe, it’s ok to give this one a pass.

Stand close to your horse’s hindquarters on one side, not right behind him. I know you might feel safer standing farther away, but you’re usually safer if you’re right up against his side. Gently move his tail up a little and to the side, then slowly insert the thermometer into his anus a couple of inches, almost up to where the digital display is. Press the thermometer’s button to turn it on. It will beep again when it has finished reading the temperature.  A normal horse’s temperature is between 98.5-100.5 Fahrenheit. Take your horse’s temperature on different days to see what his normal temperature usually runs.

Mucous Membranes

Take a look at the gums above your horse’s upper teeth. They should be pink or pale pink. Any colors besides that are a problem, so call my vet. They should be moist to the touch and not dry or “tacky”, which can be signs of dehydration. Next, press your finger onto the gum firmly. The pressure should be firm enough that when you lift your finger away, you see a white spot where your finger was. Count the number of seconds it takes for the spot to fill back in with color. In a normal horse, it should be less than 2 seconds. If it’s longer than that, it could indicate shock or dehydration.

Being able to take good care of your horse’s health is a critical part of good horsemanship. Practice taking your horse’s vital signs frequently, so that it’s second nature by the time you really need to do it. I guarantee that my vets will be happy to show you their technique when they’re next at your barn. There are few things the vets at Springhill Equine like more than helping to educate owners on good care for their horses!

See you next week!

~Whinny

P.S. If you found those videos helpful, you should check out the full video library over on my YouTube Channel! We’ve got over 125 videos, with new ones being made all the time. Don’t miss out on that great free resource! Just click on the blue text to get there (clicking your heels 3 times is no longer necessary!).

Whinny’s Wisdoms is the official blog of Whinny the Clinic Mouse at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. If you liked this blog, please subscribe below, and share it with your friends on social media! For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

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Cattle Breeding

Cattle Breeding

May 29, 2023 | Cows

Whinny’s Wisdoms

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Hey everybody, Whinny here with some cow and goat (or ruminant, as my docs call them) stats for you: Did you know that Florida is the ninth largest cattle producing state of the country? It’s true! We’re also the ninth largest in meat goat production. The cattle raised here are primarily raised in small operations, with almost 80% having less than 49 head (that’s how we describe cow numbers).

Breeding

Let me start off by saying one thing very clearly: if you own cattle or any other large species you absolutely must have facilities for working with them. Go ahead and check out my previous blog on livestock housing facilities for more details. But today we’re going to talk about making more cows–or other ruminants like sheep and goats.

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Anytime you’re planning on breeding an animal you should think about WHY. Yes, baby animals are super cute, but there are already a ton of them out there! This consideration is even more important in pet animals like dogs, cats, and horses, but the reasoning applies to food producing animals such as cattle and small ruminants as well. We’re going to talk a bit about breeding and producing cattle in Florida. A lot of this will apply whether you’re breeding in order to make or sell beef products, or if you’re just making more pets.

A veterinarian’s role in quality food production is maintaining animal health and well-being, supporting producers in managing the health and productivity of their animals, and monitoring the safety and wholesomeness of animals entering the food chain. What does that mean?

Whinny Wisdom: All herds should have a veterinarian involved in their care and maintenance who can help set protocols. Paying for a veterinarian at the start will actually save you money in the end.

Now, the details. Florida is a bit different than other areas of the country because we don’t have much, if any, of that very cold white stuff that comes from the sky. For that reason, calves are normally hitting the ground between January and March. A cow’s gestation is about 9 months, so the breeding season should be between April and May. Calves are weaned at between 7-9 months of age, so these hardworking mama cows are getting pregnant while they are still producing milk most of the time–stay tuned for another blog on nutrition because it’s really important!

These time tables are assuming you are trying to have calves born in a select window of time so they can be reared together and sold together, which is often best for their health and your pocketbook. When you have a specific breeding season planned, the next step is figuring out how you’re going to get those cows bred! Options include natural service by a bull–which can be purchased or rented–or artificial insemination of some sort.

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

A bull will often have the highest conception rates, but they certainly come with some risks–and you’d better make sure you have good fencing and facilities! Some health considerations for the bull include their body condition score (it can often drop a full point over the course of a breeding season), mineral consumption, and transmissible venereal disease risk. It’s often recommended to purchase a bull that has had a breeding soundness exam performed which also tests for some of the venereal diseases.

Bulls can occasionally harm the cows they are meant to breed, and can get injured themselves. If you purchase a bull to keep over multiple years, it is important that he not breed any of his daughters, and you must know that his fertility may decline over time. There are some people who choose to keep a bull out with the herd at all times and not have a defined breeding season. This is an option, however that also means you must be prepared for newborn calves every day of the year! As we’ll discuss, newborn calves are not always easy.

The females are generally the most important part of the equation (aren’t we always?). A female bovine that has not had her first calf yet is known as a heifer, and she becomes a cow as soon as she gives birth. If natural service mating is being used, the bull will be able to detect when cows are in heat. If artificial methods are being used, the best approach will be using injectable medications to bring her into heat when the doctor wants her to be, so that they can breed her at the best time. Cows will be much less likely to come into heat if they are still lactating, but it is possible.

Prior dystocia (difficult birth), retained placenta, or uterine infection of any sort are likely to delay her ability to get pregnant. The female’s nutritional state is probably the biggest factor for achieving pregnancy. If you’re not sure how to check her body condition score, you should definitely schedule a Herd Evaluation with one of our veterinarians so they can teach you all about that!

Once breeding has happened in one way or another (there’s some birds, there’s some bees, you know the drill), cows should be checked for pregnancy by a veterinarian. When to schedule that will vary by the specific herd conditions, but will always require handling facilities such as a chute or at least a head catch. Those with confirmed pregnancies should be monitored closely for the next 9 months. There are tons of risks to the fetus and dam: Brucellosis, Leptospirosis, Listeria, Neospora, estrogenic plants, and Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus are just a few. She may also have a spontaneous abortion or one caused by stress or an incorrect medication.

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Calf Care

Now for the fun and Cow–ute part: babies! A newborn calf is on average 60-75 lbs. Cows most often have singleton calves but occasionally will have twins. Dystocia, or difficult birth, is always a risk and often needs veterinary intervention. One of the best things you can do is ensure the bull isn’t too large and has a good “calving ease score,” meaning he produces smaller, easier to birth calves.

There are five essential aspects of newborn calf care: Colostrum, Cleanliness, Comfort, Calories, and Consistency.

  • Colostrum is the mom’s first milk, and needs to be in the calf by 2 hours after birth ideally. As soon as the calf consumes anything, its gut will begin closing, so it’s vital the first thing it consumes is colostrum.
  • Cleanliness: Cows should give birth in a clean, dry, comfortable place – that can be a field, barn or stall.
  • Calories: If the calf is nursing from a good mama, she should take care of calories, but we must monitor calves for growth and supplement if they’re not getting enough. Some choose to offer a creep feed from the first few days of age.
  • Consistency has to do with food, location, and environment. Calves get easily stressed, and when they are stressed they get sick. If you have kept a tight breeding season, you should have a tight calving season, so there shouldn’t be too many age groups together. If the calving season will not be so streamlined, it’s a good idea to separate out cows about to calve into a clean pasture away from the other adults and older calves.

We didn’t even tackle the nitty gritty of vaccination, deworming, and other health protocols, but these are vitally important if you intend to breed cows! They are also unique to each herd though, so be sure to have a great relationship with your local cow vet so they can help out! Now to go enjoy my favorite cow breeding byproduct–cheese!

Until next week,
~Whinny

P.S. Have you subscribed to my blog yet? It’s the best way to make sure you get my latest post every week. Just scroll down and put your email in the purple box. That’s it! Good human 🙂 

Whinny’s Wisdoms is the official blog of Whinny the Clinic Mouse at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. If you liked this blog, please subscribe below, and share it with your friends on social media! For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

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Summer Sores and Horses

Summer Sores and Horses

May 22, 2023 | Summer Sores

Whinny’s Wisdoms

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Hey everybody, Whinny here! Although it’s not quite technically summer, the warm weather has arrived in full force in Florida. With the onset of heat, we’ve had an eruption of flies! And once flies begin pestering our horses, we soon run into a common Florida problem: summer sores.

Summer sores are caused by a stomach worm called habronema. Normally, the larvae of the habronema hatch out of horse manure and are picked up by flies. Then, the flies are supposed to deposit the habronema larvae onto the mouth of the horse where they are ingested. Once they are in the horse’s stomach, the larvae are produced and passed back into the horse manure to complete the cycle. That’s a complicated life cycle! Makes me glad I’m a mouse.

This stomach worm usually does not cause any disease or illness when the cycle occurs in the usual way. Summer sores, also known as habronemiasis, develop when the habronema larvae are deposited in the wrong place. The locations include wounds and mucocutaneous junctions, so around the mouth, eyes and genitals.

Classically, summer sores appear as circular wounds that are not healing. They may also be raised or have exuberant granulation tissue, which is colloquially known as proud flesh. In some cases small, hard yellow pieces called sulfur granules are found in the wound. These granules are formed as a calcifying reaction around the habronema larvae because they are not where they are supposed to be. Aggravatingly, these wounds can occur even with the smallest cut or break in the horse’s skin, so prevention is key, otherwise we can end up dealing with a sore all summer long!

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The most common mucocutaneous junction that can be affected is the medial canthus, or the inside portion of the eye. Horses are very likely to rub their eyes if they are harboring summer sores there, predisposing them to corneal ulcers. As if horse eyes don’t have enough problems!

Prevention starts with keeping wounds clean and wrapping or covering any wound until it is healed. Pasture management and manure cleanup are also essential in order to minimize the population of flies that are on your farm. During the spring and summer months, horses should really be wearing fly masks to limit their exposure to flies and their likelihood of contracting ocular summer sores. In instances where a wound cannot be wrapped, some creativity may need to be involved or they may need to be stalled with a fan periodically to keep flies off as much as possible.

Although they can be a pain and take time to heal, summer sores are treatable and they do heal eventually, especially once we enter the winter months. Treatment may include surgically debriding wounds, topical treatments or injections with steroids mixed with antibiotics, and oral deworming. Keep in mind that not all dewormers are created equal. Summer sores should be treated with Quest (moxidectin) based on your horse’s weight.

If you suspect your horse has a summer sore give my docs a call! Proper diagnosis is always key in expediting treatment. Summer sores can occasionally be misdiagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma, sarcoids, or pythium, but the veterinarians at Springhill can set you on the right path.

Until next week,

~Whinny

P.S. Have you seen the new YouTube series called Horse Girl Goes to the Vet on our YouTube Channel? I promise you don’t want to miss it! I’ve heard people say the Horse Girl looks a lot like Dr. Lacher’s husband, but I don’t see the resemblance, myself. Anyway, there are way over 100 videos about all kinds of horse health things, much like my blog, and you don’t want to miss out on that great free resource. Your horse will thank you, and so do I!

Whinny’s Wisdoms is the official blog of Whinny the Clinic Mouse at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. If you liked this blog, please subscribe below, and share it with your friends on social media! For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

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Horse Eye Problems

Horse Eye Problems

May 15, 2023 | Eyes

Whinny’s Wisdoms

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Alright humans, today we’re going to talk about horse eye problems. I’m going to use my loudest squeak for this one, because as the clinic mouse, I see a lot of horses with eye problems. And some of them end up worse than they needed to be because of mistakes well-meaning owners make. As Tony would say: don’t turn a treatable eye problem into a cat-astrophe – call my docs! Fur real, you may be saving your horse’s sight!

Horse eyes are pretty cool things. The horse has a field of vision that goes about 350 degrees, almost all the way around his body. I might be a bit jealous since mine only goes about 200 degrees, but that’s all I need to keep an eye on my clinic. While horses see a whole lot of things (all the better to spook at), the downside is a horse’s eyes are prominently located and susceptible to injuries.

Any injury or problem with their eyes should be taken very seriously, as damage can escalate fast. The biggest mistake that horse owners can make is not seeking treatment early and losing the opportunity to treat the problem before it’s too late. I know some of you have some ointment laying around the barn and you’re thinking about sticking that goo in your horse’s eye. Nope. This is not a “let’s see how it looks in a couple days and decide if we need to call the vet” kind of thing. The longer you wait, the more difficult (and expensive) the eye may be to treat.

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When your horse’s eye is healthy, it will be open, clear, and without any discharge. Here are some signs of problems:

  • Excessive watery tears
  • Yellow or green discharge
  • Swollen eyelid
  • Squinting
  • Cloudy white or blue tinge to the eyeball
  • Red or swollen conjunctiva
  • Rubbing the eye or shaking the head excessively
  • Obvious blood or laceration
  • A growth on or around the eye

There are multiple eye-related conditions that horses can suffer and telling one problem from another should be left to your vet. Without the training and equipment to differentiate them, trying to diagnose an eye problem yourself can lead to disaster. One ointment won’t fix all problems and may actually make some conditions worse.

Whinny Wisdom: The ointment that we use for uveitis is one of the worst things you could put in an eye with a corneal ulcer!

The Exam

Once you’ve called one of my docs, you can make your horse more comfortable by bringing him to his stall, or somewhere shady, since he may be more sensitive to light than usual. A dark place is better for my doc’s exam, too. Be aware that if he has obscured vision, he might be a bit more spooky than usual. Be gentle and slow when handling him and try not to surprise him on the side he isn’t seeing well out of. Don’t try to force his eye open to have a look – that can be very painful for the horse or possibly push a foreign object like a splinter deeper into the eye. Hold off on using any medications or ointments until your vet has examined the eye.

My doc will probably sedate your horse to get a good look in the eye. She will likely apply a special dye called fluorescein to his eye to look for damage to the surface of the cornea. (bonus – this looks especially awesome on Halloween if you have a black light around. I tried it on Tony once – a black cat with glowing yellow eyes sure does freak the humans out!) My doc will look thoroughly for anything stuck in the eye or under the eyelids, like a grass awn. She will use an ophthalmoscope to look in the back of your horse’s eye and evaluate for problems that aren’t apparent to the untrained eye. She may do other stuff too, depending on what she finds, but those are the usual starters.

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Common Conditions

There are a whole bunch of different eye conditions, and this mouse just doesn’t have the space to list them all, so here are just a few of the most common ones.

Corneal ulcers: Horses can develop an infection of the cornea (the clear surface of the eyeball) after scratching the surface of the eye. Then, bacteria or fungus in the environment get involved and bring their nasty habits along. Horses may have a white spot on their eye or the whole eyeball may look cloudy. They will usually squint and have tears running down from the eye.  These infections should be seen by a vet who can determine whether the infection is on the surface or if it’s deeper in the cornea – a stromal abscess. Regular antibiotic ointment may not work on those. Also, because the infection may be caused by a fungus (and fungi laugh at antibiotics!) your vet may need to prescribe an anti-fungal medication. If your horse needs it, there are also specialized masks that provide eye protection with a molded eye cup, designed to protect the eyeball from rubbing while it is being treated.

Equine recurrent uveitis: Also known as “moon-blindness”, ERU is a disease of inflammation inside the eyeball. The signs of ERU can start mildly with tearing, squinting, or swelling, but can progress to severe eye pain and blindness, especially if left untreated. Sometimes it gets bad enough that the eye must be removed for the horse to be comfortable. Starting treatment in the early phases is important to minimize the progression of the disease. The symptoms can be pretty similar to a corneal ulcer, so it’s important that the correct diagnosis be made.

Conjunctivitis: This condition is caused by a bacterial infection of the conjunctiva, the pink tissues that line the inside of the eyelid. You may see swelling and redness of the conjunctiva and perhaps a yellow or green discharge. Windblown dust and insects cause irritation to the eye, causing the horse to rub his eyes, and bacteria can invade the tissues. Your vet will make sure the eyeball itself is ok, and if so, will provide antibacterial treatment.

Squamous cell carcinoma: SCC is one of the most common cancers found on or around the horse’s eye. It can be found on the eyeball itself, on the eyelid, or the 3rd eyelid, and is especially common on horses with white markings around their eyes (or anywhere on their face). SCC may just look like a small pink cobblestone-textured bump, or like an ulcer.  If caught early, it can be treated. If not, it can be a bad deal.

Eyelid lacerations: A cut to your horse’s eyelid should always be looked at by a vet so it can be sutured if needed. Never assume it will just scar over and heal by itself. If your horse doesn’t have a functional eyelid margin, he won’t be able to keep his eye moist and painful eye ulcers can result. I know you would never dream of doing this – but I’m going to say it anyway – never cut any skin off the horse’s eyelid yourself.

Horse eye problems at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

How to Avoid a Problem

Yeah, even the most careful owner may not be able to avoid eye problems, because horses are the most accident-prone creatures on the planet. But since they don’t have 9 lives like Tony (can a mouse get in on that deal?), it’s worth a shot to make your horse’s home as safe as possible! Remove or cover any sharp edges, old nails, and protruding objects from your horse’s stall, fencing, or field. Avoid moldy hay so spores don’t get in his eyes. If his hay or bedding are dusty, dampen them with water or find a less dusty kind. Check his eyes every day for injuries or abnormal appearance. If flies are numerous or if he is sensitive to them, invest in a fly mask to keep his eyes protected. For horses with white markings around their eyes, make it a UV-protectant mask to reduce his risk of squamous cell carcinoma. But be sure to check under the fly mask daily!

If your horse has an eye condition you have been working on with your vet, here are a couple of other things you can do to make things go well.

  • If you see improvement after a few days of treatment, don’t stop the medication until the full course is finished! This goes for any antibiotic for any condition! You don’t want to create super-resistant bacteria that won’t respond to antibiotics, riiiight? Stopping treatment before the infection is completely resolved can result in it flaring up even worse than before.
  • If the eye medication is supposed to go in the eye 4 times a day, you gotta do that. My doc knows that schedule is a pain, she really isn’t just trying to torture you. But we can’t mess around with eyes, so it’s got to get done.
  • If your horse isn’t letting you get the medication into his eye successfully, talk with my doc since there may be some options (such as a sub-palpebral lavage system) to make things easier on both of you.
  • Communicate with my doc about changes you notice. If you think he has been rubbing his eye more, let her know. If you think the ulcer might be a bit bigger, my doc needs to know.

Prompt treatment is the key to a successful outcome for any eye issue. Follow these guidelines and work with your vet to help your horse’s eyeballs stay beautiful! Now after thinking about eyes for so long, I think mine need a rest… I’m off for a nap.

See you next week!

~Whinny

P.S. If you want to learn more about eyes than you ever thought possible, my docs have several podcast episodes about them. The podcasts are audio only, so you can listen while you’re cleaning the barn, or driving to the barn, or grooming your horse in the barn, or putting out little treats for the mouse in your barn! You can find the podcast over on the Podcast Page, or subscribe in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Whinny’s Wisdoms is the official blog of Whinny the Clinic Mouse at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. If you liked this blog, please subscribe below, and share it with your friends on social media! For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

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