Owner satisfaction and animal welfare after bilateral enucleation in horses

BACKGROUND: 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. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate owner perceptions of equine quality of life before and after bilateral enucleation, and to assess satisfaction with the procedure. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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. MAIN LIMITATIONS: 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. CONCLUSION: 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.