ABSOLUTELY GUTTED

[Loving my Oldies]

I started fostering two little Pekingese sisters in October 2021, so approximately 16 months ago.  Rescued from a hoarding situation by the RSPCA, they were transferred to Denise At Paws rescue group.  To cut a long story short, while the last thing I needed was more dogs, Shala was besotted with them and from a shy, behind-the-door little girl, she really opened up and started to be a frisky little dog, asking for pets, etc etc.  Every time adoption was mentioned, I would tear up thinking of the loss for Shala .... and the rest is history, as they say.  

 

They have had a couple of eye operations to open up their eyes and to excise some of the folds and were on eye mediation for life.  I decided it was about time they had a check up, so I took them to the eye specialist yesterday expecting him to give them the once over and send them off.  Sadly and shockingly to me, this was far from the case.  

 

BUNCHES: Apparently she is completely blind in her right eye, has glaucoma probably caused by a completely dislodged lens which is sitting at an angle across the eye.  The specialist says her eye needs to be removed sooner rather than later.  I just can't believe it.  She has never (and I mean NEVER) showed any signs of being uncomfortable, let alone in pain.  

 

BEATRICE:  Both eyes have a lot of scar tissue which should be attended to asap.  Apparently, her sight would be like looking through scratched and dirty glasses.  She needs an operation to attend to the scar tissue and the specialist has recommended a slow release treatment (a bit like those given to women as a contraceptive) inserted above her eyes.  

 

His conclusion, verbatim:  these are very bad eyes.  

 

My poor babies.  I am in such shock and devastated that Bunches will lose an eye.  Apparently a prosthetic can be inserted, but it doesn't look like an eye and from the photos the specialist showed me, dogs who have these done look as though the eye has glaucoma.  I considered this for, yes, cosmetic reasons and also because I thought it might be more comfortable for Bunches in terms of keeping muscles in place, etc, but I am having my doubts about this.  

 

Has anyone any advice to give me?  I know eye removal is a fairly common operation, but I am really worried about my little Pekingese having these operations.  Because of the breed, the specialist has recommended getting in a specialist anaesthetist.  Has anyone ever had a prosthetic?

 

I'm feeling a bit defeated at the moment.  Needless to say, it is going to be hugely expensive, but the dogs' health and wellbeing come first.  They are on heaps of drops, so I have to gear up and be attentive.  

 

 

[Loving my Oldies]

 

 

 

 

Edited March 11, 2023 by Loving my Oldies

[jemappelle]

I've had a dog and a cat lose an eye.  In both instances they never looked back.  The next day both were more relaxed and playful than they had been for quite some time.  Eye problems are very painful, as I'm sure you know, and dogs are very stoic.  No prosthetic as their appearance didn't bother me and the fur grows back very quickly.

 

My first cattle dog was totally blind (and deaf) and she still lead a good life.  When we went up to the off lead area, she was onlead, but if I managed to drop her lead she was off!  They adapt very well.  

[Little Gifts]

So sad about this news LMO. Some amazing dogs get dealt real shitty hands. I've seen a few pei and kittens who have had their eyes removed. I feel scars like that are a badge of honour for their bravery and resilience. I personally have not experienced this but a small cat rescue group I support has had numerous ones. It is run by a vet nurse and called Gary and the Handicats. On FB under that name. I've met her when dropping off donations to her workplace and she is brilliant. Perhaps you could message her and ask about the pros and cons of it all? Over the years I have seen numerous cats and kittens on there who had to have one or both eyes removed.

 

My only thoughts on a prosthetic is maintenance. Does it all need cleaning and lubrication? Without that eye I'm sure Bunches will cope fine - she's already doing without it really, but of course the surgery is the first hump to get over. Please keep us updated about her. Big hugs to you.

Edited March 11, 2023 by Little Gifts

[Boronia]

Yesterday at The Dandie stand at Crufts

she doesn't care about her one-eyedness she has the best of lives

so just get the eye removed and don't bother with the prosthetic

xx

 

 

 

[Deeds]

Would you consider a 2nd opinion from another Eye Specialist?  More expense but If it comes to the same conclusion as the 1st Eye Specialist it may make your decision easier.  

[sandgrubber]

No personal experience,  but years back I used to go to a wonderful paid membership dog park.   There was an elderly pug who had had both eyes removed when quite young.  The old girl happily walked the fence line around the 13 acre park, off lead, sometimes without her owner.   She didn't have prostheses.

[Dogsfevr]

Glaucoma is painful .
We had a dog with it biggest mistake we made waiting to long because of other options .
Our local vet removed the eye & the difference in the dog within 24 hrs was amazing ,coped perfectly fine with no dramas no regrets what so ever & a fake eye just wasnt even an option for us ,it was just another thing the dog had to deal with & made no difference to his life ,

WE groom a few 1 eyed dog non with false eye all fine .

My friends are well Known Peke people & dont see a specialist vet when there dogs go under but there vet (our vet) are savvy dog people who understand all things dog & certain breeds needs .
 

Edited March 13, 2023 by Dogsfevr

[Rebanne]

My parents had a peke who had an eye removed because of a rose bush. No prosthetic. I used to nurse a woman with a prosthetic eye and yes needed daily maintenance. I don't know about dogs but hers was removed every night and replaced every morning. I wouldn't bother with a prosthetic.

[BDJ]

Not a dog - but a cat.

He went in for a routine dental, and somehow (one in a very large number chance) bacteria got in to his eye via the bloodstream, and once there caused chaos.  Had the dental on the Friday, Monday night at the eye specialist as an emergency, and eye removed first thing Tue AM.  He was 12 at the time.    He never, ever looked back.

He was jumping on things within 24 hours, never walked in to anything and no issues with depth perception etc.   You have to really look to even notice. 

I was never offered a prosthetic, and even if offered would never have considered it.   Reasons - (a) it is another thing to cause pain/discomfort that they cant tell us about.  If it was rubbing, sitting in a nerve, pinching or whatever then it would hurt them, (b) they don't care what they look like (c) in my experience everything just shrunk back with no issues to any other part of him (nose, sinus, mouth etc) and (d) I just think it would look a bit weird (personal thought)

 

Have attached a photo of him taken around 6 months post op (I know this makes it seem obvious, but I honestly never 'see' it)

[Loving my Oldies]

Thanks to everyone for advice and experiences.  I have had blind dogs, one eyed dogs, etc etc.  I also had a little dog (some old time DOLers ight remember the name) called Bunter who was completely blind with cataracts.  He had the operation to insert artificial lenses and he had perfect sight.  It was extraordinary.  However that was a different situation from the one I am facing now.  

 

Just to clear up, the prosthetic isn't like a false eye that humans are given and nor does it come out.  I was too shocked to take in all the details, but from what I recall, it is a button like thing and eye tissue is stretched around it (my words).  It doesn't look like an eye, rather it is cloudy, sometimes blueish and sometimes reddish.  I have pretty well decided against that as it is quite a procedure and it takes a long time to settle down.  

 

I found this on google:

"An intrascleral prosthesis involves creating a large incision over the top of the eye underneath the upper eyelid, removing the contents of the eye, placing a silicone prosthesis inside the shell of the eye, and closing the incision. With this procedure, the pet retains the shell of the eye."

 

I have always understood glaucoma to be extremely painful and, via google, this is what I turned up for humans (because someone told me his parents had glaucoma without experiencing pain or discomfort):

"For the most common form of glaucoma in the United States, primary open-angle glaucoma, the disease is typically not painful. This is why glaucoma is often called the “sneak thief of sight.” There are no symptoms to clue an individual in to the fact that there is ongoing damage to the optic nerve."

 

Then there is another form which is extremely painful:

"If you experience symptoms that come on suddenly, you may have acute angle-closure glaucoma. Symptoms include severe headache and severe eye pain. You need treatment as soon as possible. Go to an emergency room or call an eye doctor's (ophthalmologist's) office immediately."

 

And:

"In neovascular glaucoma, the drainage angle gradually closes because of new blood vessels that grow on the iris and in the drainage angle. Eventually, the entire drainage angle is blocked off and the eye pressure becomes very high, thus leading to eye pain."

 

I need to check with the specialist to see if he can tell which sort of glaucoma Bunches has, but because of the medication he has given me for her, I have to assume it is this latter one.  

 

 

[sandgrubber]

If it's similar in dogs and humans, I don’t think it was the second variety.

My mother had an attack of "acute glaucoma". It came on very suddenly (over a few hours) during a family reunion and she was in horrible pain, intolerant of light and sound.  They did a minor operation to create drainage and she was fine thereafter (no medication other than post-surgical stuff) but the doctors said she came very close to loosing her eye.

Edited March 11, 2023 by sandgrubber

[tdierikx]

During my vet nursing student placement, I was fortunate to assist with an eye ablation surgery... it was very interesting to watch exactly how it is done. Post surgery the dog was virtually unaware that it had had the eye removed, except for a small peripheral vision issue, which was perfectly understandable, but the dog wasn't bothered at all by it.

 

Dogs and cats respond really well post eye removal surgery... most likely because they don't worry about how they look to others, and just get on with living their best lives.

 

That said, eye removal is not a first choice option, and if it is recommended, then it's probably the best solution to the issues the dog has. I'd advise to go with the recommendation and have the surgery asap.

 

T.

[persephone]

The sisters have had a rotten hand dealt to them ..I am so glad they now have you
I have only to add to what others have said - removal of an eye doesn't really phase dogs 
I hope , with the specialist anaesthetist and your care, the girls bounce back very soon ! 

[Rebanne]

12 hours ago, Loving my Oldies said:

 

 

I have always understood glaucoma to be extremely painful and, via google, this is what I turned up for humans (because someone told me his parents had glaucoma without experiencing pain or discomfort):

 

I've had 2 kidney stones, both with very minor symptoms. The specialist told me that I won the award for the biggest stone that year with my second one. And we all know having a kidney stone is supposed to be akin to giving birth.

[kayla1]

I had a little elderly chi x who had eye removal a few months ago. Medication was not working to control his glaucoma so he was booked in asap for an intravitreal injection - the appt was scheduled for first thing Monday morning but just before the appt his eye ruptured so there was no option but to remove it. He recovered quickly with no complications. I never considered a prosthetic. I still have his sister and she had lens removal surgery for a luxated lens which was a much longer and more complicated recovery. Her other lens has now also luxated and glaucoma in both eyes is currently being controlled medically (though this is now requiring 20+ drops a day) as she is not a candidate for further surgery.

 

Glaucoma is painful and I would not hesitate to consider eye removal if that is what is recommended... 

[Loving my Oldies]

On 11/03/2023 at 12:27 PM, Deeds said:

Would you consider a 2nd opinion from another Eye Specialist?  More expense but If it comes to the same conclusion as the 1st Eye Specialist it may make your decision easier.  

@Deeds, yes, I did consider this, but not sure which way to go.  I have had experience with the eye specialists at SASH and was far from happy.  The specialist I have been seeing is pretty well the leader in this field, lectures, books, etc and was the hospital partner for many years of another specialist who did the operation on Bunter many years ago.  

[Deeds]

@LMDThen best to stay with the one you trust and know. 

Is this the Eye Specialist from North Sydney Specialist Centre at St Leonards?

[Loving my Oldies]

3 minutes ago, Deeds said:

@LMDThen best to stay with the one you trust and know. 

Is this the Eye Specialist from North Sydney Specialist Centre at St Leonards?

No, Eye Clinic with offices at Artarmon and Crows Nest.   

[Deeds]

@LMDI've heard of them  but I've only ever had one very elderly Giant with an eye problem. We went to the Nth Sydney Specialist Centre.  Wasn't that impressed.  Very expensive drugs that didn't suit the dog. We had to take the dog off the drugs before the course was half way through.  And we didn't feel confident enough to take the dog back to them.

 

Having confidence in your Vet and their diagnosis is a big part of going ahead with the surgery.

 

One of the problems in Vet surgeries these days are the younger staff who move on quickly and don't have the experience and life skills the older Vets have.