Miss Squish Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 (edited) My current foster dog a Shar pei has "dry eye" her Schirmer test result was 8mm which is not good. Her vision is not 100% but is good enough to lead a perfectly normal life!She does have drops(artificial tears) at least once daily in her eyes sometimes 3 times a day & is such a good girl. She will stay perfectly still for both eye drops as she knows she gets a treat after :p We met with a potential new family for her today, who are very willing to do her eyes everyday & they would be perfect for her Im just after anyones experience with this condition to pass on info to any potential new owners I did find info after googling "dry eye" on liquid capsules for this condition that can be added to food once a day? has anyone tried these? Info on dry eye! http://www.darwinvets.com/dogs/kcs.htm Edited August 22, 2009 by Miss Squish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosepup Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 Zoe had dry eye quite a few years ago. She had 0mm in one eye on her Schirmer test! I seem to recall she was treated with human eye drops which were actually put into her food. It cleared up eventually and she has her eyes tested at least once a year and no real problems since. She has had a few eye ulcers and a torn lens (keeps us on our toes this old gal!!) but no recurrence of the dry eye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wazzat Xolo Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 One of my Cresteds had a dry eye, the tear duct was not present at all, so it was a cse of drops three times a day to stop the sandpaper blink everytime she blinked! I myself could not guarantee that she could be medicated often enough so I had the eye removed. I would not trust anyone to say they can DROP the eye three times a day and believe that they will do it continously ( work, holiday, boarding commitments etc). This was my case and I would remove the eye in preference to relying on someone to medicate her, just in case they forgot! By the Way she still lives with me at six years old@!!! J My current foster dog a Shar pei has "dry eye" her Schirmer test result was 8mm which is not good. Her vision is not 100% but is good enough to lead a perfectly normal life!She does have drops(artificial tears) at least once daily in her eyes sometimes 3 times a day & is such a good girl. She will stay perfectly still for both eye drops as she knows she gets a treat after :p We met with a potential new family for her today, who are very willing to do her eyes everyday & they would be perfect for her Im just after anyones experience with this condition to pass on info to any potential new owners I did find info after googling "dry eye" on liquid capsules for this condition that can be added to food once a day? has anyone tried these? Info on dry eye! http://www.darwinvets.com/dogs/kcs.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cockerlover Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 I have a bitch here with dry eye ,that came on with age , she is treated twice daily with Optimmune ointment (i might add a exremly expensive way of keeping her comfortable ) I have tried cheaper versions to no avail. I would also be very gratefull for further advise ,but imo eye removl would be a drastic move .,it is a big commitment though to apply without fail every day & i find if i forget ,the eyes certainly look a lot worse . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfin Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 http://www.animaleyecare.com.au/aec/dryeye.html Optimmune is very effective in most KCS cases. It is not a very strong form of Cyclosporin (an immuno-suppressant), only 0.4% if I remember correctly. It is also quite costly. We use Cyclosporin in a 1% or 2% solution, and if that doesn't work, we use Tacrolimus, which is a next-generation immuno-suppressant. These medications are not cheap, but are cheaper than Optimmune. Oral medication (pilocarpine) for dry eye is only effective in cases of neurogenic dry eye, which is not common. It also makes the animal very nauseous. Hope this helps... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InspectorRex Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 I had a dog with this many years ago and the thing that worked the best and actually cleared the problem was to make up a pot of tea, cool in fridge and then dip some cotton wool in the tea and bath the eye twice a day with it( this was a suggestion from our Vet). The natuyral Tanine that is in tea is very beneficial to the health of eyes. She was on Optiimmune but yes it is very expensive so Vet suggested the above and within 2-3 weeks her eyes were "normal" again and then I just did a "maintenance" of bathing her eyes in the cool tea every other day and the problem never reoccured. I always keep tea in the cupboard now for the "just in case" situations but is it always important to have a Vet examine the eye/s first for foreign bodies, scratches etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfin Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 I had a dog with this many years ago and the thing that worked the best and actually cleared the problem was to make up a pot of tea, cool in fridge and then dip some cotton wool in the tea and bath the eye twice a day with it( this was a suggestion from our Vet). The natuyral Tanine that is in tea is very beneficial to the health of eyes.She was on Optiimmune but yes it is very expensive so Vet suggested the above and within 2-3 weeks her eyes were "normal" again and then I just did a "maintenance" of bathing her eyes in the cool tea every other day and the problem never reoccured. I always keep tea in the cupboard now for the "just in case" situations but is it always important to have a Vet examine the eye/s first for foreign bodies, scratches etc. Calendula tea works really well for conjunctivitis and allergic conjunctivitis, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InspectorRex Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Yes it does too Elfin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puglvr Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 One of my pug girls nearly lost her eye years ago due to an accident and she has low tear production. I have found that the gel based eye drops work best with her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfin Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 I just worked out what liquid capsules you were talking about.... Atopica, which is an oral form of cyclosporin. It is HIDEOU$LY expensive (just ask anyone that uses it for skin probs!), and it acts on the entire system as an immune suppressant, not just on the eyes like topical medications do. Needless to say, we don't use it, although apparently it works quite well. An excellent gel-based lubricant that you can get very cheap from the chemist is Viscotears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Squish Posted August 23, 2009 Author Share Posted August 23, 2009 Thanks for the replies Stellas does have dry eye in both eyes,so it wouldnt be good to remove both her eyes they are really clear since using the drops & dont seem to bother her at all. I will try the Viscotears & the tea to see how she goes & also pass on all this info to her new owners. One possible home has an older boxer with a dry eye & another works full time with wildlife, koalas, so Im sure they both know what they are in for & would be committed to putting drops in her eyes for the rest of her life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InspectorRex Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Yes I too would steer clear of Atopica- can bring the immune system down.Not allowed in this household either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puggy_puggy Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Has she seen an eye specalist? If she has big eyelid openings she could have corner eyelid closures to make them smaller and reduce the amount of eye exposed. Does she have pigementary keratitis due to the dry eye? Tacrolimus is the new generation of Cyclosporin and much much more effective. (It is used in humans generally to stop organ rejection after transplants and they are now using Tacrolimus instead of the older Cyclosporin as well.) At present it's really only the eye specalists that will make up the Tacrolimus drops. The specalist I use over here in Melbourne makes the drops up for about $60. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 (edited) I have always used Optimmune in rescues and I swear by it. We have had fabulous results, particularly in reversing pigment discolouration. If dry eye is not treated, the dog will develop a condition called pigmentary keratitis. In advanced cases this can cause permanent blindness. This is what the eyes of a Pug look like with advanced pigmentary keratitis...do whatever you can to treat the condition rather than let them lose sight. You can see how you can not see any whites of the eye and there is muck stuck to the eyeball. It is very painful. It is like they are looking through a brown curtain that gets heavier and thicker until they can only pick light and dark... and sometimes not even that. To think this is preventable kills me... so many rescues have come in with little sight because of dry eye; Edited August 23, 2009 by PugRescueSydney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanglen Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 I have just inherited a rescue with dry eye, 3/4 pug, 1/4 maltese, very handsome and exceptionally loving fellow but only 5 months old, has a corenal ulcer and dry eye. Has been started on a whole bunch of meds for the ulcer and dry eye and hoping to be able to avoid the third eyelid flap but will be hoping to rehome him with optimmune for life to keep him comfortable, right now you wouldn't pick he has an issue but come night time before meds nd you can pick it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfin Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 I have just inherited a rescue with dry eye, 3/4 pug, 1/4 maltese, very handsome and exceptionally loving fellow but only 5 months old, has a corenal ulcer and dry eye. Has been started on a whole bunch of meds for the ulcer and dry eye and hoping to be able to avoid the third eyelid flap but will be hoping to rehome him with optimmune for life to keep him comfortable, right now you wouldn't pick he has an issue but come night time before meds nd you can pick it. Being pug x maltese, he probably has oversized eyelid openings, so the tear film is inadequate to protect the cornea. He would be producing enough tears, they are just not "thick" enough as they have so much area to cover. (Hard to explain without diagrams and extravagant hand movements!) Corner closure (where the eyelid openings are made slightly smaller) would may solve his problem and prevent you having to use daily medications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfin Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 puggy puggy and Pug Rescue Sydney, Cyclosporin is excellent for reducing pigment, isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Cyclosporin I believe is the active ingredient. Optimmune is the drug name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puggy_puggy Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 puggy puggy and Pug Rescue Sydney, Cyclosporin is excellent for reducing pigment, isn't it? Yes I have seen great results with Cyclosporin but have seen even more fantastic results with Tacrolimus. I would recommend to anyone that has a dog with PK, no matter what the cause of it is (dry eye, entropion, injury), to give their dog a go on the Tacrolimus. It takes several months to start seeing results if the PK is bad but you will see them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Squish Posted August 29, 2009 Author Share Posted August 29, 2009 (edited) Stella is booked in for Thursday to see an eye specialist Ill be back with an update after her appointment ;) Edited August 29, 2009 by Miss Squish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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