Lesson 10
Miscellaneous Diseases of the Eye and other Special
Anatomical Areas
Diseases of the Eye
I.
Entropion (turning inward of the eyelid, usually lower lid)
A.
Normally seen in newborn foals.
B.
May correct itself, but if eye irritation is severe or corneal ulcer develops,
surgical correction is necessary.
II.
Eyelid trauma (tearing of eyelid)
A.
Surgical repair should be preformed promptly if possible.
III.
Corneal Ulceration
A.
A fairly common injury in the horse.
B.
Requires veterinary attention
C.
Signs of corneal ulceration include:
1.
Excessive tearing.
2.
Evidence of pain of the eye in the way of squinting and closing the lid.
3.
Cloudy or bluish tint to the eyeball.
D.
Treatment involves continuous application of antibiotic ointment and atropine
ointment twice a day.
E.
Unless horse is not adequately cared for when dealing with a corneal ulcer, the
horse may loose the eye.
F.
Corticosteroid ointments (cortisone) are not to be used in corneal ulcers, and
only by veterinarian recommendation for other eye conditions.
IV.
Conjunctivitis
A.
Normally caused by fly irritation and secondary bacterial infection.
B.
Antibacterial ointments and occasionally antibacterial with corticosteroid
ointments recommended.
C.
Fly control important as a prevention.
V.
Uveitis (Periodic opthalmia or recurrent uveitis or
moon blindness)
A.
Thought to be an immune mediated disease.
Another cause could be microfilaria (onchocerca
larvae).
B.
Symptoms are very similar to corneal ulcer (pain, clouded or bluish tinge to
eye, excessive tearing, squinting).
Cornea normally does not stain with an ulcer in this condition.
C.
Corticosteroids topically and systemically are indicated for this condition.
D.
This condition does have a tendency to reoccur for no apparent reason.
Consider
the following symptoms cause for alarm and call the veterinarian.
1.
A red swollen eye
2.
Excessive squinting
3.
Excessive tearing
4.
Increased sensitivity to bright light
5.
Cloudy or blue appearance to cornea.
Physical Problems of the Spine and Back
I.
Fractures of the Spine
A. The dorsal thoracic vertebrae, with their
tall dorsal projections, can be associated with fractures during falls. There
is usually readily identifiable pain and inflammation in the area. X-rays usually indicate the amount of
damage. Healing can take up to 6 months.
B.
Fractures, which would involve the spinal chord, would obviously cause a grave
prognosis due to paralysis problems.
II.
Cervical Vertebral Malformation (Wobbles, Bobbie)
A.
Can be associated with OCD (developmental disease of young, growing horses).
B.
Causes pressure on the cervical spinal chord, causing partial paralysis,
in-coordination and weakness in the hind quarters. (They can’t seem to control their
hindquarters, especially while turning or stopping.)
C.
Usually a permanent and progressive problem, the horse may ultimately be found
down and unable to get up.
D.
Treatment is usually unsuccessful, unless a very complicated surgery is
attempted.
III. Scoliosis –Lateral to medial deviation, versus Lordosis
– Sway backed. Both are congenital (horse is born with the problem).
IV.
Hunter’s Bumps
A.
Lumbar and Sacral dorsal prominences and their respective ligamentous
attachments are involved in hunter’s bumps.
Strain in this area causes atrophy of muscles attachments, which
produces the characteristic hunter’s bump.
Seen in hunters and jumpers predominantly.
V.
Sacroiliac subluxation
A.
A strain of the left or right side of the sacroiliac joint area, which will
cause a raising of one side or the other of the pelvic (illium)
bone. Also seen in horses used in
jumping events. When it first occurs
there will be associated swelling and pain in the area. Can take up to
Muscle Conditions of the Horse
I.
Muscle Atrophy
A.
Lack of nerve supply to the muscle.
B.
Lack of blood supply to the muscle.
C.
Lack of use of the muscle.
D.
Trauma or damage to the muscle.
E.
Severe overuse of the muscle.
II.
Myositis (sore back)
A.
Inflammation of the muscle tissue.
(Overuse, overstretching, trauma to the muscle).
B.
Usually associated with the back, loin and croup areas of the horse.
C.
Most often associated with a chronic situation which needs to be managed.
D.
NSAID’s, heat therapy, liniment therapy, massage therapy, muscle relaxants,
chiropractic manipulations, and other forms of therapy are in common use.
III.
Exertional Myositis (Monday morning disease, tying up, Azoturia)
A.
Associated with initial exercise possibly after a day or two of rest.
B.
Horse usually begins to get stiff or cramp in the muscles soon after getting
started. They stiffen up in the neck and back area, and show pain over these
areas if pressure is applied to these muscles.
They will usually begin sweating profusely and show a definite agitated
response due to the pain.
C.
The heart rate and respiratory rate are elevated.
D.
The horse should not be walked or moved if at all possible. This is considered an emergency. Bute or
Banamine for pain and Ace Promazine (a tranquilizer) for muscle relaxation is
the initial treatment of choice. Placing
a light blanket on the horse and offering it small amounts of room temperature
water for cooling out slowly is indicated.
Keeping the horse quiet and still are recommended. The veterinarian may also administer
intravenous fluids and electrolytes and muscle relaxants.
E.
Nervous or anxious fillies seem to be most prone to this problem. It also has been associated with a particular
hereditary predisposition in some quarter horses.
F.
Prevention:
1.
Identify and manage those that might be most prone to the problem.
2.
Cut back on grain when you know you are going to give a day or two off of
training.
3.
Offer balanced vitamin- mineral supplement.
(Vitamin E and selenium have been shown to be beneficial, as well as, Na
and Potassium supplementation).
4.
Take off of “Sweet feed”.