Bridger's Eye Surgery

I ended up hauling horses to and from the vet hospital three days in a row last week ... no wonder it seemed like I was on the road to Missoula a lot!  On Wednesday I had taken Lena in to see the vet and picked up Copper Kid to bring him back to the ranch.  On Thursday morning, we were out checking on horses in the pasture when I noticed blind Bridger's right eye seemed a bit squinty.  I went up to investigate, and found he had a corneal ulcer that was eating into his eye.  Uh oh.  Sometimes if we catch them early enough we can begin treating these ulcers ourselves, but not this one.  He needed to get to the clinic. 

So we brought Bridger and his girlfriend blind Madison in from pasture and put them in a corral while I brought the truck and horse trailer around to Beauty's Barn.  I took this photo of Alayne holding Bridger just before we loaded him.  You can see that right eye looks uncomfortable, and it was.

I had already called Dr. Erin Taylor at Blue Mountain Veterinary Hospital to let her know about our newest problem.  I drove Bridger into Missoula and left him at the clinic for Erin to see when she returned from another case.  She called after examining him, and we concluded that the best thing to do was remove the eye.  The ulcer had already done a lot of damage, and the fastest, surest way to give him relief was to take the eye out.  With these blind guys, all they know is the pain is gone.  So Erin operated Thursday evening, and Bridger came through the surgery just fine.

I took this photo of Erin with Bridger on Friday afternoon, when I drove back to Missoula to pick him up.  I could tell he was already feeling better.  Eyes can be incredibly painful, and  so the relief is immense.  Erin and the team at Blue Mountain did a wonderful job of caring for this boy. 

And since his lovebug Madison is missing an eye, the two of them will now be a matched set.  Speaking of Madison, she began whinnying to Bridger in the trailer as we pulled up to the barn -- "I just know you're in there!" -- and the two of them started calling to each other like they'd been separated for years, not 24 hours.  After I unloaded Bridger, I could barely hold onto him as he tried to race from the trailer to the corral to rejoin her.  When I finally got him into the corral, they went right up to each other, face to face, and then put their heads over each other's necks.  And I swear I could hear them sigh.  It was just the cutest thing.

(Click on photos for larger image.)

Comments

[Kari]

Bridger is so sweet and the devotion he and Madison share is endlessly touching. Thank you, thank you for sharing so much. I learn so much from your posts and can relate to a lot of it.

We had to put a pony down last week. She was suffering terribly and very weak from years of untreated Cushings disease. Her pasture mate cried and cried for her when we took her out of the pasture. It was gut wrenching.
It is so nice when they get to be reunited instead of having to be separated.

I can see and feel the love that you have for your beautiful family of horses, dogs and cats. I consider it a gift to be able to volunteer at a sanctuary. To make it a life's work is what you have and you share it so beautifully. Thank you.

P.S. How's Copper Kid? At Horses' Haven we have recently acquired a former police horse named Copper. He's 100% healthy; they just did not need him anymore and didn't want him to end up at auction - thank goodness!

[Boundforglory]

I can only imagine how sensitive Bridger's eye was. Guess these ulcers do come on fast, you posted he and Madison a little over a week ago and wham....big change. Thanks for doing a fine job on the surgery Dr. Taylor!
Bridger and Madison's connection IS heartwarming; I'm glad they were apart for just a day.

[Amy]

I'm so glad Bridger is well again and reunited with his love. Animals, "handicapped" or not, can teach us lesser beings so much about life and love! I wish I could find a love like Bridger & Madison's. I know it sounds corny but I think animal lovers might understand.

[Shirley & James]

These stories fill my heart with so much joy!