corvus Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 (edited) Erik has been having recurring problems in one eye. It started a few months ago with squinting. No ulcer and the vet prescribed some Amacin. It cleared up almost right away. About 2 weeks later, he was squinting again and we treated again with Amacin and it cleared up after a few days. Then again, about a week later it recurred, worse this time and E was obviously not a happy chappy. Took him to the vet and they checked for an ulcer but no sign of one. By the following afternoon he had an alarming crater in his eye. We had him sedated for a thorough check and clean, but there was nothing in there but a big fat puncture-like wound. Changed ointment and he went onto antibiotics. It took about a month all up for it to heal, but there was never any vascularisation. Now, three weeks later, he has another ulcer in the same eye, same place. Again, it is deep and we need to keep a very close watch on it. AFAIK there was no trauma at all. He was at the beach yesterday afternoon, but no rough play and nothing to run into. He was fine last night. This morning he was squinting. I thought he might have some sand in there and flushed it with some saline and a syringe. Over the next few hours it got worse and I got a vet appointment. The vet thinks it is unusual for these problems to be recurring in the same eye over short periods of time. We have a basic plan to treat this one and if it happens again in the next few months, we'll take him to an eye specialist. The vet didn't seem to have much of an idea what the specialist might be looking for. He had a tear production test today that went fine. I've not heard of any eye problems in Vallhunds that could be traced to anything in particular. I talked about it with Erik's breeder back before all this started. I understood there is a very low incidence of eye problems in the breed and it was unknown what the cause was. Has anyone seen anything like this happen? What could be going on with that eye? Edited June 6, 2011 by corvus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyesblue Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 No ideas on what maybe wrong with your dog but i can recommend an eye specialist in Sydney - Jeff Smith. Our foxie x had re occuring eye ulcers and it turned out she was not born with a tear duct to that eye so it was forever drying out. Jeff took one look at it and told us exactly what was wrong - it had regular vet puzzled for months. It will be the best $150 you will spend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 (edited) Has he been sedated and checked for distichiasis and/or etopic cilla? http://www.animaleye...ases/canine.htm 3. DISTICHIASIS AND ECTOPIC CILIA. Eyelids of dogs can grow abnormal hairs. These hairs grow from the oil glands (Meibomian glands) of the lids and are called distichia if the hair protrudes from the oil gland opening onto the edge of the eyelid. Distichia are often irritating, especially if the hairs are long and stiff. Ectopic cilia are also hairs growing from oil glands on the eyelid, but the hair protrudes from the inner surface of the eyelid and is very painful, often causing corneal ulcers. *efs Edited May 30, 2011 by SecretKei Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty Miss Emma Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 After going through all of Em's eye issues since last October all I can say is just go to the eye specialist. They know what they're talking about and even if it's just about giving you peace of mind at least then you can be assured that the treatment the vet is dishing out is the right thing and it's not a problem that's getting worse because it wasn't dealt with properly earlier. To be honest I didn't find it too expensive for Em with her first check and her follow up checks have also been pretty reasonable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 (edited) If it keeps happening in the same spot, it could be an extra eyelash (distichia) or an ectopic cilia. These are eyelashes that are growing in the wrong spot, and can rub on the cornea. I did a little google and found that SV can be affected by distichias. I would be heading to a specialist to get to the root of the problem (pardon the pun). It could also be that the ulcer has never healed properly and just needs different medication. http://www.swedishvallhund.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/NewsletterUpdate2007.pdf Edited May 30, 2011 by Kirty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted May 30, 2011 Author Share Posted May 30, 2011 Thanks for that document, Kirty. OH came home from one of our vet checks last time saying something about irritating hairs in Erik's eye. I asked if he had them or if he might have had them and he said he thought it was the latter. We are back to the vet on Wednesday, so I will talk to them then about seeing a specialist. I think it's very suspicious for the same eye to be affected so often. It is really unpleasant for my poor little guy. I hate seeing him all sad and sorry for himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 How old is Erik? I would have thought that disticiasis would have been causing him problems in the first year of life? Have you got a magnifying glass? If you can use that in good light, you should be able to see any extra hairs, especially if you can move the light source around a bit. Sand, grit, allergies could be other causes, especially if he rubs the same part of his eye as that is the part most easily reached. Be interesting to hear what the specialist suggests it could be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 I second the suggestion of a referral to a canine eye specialist. My vet fiddled around with Faith's eye for 6 weeks. He even put her under a GA and did his version of a grid keratotomy all to no avail. I was taking her to see him at least once a week and I was putting drops in every day that were stinging the poor old girl's eye. All up the vets fees were $1780 with nil result. I don't think vets know much about eyes, much the same as GP's. Eventually the vet referred us to a specialist after I said I wasn't happy about putting my elderly dog though all this and getting nowhere. Specialist had one look and said yep, he can fix that and fix it he did. I took her there the morning after the initial consult and she was done without the need for a GA and I picked her up 1 1/2 hours later. She had a contact lens in to protect the eye in 10 days at her post op check everything had healed perfectly and we had no further problems. His fee was about $780 all up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Distichia can be present from a young age, but they can also develop or change as the dog grows. It might just be one stubborn hair or there might be a small cluster. They don't just go away on their own though unfortunately. They can be plucked out for immediate relief, but they will eventually grow back unless they are removed properly (cut out or frozen). But it might not be distichia at all. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Cavnrot, my old girl also had a contact lens fitted for the same thing and it cured the problem (although she later developed a dry eye and needed daily drops) but it was done by my normal vet (they are a pretty on the ball bunch at my practise) but in the case of recuring problems, I agree with the others and a specialist should save a lot of time and money in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Any eye problem beyond simple conjuctivitis or anything that doesn't clear up in a week, needs the attention of an eye specialist. Don't mess around with eyes, permanent damage can occur very quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted May 30, 2011 Author Share Posted May 30, 2011 He's nearly 2. Our vet clinic has a vet that has done extra courses in eye medicine. I might see if I can get in to see her on Wednesday. They are pretty good about referring up there and she will be able to give me more information. I don't really want to just wait and see if it happens again. It's a fairly big deal to look after him when he has a sore eye, and I don't want him going through it yet again if we can prevent it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Cavnrot, my old girl also had a contact lens fitted for the same thing and it cured the problem (although she later developed a dry eye and needed daily drops) but it was done by my normal vet (they are a pretty on the ball bunch at my practise) but in the case of recuring problems, I agree with the others and a specialist should save a lot of time and money in the long run. It seems the contact lens does a good job of protecting the eye. The specialist performed a corneal debridement and a grid keratotomy before placing the contact lense in. If I recall she did need antibiotic drops for a few days after her post op check up. It was all good from then on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagmar Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 He's nearly 2. Our vet clinic has a vet that has done extra courses in eye medicine. I might see if I can get in to see her on Wednesday. They are pretty good about referring up there and she will be able to give me more information. I don't really want to just wait and see if it happens again. It's a fairly big deal to look after him when he has a sore eye, and I don't want him going through it yet again if we can prevent it. If he was my dog, I would go to an eye specialist right away. Normal vets do not have the expensive tools to check a dogs eye properly. My dogs had corneal ulcers and they are VERY painful. My previous vet actually suggested to stitch the eye closed for a while! Thank god I refused and went to an eye specialist and within only a few days they were fine. Dagmar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vetrg Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 (edited) If he has distichia (extra eyelashes) some will be present all the time but these rarely cause ulceration just irritation. If he has an ectopic cilia (single hair/ clump of hairs that comes out on the inside of the eyelid these pretty much always cause ulcers. Just like any hair they grow, sit there for a bit, fall out, rest then regrow. If there is not irritation and the ulcer has healed I would hang fire to take him to the specialist until he is sore again as they won't see the hair if it isn't there to be seen! Any ulcer that hasn't healed in 7 days either has an underlying cause that is still present or is "indolent" and may benefit from specialist examination. Indolent ulcers woiuld be REALLY uncommon in a 2 years old dog, they are associated with middle age. I would definately be looking for the ectopic cilia/ FB in this dog Edited May 31, 2011 by vetrg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Indolent ulcers woiuld be REALLY uncommon in a 2 years old dog, they are associated with middle age. I would definately be looking for the ectopic cilia/ FB in this dog I concur. It may require sedation and magnification to find them, but for a recurrent ulceration like you describe I'd be looking for sources of chronic irritation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted June 1, 2011 Author Share Posted June 1, 2011 So, I've been treating the current ulcer for two days. It is still visible without the dye. I'm assuming it would be a good time to visit the specialist if we want to do that this time 'round? I've pretty much decided that's what I want to do, and OH is in agreement. It did take a long time to heal last time. After a week they were pretty happy with it, but still wanted to keep an eye on it because of the lack of vascularisation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vetrg Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Definitely a good time to go, especially if the ulcer is deep enough to see with the naked eye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I would take him now. Let us know how he goes if you do take him to see the specialist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty Miss Emma Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Straight off to the specialist! I know it's sort of hard to make that jump, but you'll be glad they are just so knowledgable and will probably be able to sort it all out for you with relative ease. Good luck, let us know how you go. After our trials and tribulations I'm getting a bit of a soft spot for dogs with eye problems!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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