Very Common
Less Common
You also might be observing
Observation
What you see. The starting point for addressing any equine health related issue is your observation.
YOU ARE OBSERVING
Eye looks Blood Shot, White of Eye is Red
Summary
In a healthy horse, the white of the eye (sclera) should have only a few small blood vessels visible on the surface. The sclera is a good indicator of the circulatory health of the horse, and also of the health of the eye. To see the sclera, use your index finger to push the upper eyelid upward.
A bloodshot eye is an important finding that can mean a variety of things. It can result from traumatic injury, infection, inflammation, a foreign body, or be an indication of a body-wide (systemic) disease. An example of this is a bloodshot appearance to the white of the eye in horses with endotoxemia (endotoxin in the blood).
A bloodshot eye is an important finding that can mean a variety of things. It can result from traumatic injury, infection, inflammation, a foreign body, or be an indication of a body-wide (systemic) disease. An example of this is a bloodshot appearance to the white of the eye in horses with endotoxemia (endotoxin in the blood).
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Code Orange
Call Your Vet at Their First Available Office Hours
your role
What To Do
Assess your horse's eye. Always compare the appearance to that of the other eye. Look for other signs of eye injury, particularly watering and grayness to the clear corneal surface. If you notice other eye signs, the problem is probably related to the eye itself.Assess your horse's general health using the Whole Horse Exam (WHE), paying particular attention to the opposite eye, attitude, appetite, rectal temperature, heart rate and gum color. Contact your vet to discuss your findings and concerns.
Skills you may need
Procedures that you may need to perform on your horse.
Very Common
your vet's role
Your vet will perform a physical exam and other diagnostics to determine whether this is a local problem or whether it relates to body-wide health. In cases where the eye is reflecting body-wide health, we would expect to see similar changes in each eye.
Questions Your Vet Might Ask:
- Do you notice the problem in one eye or both?
- Do you notice the horse squinting or holding the eye closed?
- Do you notice the eye watering or any discharge?
- Does the horse's appetite and attitude seem normal?
- Do you notice an injury near the eye?
- What are the results of the Whole Horse Exam (WHE)?
Diagnostics Your Vet May Perform
Figuring out the cause of the problem. These are tests or procedures used by your vet to determine what’s wrong.
Diagnoses Your Vet May Consider
The cause of the problem. These are conditions or ailments that are the cause of the observations you make.
Very Common
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Acute Systemic Disease, Generally
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Endotoxemia, Endotoxic Shock
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Conjunctivitis, Generally
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Corneal Ulcer, Scratch or Abrasion
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Foal or Newborn, Necrotizing Enterocolitis, Bloody Diarrhea
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Salmonella Colitis (in Growing Foal or Adult)
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Equine Recurrent Uveitis, ERU
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Clostridial, Clostridium Colitis (in Adult)
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Metritis, After Foaling
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Bacteremia, Septicemia (in Adult)
Less Common
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Bacterial Endocarditis
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Anaphylaxis
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Ruptured Stomach or Intestine
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Eyelid Trauma
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Coronavirus Entero-Colitis
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Dacryocystadenitis, Inflammation of Nasolacrimal Duct
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Theiler's Disease, Serum Hepatitis or Sickness
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Foal, Umbilical Infection or Abscess
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Wound or Laceration to Cornea
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Liver Disease, Acute Hepatitis
Rare
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Rodenticide Toxicity, Generally
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Right Dorsal Colitis
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Eyelid Inflammation, Generally
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Infarcted Intestine or Colon
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Congenital Atresia, Malformation of Nasolacrimal Duct
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Equine Anaplasmosis
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Lyme Disease, Borreliosis
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Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Eye, Eyelid or Third Eyelid
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Summer Sores, Habronema
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Cyanide Toxicity from Plants
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Cataracts, Changes in Lens of Eye
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Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome, MRLS
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Listeria Infection
Treatments Your Vet May Recommend
A way to resolve the condition or diagnosis. Resolving the underlying cause or treating the signs of disease (symptomatic treatment)
Very Common
Less Common