Watery eyes in horses can be a sign of many different conditions. This blog post discusses the most common reasons for watery eyes in horses, including allergies and eye infections. We also talk about what to do if your horse develops watery eyes. Hopefully, this article will help you identify the reason for your horse’s watering eyes so that you can take appropriate action!
What are the symptoms of watery eyes in horses?
Watery eyes in horses can be a sign of many different conditions. The most common symptoms are excessive tearing and sensitivity to light, which causes the horse to blink excessively or squint their eyes shut when outside on sunny days. In addition, excessive watering is often accompanied by facial swellings around the eye area, with skin that may appear red or inflamed. These swellings typically develop over time, but they can come up suddenly as well if your horse has an allergy flare-up related to hay fever, for instance!
In some cases, watery eyes in horses will cause significant discomfort and lead to head shaking due to pain felt by your horse’s face muscles trying so hard not to tear up constantly from all the crying induced by just existing in the world.
In other cases, your horse can have another type of eye condition that causes watery eyes like corneal ulcers.
How to diagnose and treat watery eyes in horses?
- The diagnosis for watery eyes in horses is usually made by the vet examining your horse’s eye and looking at their face. They’ll look out for any abnormalities or signs of anything that might be causing the tears to flow more than usual. If they can’t find a cause, there are some tests you could do yourself to rule things out:
- Your veterinarian will prescribe treatment depending on what has been diagnosed as causing the problem. However, it may take time before relief from symptoms like head shaking due to pain or constant crying (i.e., corneal ulcers). In general, in cases where allergies aren’t present, vets recommend frequent topical ointments (every six hours) for three days, then a break for two to four days.
- A veterinarian can also perform surgery on the eye to remove any ulcers or other material that might be irritating your horse’s eyes. If allergies are present, they may prescribe topical or oral antihistamines and immunotherapy injections if indicated by clinical signs and laboratory test results.
Horses with watery eyes:
- The diagnosis is usually made by taking a look at the horse’s face in question and seeing what kind of abnormalities there are around their eyes. For example, there could be something wrong going on inside them which causes tears to flow more than usual–or not enough–and without treatment, it could lead to more significant problems like blindness down the line (depending on the cause).
Watery eyes in horses:
- Horses can have watery eyes for several reasons, and if you’re not sure what’s causing it, your veterinarian will be able to pinpoint the problem. Many different eye conditions could lead to this symptom, and each one needs its treatment. For instance, ulcers or other material on an eyeball might need surgery; allergies might require topical/oral antihistamines and immunotherapy injections if indicated by clinical signs and laboratory test results.
What Causes Watery Eyes in Horses?
- The causes vary greatly depending on the horse. Some horses may develop mineral deposits inside their eyelids which irritate the eye, while others may have ulcers on the cornea. There can also be conjunctivitis or other inflammation that causes excessive tearing. Visiting a veterinarian if your horse has watery eyes will help in determining what is causing this problem and how to treat it best
Watery Eyes: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment
The most common cause of watery eyes in horses is an allergic reaction, leading to increased tear flow from inflamed lacrimal glands (tear ducts). Other possible causes include:
- Respiratory infections like colds or West Nile Virus.
- Trauma such as getting dirt in their eye.
- Viral infection like infectious equine keratoconjunctivitis (EKC).
- Bacterial infection, including pinkeye.
- Parasitic diseases like equine roundworm.
- Corneal ulcers.
Horses with watery eyes may have a discharge from the eye, crusting their eyelids while sleeping and increased tearing during sleep. They also might turn their head to one side when resting to keep both eyes closed for relief. First, the veterinarian will examine the horse’s vision, which includes looking at it under a microscope to see if there are any signs of infection like pink eye or infectious EKC, as well as checking for inflammation around the tear ducts and other structures that contribute to tears, including glands near the nose and lacrimal canals (tear ducts). This is usually followed by treatment such as antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs like prednisone, and a course of ophthalmic eye drops to help relieve symptoms.
Horses can have allergies that cause watery eyes due to changes in the environment like seasons or climate change and ulcers that result from horses eating an excess amount of grain-rich foods such as pieces of bread and sugary goods containing yeast products. They also may be allergic to plants, including grasses, ivies, tulips, lilies, or daffodils that they encounter while grazing on pasture lands or in hay fields where these plants are grown. These allergies can cause inflammation around the tear ducts leading to watery eyes, among other signs like itchy skin (hives), swelling of the lips (tumefaction), and swollen membranes of the nose (rhinitis).
Horses can also have eye conditions that cause watery eyes, such as corneal ulcers. These are white patches on the surface of the horse’s pupil due to a scratch or break in their eye tissue, and they should be treated with topical ophthalmic medications like antibiotic drops or ointments which come from horses themselves by using blood plasma drawn during routine collection procedures followed by manufacturing these products into eye drops for humans. For example, if your horse has an ear infection, you may need to clean his ears out too before he will respond well enough to treatments; so check first for inflammation around the tear ducts in addition to studying other parts of his head for possible infections then give appropriate treatment to the most infected areas.
Blinking is a reflex that clears away debris and moistens dry eye surfaces to protect them from damage. If horses are not blinking enough, it can signal an underlying problem such as corneal ulcers or blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelid). Horses with severe issues will need ophthalmic medications like antibiotic drops, which come from horses themselves by using blood plasma drawn during routine collection procedures followed by manufacturing these products into eye drops for humans. In contrast, milder cases may only require treatment for inflammation around the tear ducts. Whenever your horse’s watery eyes persist, then talk to your veterinarian about what they could be due to. Many other conditions also cause watery eyes in horses. For example, conditions like allergies can cause watery eyes in horses by aggravating the immune system and causing symptoms such as scratching of the eye surface or redness, which causes tears to flow more easily from both glands
In Conclusion:
There are lots of possible diagnoses for a horse with watery eyes. It’s essential to have a veterinarian examine them to get a proper diagnosis. Hopefully, it is something as easy as an allergy that requires some ointment and possibly a round of antihistamine shots. If it’s a more severe case like a corneal ulcer, the vet will be able to determine the best course of action for getting your horse back to his happy old self!
