Cactus Jack the blind horse
Cactus Jack belonged to a woman in Spokane, Washington, who could no longer care for him once he went blind from glaucoma.
Our only concern about taking a horse with glaucoma – our first with that particular disease – was that we didn't have a way to measure the intraocular pressure (or IOP) in the eye. The IOP readings tell you how much pressure has built up in the eye, which indicates the degree of glaucoma, the level of discomfort, and whether treatment is making any progress.
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Most vets don't have a Tono-Pen, a hand-held device that measures eye pressure. They're expensive (about $3,000 for a new one), glaucoma is relatively rare, and many vets can't justify the investment. Our equine vet was one of those. So we wrote to Medtronic, the manufacturer, and asked if the company would consider donating a Tono-Pen to the sanctuary.
We were amazed when three weeks later, Medtronic shipped us a refurbished Tono-Pen. Even refurbished models still sell for around $1,500, so this was an incredible donation. (Thank you, Medtronic!) Our equine vet learned how to use it, and now we can keep track of Cactus Jack's glaucoma.
Soon after arriving, this big gray horse found himself teaching manners. We had a scrawny little blind Appaloosa named Kiowa who had been a stud, and despite being gelded before arriving, he still carried too much testosterone. So Kiowa tried to pick fights with every other horse here.
Finally we put him with Cactus Jack, thinking surely Kiowa wouldn't try to fight a horse this big. Wrong. For two hours Kiowa picked on Cactus Jack, who kept turning away, trying to avoid a confrontation. Finally, he'd had enough and turned the tables. Five minutes later, Kiowa was pressed up against the barn wall, conceding defeat. That was the end of Mr. Stud. Today they are the best of friends and hang out together on pasture, as you can see from the photo above.
