Third Eyelid Removal in Horses: Options Compared (AAEP 2011)

Removal of the equine third eye lid using sedation and local anesthesia appears to be safe and effective.
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Avoiding general anesthesia for surgery in horses, when possible, is not only safer for the horse and surgeons but also more economical for the owner. However, not all surgeries can be performed without anesthesia, partly because the procedure is too uncomfortable for the horse to remain awake (even if sedated and given pain medications) and also because the area being operated on might be too hard to reach in the awake animal. A surgery that could go either way is removal of the third eyelid due to cancer; an equine ophthalmologist recently presented research on the two anesthesia approaches at the American Association of Equine Practitioners convention, held Nov. 18–22 in San Antonio, Texas.

Surgeons perform nictitating membrane (third eyelid) removal most frequently in horses with squamous cell carcinoma of the third eyelid. A successful outcome means complete removal of the third eyelid to ensure all cancer cells have been removed and the tumor does not recur.

Amber Labelle, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVO, assistant professor of comparative ophthalmology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital, said, “Proving that the method of anesthesia does not influence the rate of recurrence encourages veterinarians to perform the procedure under local anesthesia, which is safer for the patient.

"The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes of horses which had their third eyelids surgically removed using sedation and local anesthesia with those who had them removed under general anesthesia. Our hypothesis was that recurrence of cancer would not be more common in the local anesthesia group than it was in the general anesthesia group

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Written by:

Stacey Oke, MSc, DVM, is a practicing veterinarian and freelance medical writer and editor. She is interested in both large and small animals, as well as complementary and alternative medicine. Since 2005, she’s worked as a research consultant for nutritional supplement companies, assisted physicians and veterinarians in publishing research articles and textbooks, and written for a number of educational magazines and websites.

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