Swollen eye

[Drummers mum]

Went to see Drummer this evening and I noticed that one of his eyes is all puffy. He didn't mind me fiddling with it, it was quite red under the lid and he had a tear but I couln't see anything wrong. The YO said it was nothing to worry about and he likes to spend his time in the bushes so he probably got poked. What do you think?

[KarinUS]

I would have thought a bee sting until you mentioned the tear.
For a bee sting I would give antihistamine granules. Helped DJ before.
BUT it does sound like it's an injury rather than an allergic reaction.
What type of tear is it? A small scratch? Or a real tear which would require stitching?
If it's a real tear advice of course would be to take him to the vet and get it stitched up.
I am kind of spoiled at my yard. My YO keeps antihistamine and antibiotics on hand. So if it was just a small scratch, but red and warm, possibly developing an infection, I would probably would put my horse on 5-7 days of antibiotics just as a preventative.

Hope that wasn't too confusing! Sorry your baby got hurt! :(

[Drummers mum]

Its tiny, you can hardly see it.

Hadn't thought about a sting! Could be he got stung and then rubbed it so causing a scratch?!

I will see how it is today. Thanks for your reply.

[callie]

I use brolene (cream) for eye problems with my horses, those that dont look too serious though and dont need a vet. Its used for humans and can be bought from a chemist works great on swollen eyes and sticky eyes.
If in doubt see a vet but the cream will ease of any discomfort and wont do it any harm.

www.realequine.co.uk

[bevb]

I found one of my minis with a swollen eye yesterday and a couple of small cuts near to it.
I bathed it in cold tea and am glad to say it is back to normal and fully open this morning :) .
Always remember my vet telling me that cold tea is one old wives tale that works.

Bev

[KarinUS]

cold tea is one old wives tale that works

That's great. I like to use natural remedies when possible. What tea do you use? Chamomille? Or does it matter?

[Drummers mum]

You'll be pleased to know, it went down of its own accord, so goodness knows what it was!!

I will keep the cold tea in mind for next time though!

callie: Whats in brolene? What does it say its for?

[callie]

Hi brolene is an eye ointment for humans they do liquid or cream in a small tube, i find the tube of cream easier to use, ive always used it and recommended it to people to use on their horses and its always bought down redness and irritation. Its actually for thing like sticky eyes and conjunctivitis, i mentioned it to my vet and he says its ok to use, i personally found it better than prescription ( and no call out fee). I keep a tube in stock incase but always consult a vet for emergencies.
My mom had a yorkshire terrier dog that had weeping eyes and she was told by the vet that it would need a very expensive operation to cure it, i mentioned brolene, she used it and its almost cleared up she just uses it occassionally if needed.

www.realequine.co.uk

[bevb]

Normal tea bags, Tesco value or earl gray all do the same job :D

bev