Owner satisfaction and animal welfare after bilateral enucleation in horses

Bilateral enucleation in horses represents a challenging decision for owners, undertaken to relieve chronic, untreatable ocular pain. Emotional distress and uncertainty regarding postoperative welfare often lead to euthanasia instead of surgery.

To evaluate owner perceptions of equine quality of life before and after bilateral enucleation, and to assess satisfaction with the procedure.

Retrospective case series.

Medical records from 21 horses that underwent bilateral enucleation between 2016 and 2024 were reviewed. Owners completed a structured survey assessing satisfaction, pain, activity, tactile sensitivity, and overall well-being before and after surgery.

The mean age at the time of the second or bilateral enucleation was 20.6 ± 4.1 years (range: 12-26 years), with Appaloosa (62%) predominating. Equine recurrent uveitis accounted for 95% of cases. Owners reported improvements in all assessed welfare-related parameters following surgery. The median satisfaction score was 5/5 (IQR 4-5, range 4-5), and the median likelihood to recommend the procedure was 4/5 (IQR 4-5, range 3-5). All horses were reported by their owners to show improved quality of life, with most of them returning to their previous levels of activity.

Retrospective design, reliance on owner-reported data-which may be subject to recall and selection biases-a relatively small sample size, and the absence of objective clinical follow-up to confirm the reported outcomes.

Bilateral enucleation was associated with owner-reported improvements in equine welfare and high owner satisfaction, suggesting it may represent a viable alternative to euthanasia in horses with chronic ocular pain.