Page 11 - Summer 17

“Capriciosa”18-year-old mare with depression from being totally blind caused by Equine Recurrent Uveitis. By Stefan Kholrausch, Spain
Capriciosa has once been a beautiful horse of Pura Rassa Espaniola with a lot of character, which means that she has been very difficult to ride. This is why the former owner had bought her from a military stable, because he likes to work with strong characters. The mare has lived all her life in Andalucia in Spain, where a German optician fell in love with her during her riding vacation and bought her but left her in the old stable to come back regularly for riding vacation.
The coming years, Capriciosa started to have repeated eye inflammations, which had always been treated with antibiotics and cortisone for some time. This time it did not really help any more and the owner of the stable had realised that she would become scared more easily and insecure when ridden, which she had never been before. She could not judge distances any more and at one point, riding her became dangerous. Especially at dawn or during nighttime, she wanted to stay inside the stable. It was at this point that I was called to see the horse, which lives 2,5 hours away. I had to diagnose complete blindness on both eyes due to the Periodic Eye inflammations (Recurrent Uveitis, Moon blindness).
The owner was married to a very strong and friendly dominant man and after some years she was in the period of breaking this relationship but emotionally did not completely get divorced, when the horse fell ill. For me this was important for finding the right remedy, as the same happened to the horse. The visits to Spain became more rare and shorter than usual and more stressful, as it broke up the wounds of the relationship.
Clinical signs: From both eyes, a mucous thick pussy secretion was running all days. The conjunctivas were red and swollen and sensitive to touch. From the right ear a fistulous inflammation suppurated mucous stinky liquid all day for some weeks already.
Fear/Insecurity: It was completely impossible to get the horse out of the stable, neither with force nor with patience for some weeks. Not even her dear horse friend could make her move through the stable door into the yard, which she knew very well.
Emotional: She seemed to be very depressed, not interested in anyone, not even the owner. She wanted to be left alone and had aversion to be touched. Her look was old and the former big
muscles of the back and hind legs were waning already after two weeks of not moving at all.
Social behaviour: Capriciosa was the queen of the alpha male, Max, who always protected the mare. She had many fights with other mares but finally she gave up. Riding in a group she had to be the first, never second, and she was a fearless leader, even in traffic. She never was really integrated in the heard, stood alone when Max was not there.
Her general character, as the owner and stable personnel explained, had been tainted by a very long lasting process fighting scepticism and cautiousness and still she is not 100%. She is very proud and selective. At the same time she has a highly-strung temperament and a tendency to want to speed up in a scary way and on the other hand she needs sensitivity in the leading hand. Thoughts are enough to make her understand. She is like a black Panther: powerful, elastic and with elegant movements.
Sexual: Her sexual drive is very high, symptoms of being in season are very intense, even nymphomaniac from time to time, but for the last six month she has not shown any signs of being in season. Her second beloved male horse was “Cheronimo”, whom she lost, because his owner bought a second horse and wanted Capriciosa to be kept at a distance. Owner & horse: The owner describes her relationship with Capriciosa to be like her best friend, like a twin sister and she is very sad to having lost her.
Prognosis and Prospection: Everybody had the impression that this horse for the moment has no more quality of life and as the eyesight is gone a cure seems to be impossible. There was the question of euthanasia.
Therapy and Prospection: If the depression and refusal of leaving the stable will not ameliorate within 4 weeks the horse will be euthanised.
Case Analysis: Suspicious towards animals and humans but very confident with the environment. On one hand connected but still separate. Being apart from others without friends. Sexual nymphomaniac. The remedy has to have very aggressive defence abilities without desire to fight; sensitivity with aversion to hard-handed treatment, which leads to loosing the gained trust.
Clinical: Recurrent Uveitis resulting in blindness, mucous secretion from ear and eyes.
Miasm: the dynamic of the periodic eye inflammation and the character indicate cancer miasm.
Kingdom: Could be plant or animal (Lac lupinum)
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