01/02/2023
Home Remedies & Acupressure for 'Gunky Eye'
First of all, I'd like to preface this post with the statement: I'm not a vet. If your horse has a condition that your unsure of, take him to a vet for a diagnosis.
With that said, occasionally my horses get gunky eyes for one reason or another, and I usually just treat it myself. Three of them have the eye gunk currently, so I'm guessing that it's some sort of viral conjunctivitis (pink eye). I thought I'd share a couple homemade remedies for treating conjunctivitis in horses and a few acupressure points that can help clear up eye problems.
Here are the remedies (borrowed from an equine rescue website):
Conjuntivitis Remedy #1
:
Steep several tea bags ( black tea is strongest ) in a cup of hot water (distilled water is safest). Bring to lukewarm temperature. Wash each eye with soggy tea bag saturated in tea. Wash carefully, do not break open the tea bag. Use several tea bags for each eye to make sure the eye is thoroughly cleansed and do not use same tea bag on both eyes, it could cause contamination. Do not dip tea bag back into tea, this will contaminate tea mixture, also. The tannin in tea has antibiotic properties.
Conjunctivitis Remedy #2:
Using unpasteurized honey, mix 3 tbs. honey in 2 cups of boiling water (distilled water is safest). Stir to dissolve, cool, and use as an eye wash. Unpasteurized honey has antibiotic properties.
Note: I haven't used either of these remedies yet, but I plan to as soon as I can get the ingredients. I'll probably try the first remedy since tea is cheaper!
