westielover Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 My westie has what the vet refer's to as an indolent ulcer on his cornea. It's been there for about 2 months and after trying different eye drops/ointments it just won't go away. The vet 'scratched' the ulcer with a fine needle to make it slightly worse in an attempt to get the ulcer to heal - but nope - it's still there. My westie has dry eye - but his tear levels have increased from about 2mm to almost 20mm with the use of cyclosporin. One of his eyes is only at about 15mm and this is the eye with the ulcer. The vet has advised that the dry eye is probably not helping the ulcer heal. Has anyone been thru this with their dog and has the ulcer gone away? if so, how was it treated? Some days his eye is really good and other days he constantly winks with that eye - which obviously means the eye is irritating him ir perhaps even sore. I hate seeing my little pooch in pain. Thanks in advance for your replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavandra Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 Yes I have dealt with various ulcers over the years, usually always starting from a scratch from playing too rough, however, one was not clearing up, and it was discovered she actually had a tiny piece of a thorn in the eye, I had her eye removed as it was the best solution from too much damage. The foreign body was discovered by knocking her out & getting it under a microscope, she had her eye removed at around 8 weeks of age .......... I have had 2 others where the best solution was to have their eye stitched shut to allow the healing, theirs started from conjuctivitis, and rubbing the itchy eye with dew claws caused a scratch....and my most recent one was one the other week Vet rubbed back with a cotton bud (I am not sure at all about scratching it with a needle ) When did this Dry eye happen? the reason I ask is that I find many Vets dont understand eyes, and some breeds stop tear production when injury occurs, which exacerbates the problem, but GP Vets often get it the wrong way round & say they must have Dry Eye which has caused the ulcer.......My breed is one that tears will slow up from an injury, but due to Dry eye being a "problem" in the breed GP Vets presume that is what they have!!!!!!!! get my drift??? Your dog needs to be checked that there is not a tiny foreign body in his eye firstly, and then I would be having it stitched closed for a while, the longer it goes on the higher risk of long term damage, I would be expecting the Vet to have consulted the opthalmologist about it by now, as it is obvious his treatment is not working. The Cyclosporin is probably not a good option if he doesnt actually have Dry eye pre diagnosed before this ulcer. Tricin is normally a great cream that fixes ulcers in a few days, my last one was on alternate ointments of Genteal moisturising drops from the chemist (which the eye specialist uses) and Illium Opticin. He had his rubbed back once, and they made it so bad I didnt allow them to do it again (I think they forgot to anaesthetise the eye first) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westielover Posted July 31, 2007 Author Share Posted July 31, 2007 Many thanks for your reply Cavandra - full of good info. I'm sorry to hear about you girl having her eye removed. Actually - I got the scratching with a needle bit wrong - he did do it with a cotton bud - I have a bad memory. He actually teased me with the needle which is why I only remember the needle and not the cotton bud! I am guessing that my boy either scratched his eye with his dew claw or perhaps my Brittany poked him in the eye during a play session (my brittany paws my westie in the face a lot when they play ) The dry eye was diagnosed months before the ulcer. We have been using cyclosporin for about 6 months and the tear test results had improved dramatically - almost 2cm in both eyes. Now that he has the ulcer - the vet is saying that it's taking longer to heal because of the dry eye! So far we have tried 2 different types of ointment and eye drops and the ulcer has not improved. I hate seeing my dog in any sort of pain so I am getting a bit annoyed that the ulcer isn't going away. I was told that the ointment was to keep the eye moist and also to keep bacterial infections at bay. Ok - so I need to demand that his eye is checked for foreign objects and then ask to be referred to an opthamologist. Do I have to be referred or can I just go to a specialist centre? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schnauzer Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 Hi Westielover, You need to be referred. There is a fantastic opthamologist at North Ryde, whom I took my dog to when he went blind. Would highly recommend him - Dr. Mark Billson. I hope he's ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavandra Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 Hmmm different kettle of fish having had Dry Eye first, as that will likely be the actual cause of the ulcer, it could be an ongoing problem for him, and as you know they are EXTREMELY painful I wouldnt be mucking around anymore, I would get to the Specialist asap, The only one I have seen is Bruce Robertson who is at Carlingford, but I guess North Ryde Specialist center is closer to you........ Best wishes for the little bloke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westielover Posted July 31, 2007 Author Share Posted July 31, 2007 I phoned my vet today and asked about being referred to a specialist. My vet suggested that my westie goes under GA to have his eyes checked for any debris in his eye etc. If no debris then he wll perform a full lateral keratotomy (I think that's what he called it) - ie remove the ulcerated layer of the cornea ....... Does this sound right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schnauzer Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 Hi Westielover, Is your vet an eye specialist? If not then I would see the specialist first and go from there. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavandra Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 I phoned my vet today and asked about being referred to a specialist. My vet suggested that my westie goes under GA to have his eyes checked for any debris in his eye etc. If no debris then he wll perform a full lateral keratotomy (I think that's what he called it) - ie remove the ulcerated layer of the cornea .......Does this sound right? The trouble is shouldnt this have been looked at first, it is not natural for ulcers to take months to heal, and I would be questioning how much knowledge of eyes your Vet has...........If this procedure doesnt work what happens then? What is the long term treatment for this boy considering his Dry eye , the Specialists have those answers, I think you have wasted enough time & money on guess work so far...........JMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westielover Posted July 31, 2007 Author Share Posted July 31, 2007 Thanks Cavandra & Schnauzer - will give this some thought. My vet is normally terrific and I normally trust him implicitly. He did say that he could do the surgery himself or he can refer me to the specialist ......first appt with specialist at Nth Ryde would be 9th Aug ...... arrrgghhhh decisions, decisions. Does Bruce Robertson require a referral Cavandra? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 Does Bruce Robertson require a referral Cavandra? He does require a referral, but you might be able to get an appointment sooner than with the VSC . There ane also two ophthalmologists at the Animal Referral Hospital - the main clinic is in Strathfield but there is a branch clinic at Baulkham Hills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbesotted Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 I have had similar problems with a lamb. tried everything conventional to no avail. Tried cod liver oil. Pierced capsule and placed two drops in each eye twice a day... bingo! worked a treat. I came across the idea after reading about an eye surgeon who recommends this treatment for eye ulcers in humans that do not respond to conventional treatment. ] Cheers H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westielover Posted July 31, 2007 Author Share Posted July 31, 2007 Thanks for the info Rappie and DB - cod liver oil sounds interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emilee Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 There is a website that documents the use of cod liver oil with eye ulcers http://www.yp-connect.net/~macman/eye/ you will have to copy paste that because I haven't mastered adding a link yet Having had recent experience with an indolent ulcer I know they can take forever to heal, just google "indolent ulcer" and it will give you heaps of information, some take up to six months to heal up. Your vet sounds like he knows what he is talking about, we ended up having the ulcer abraded, then a third eyelid flap done (under a general) The third eyelid flap acts as a "bandage" over the surface of the eye so that healing can take place. It worked wonderfully, when the stitches were taken out the ulcer was gone, this was after a month of ointments and creams and investigation of the eye. Good luck, I hope all goes well for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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