More Concern !

[frank]

as some of you are aware i have had a cockerspanial since it was 7 weeks old , and had a concern with tear staining . the vet has cleared the dog with eye problems etc etc , due to him having clear eyes that are white where they are supposed to be , and said that it is just a charactoritstic of the breed .

it hasnt gotten any better . he looks like he has been crying all the time . has wet tear stains about 30mm long constantly . and also has lower eyelids hanging off his eyes. i am a little concerned as he now gets sleep stuck in the hair around the eyes twice a day . i have just clipped his muzzle around the eyes as the hair is growing longer collecting the tears . so he looks a little better now . dont blow me up about me beibng concerned because i didn't expect this when i bought the dog ( off a registered breeder)

i just hope that he has a long life and we dont go through eye problems with him .

incidently , my father in law has sagging lower eyelids , he has to go in for surgury toi correct it with a face lift .

He explained to me that because his eyelids sag , the tear lubrication pools at the bottom of the eyelid , instead of running along it and going down the tear duct, which in turn ; causes more tears ; and blocked ducts; leading to dry eyes and blindness . i just hope this is not a problem here in this case with my dog

when i veiwed his mother she didnot have sagging eyelids but lots of sleep in her eyes . the breeder said that she is booked ib to have her tear ducts unblocked at the vets . and that blocked tear ducts are random , not genitic . so there would be no concern with the pup.

anyhow ; as the vet says ; it's a characteristic of the breed , so i'll run with this . and hope all is well .

[Allerzeit]

Have you spoken with the breeder of your pup? This is something you should be discussing with them - they would know if it is really characteristic for the breed, and if there are any known problems in their lines.

Sounds a bit ectropian-like. Have you been back to the vet, or perhaps tried for a second veterinary opinion?

BTW - it is against the code of ethics for registered breeders to let puppies go before 8 weeks of age, so are you sure the breeder was registered with the Australian National Kennel Council? If so, then they are apparently unethical.

[Tonymc]

Frank,like Allerzeit said get the Pup checked for Entropion as the symptoms are there. Tony

[Toohey]

Frank, it is not unusual for their eyelids to get droopy when they are teething. My pup's did, and they soon righted themsleves.

Once again, I would not be concerned about the tear staining. He will no doubt grow out of it.

[Dogsfevr]

"the breeder said that she is booked ib to have her tear ducts unblocked at the vets ."

Did you get current eye clearances for both mother & father.

Is the dogs face clipped regulary of his it very hairy??

If your truley concerned see an eye specialist who will give you a documented diagnosis & then your concerns will either be nothing or something.

All dogs get sleep around there eyes just like humans & often dog owners do not maintain the eyes properly & if allowed to build up can create sores,irritaian etc etc we see it alot on dogs we groom to the point many are raw as there not cleaned regurlary.

[Poodle wrangler]

My standard poodle pup had tear stains for a couple of weeks, about a week after I got him. I specifically asked breeder if the apricot colour got tear staining and I hate the look of it. A kid asked, "how come his eye's bleeding?" I feel your pain :p

Different situation as no sagging eyelid issue, but it cleared with change of diet. I clipped close around the eyes, cleaned eyes hygienically etc. with little success. Was very glad it cleared. He still has sleep in his eyes about twice a day, but not weepy or yellowish/green looking; dry stuff (probably related to sleeping in a garden bed ).

Keeping the hair short, as you are, is the right idea as bacteria/yeasts like to grow in the wet patches making it look worse.

Vet can test whether or not the tear ducts were working by putting a liquid with dye into the eye. Did this for my other poodle who had reddened, slightly teary/ gooey (clear stuff) eyes. Sorry, can't remember details of the test, but it only took a few minutes; nothing major. My dog's diagnosis was grass allergy. I just clean eyes each day and not very noticeable as he's black. Comes and goes.

Rambling post, sorry, but main point was possible allergy component (diet, environment) + need to clarify the issue further with the vet. It's clear you still feel there's something wrong. IS it a characteristic of the breed ?

[cavNrott]

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Edited June 8, 2009 by cavNrott

[frank]

yeah , the vet has seen him several times, and each time has not been concerned , well i never veiwed the father , and the mother is an ex show dog , even had her picture on a brand of dog food . the breeder had a room full of certificates for showdogs . ( cockerspanials) she did let us take the dog at 7 weeks . and told us that normally breeders wont even let them be handled at that age. but he was born on the 9th dec the breeder had a heart attack on xmas day . so i guess circumstances werent really the norm . looking at him now though he already is looking better with short muzzle hair .

i think i will get a 2nd vetinary opinion though . i'll do some research , any one know of any cockerspanial specialists in the breed in western sydney. ????? also at puppy school which is run by a vet nothing was mentioned about baileys eyes . the vet that ran the vet school did have some concern about other pups though , regarding temperament. i would think that if there was an obvious problem , she would've said something . anyhow atleast i can keep telling people here who seem interested .

the dog isnnt distressed or uncomfortable in any way . and i guess i could e just inexperianced with the breed . my wife doesn't want to face that there may be a problem and is in denial . i hope i'm not over reacting . but i have a gut feeling . one which i hope i am wrong .

[Livi]

Just out of curiosity what vet do you go to ?

As you can see I'm in Penrith too and always on the lookout for good vets

PM me if you don't feel comfortable posting.

I quite like Penrith Vet Surgery, found the one behind Petbarn a bit pricey when I went there years ago so haven't been back.

Used to go to the old vet at Stafford St but didn't warm to the new one so haven't been back (might have just caught him on a bad day)

[Monah]

Hi, probably not very helpful as I know nothing about cockers except that my next door neighbour has 2, a brother and sister who I look after fairly regularly. The female (they are 9 months old) has no droop to her eyes but the male is very droopy and does have eyestaining. He is orange/white she is black. They come from championship parents and the male may have gone on to be one too but they are pets and desexed. They have had no health probs at all.

My spin has a bit of eye droop and stain too but this is a breed requirement as their eyes do this so when hunting anything lodged can escape easily (ie sticks, grass etc.). Obviously you have already had the eyes checked but if you get the opportunity to see older male dogs (we have a lot here) the majority of them have droopy eyes. Good luck.

[Toohey]

yeah , the vet has seen him several times, and each time has not been concerned , well i never veiwed the father , and the mother is an ex show dog , even had her picture on a brand of dog food . the breeder had a room full of certificates for showdogs . ( cockerspanials) she did let us take the dog at 7 weeks . and told us that normally breeders wont even let them be handled at that age. but he was born on the 9th dec the breeder had a heart attack on xmas day . so i guess circumstances werent really the norm . looking at him now though he already is looking better with short muzzle hair .

i think i will get a 2nd vetinary opinion though . i'll do some research , any one know of any cockerspanial specialists in the breed in western sydney. ????? also at puppy school which is run by a vet nothing was mentioned about baileys eyes . the vet that ran the vet school did have some concern about other pups though , regarding temperament. i would think that if there was an obvious problem , she would've said something . anyhow atleast i can keep telling people here who seem interested .

the dog isnnt distressed or uncomfortable in any way . and i guess i could e just inexperianced with the breed . my wife doesn't want to face that there may be a problem and is in denial . i hope i'm not over reacting . but i have a gut feeling . one which i hope i am wrong .

Frank how many times have you been told there is nothing wrong with your dog? How many more times will it take before you believe it?

[Miranda]

Frank why don't you take your dog to a veterinary eye specialist? Then you will know one way or the other and you can act accordingly. At least it would put your mind at rest

[frank]

well he got sick yesterday , i was so worried we rushed to the vets . he was lethargic . the night before he was yelping in his sleep he got up shaking and vomited . so after calming him down , he seemed ok and went back to sleep. the next morning he was fine and we walked the kids to school with him on the lead . 2 hrs later he was lethargic and bowed his head into my lap . he wasnt very with it , he wouldnt chse ball , eat, and snapped at me when i picked him up. so off to the vets we went , and the vet checked himout and said he was physically hurting as if a sprained muscle . so gave him some pain killers for a couple of days . today he is back to himself jumping and playing , and his tear stains are gone ( becuase i clipped them off) . the vet seemed to think thast he is a hypersensitive dog . ( sooky and sensitive) anyhow all is good . man that feeling was bad , it is so good when they are well.

[Jed]

Frank, we already told you it was probably due to teething, or his diet. Your vet tells you there is nothing wrong witth him. All dogs do have some tearing from time to time. It's a natural thing, but it shows more on light coloured dogs.

What is he eating?

How about posting a head shot - front on - on here, so we can have a look?

I actually think he should come and live with me! He' fit right in, so if it really bothers you, Frank, send him up

[Bellebriar]

Frank I have already PM you re your concerns with this pup.

Here is Karen Hedbergs', (Vet North Richmond, and a very good vet) phone no 45712042. She is very good with eyes.

You will probably find that your pup is not double pigmented (third eyelid is white not brown) this is not uncommon in orange roan cockers or any cocker for that matter.

If you have concerns with this pup contact the breeder. As breeders we need to know (and like to know) if there are any problems with the pups that we breed.

Feel free to PM me if you need more information.

[frank]

Frank I have already PM you re your concerns with this pup.

Here is Karen Hedbergs', (Vet North Richmond, and a very good vet) phone no 45712042. She is very good with eyes.

You will probably find that your pup is not double pigmented (third eyelid is white not brown) this is not uncommon in orange roan cockers or any cocker for that matter.

If you have concerns with this pup contact the breeder. As breeders we need to know (and like to know) if there are any problems with the pups that we breed.

Feel free to PM me if you need more information.

thankyou . i have recorded that vets details .

it appears that since i actually trimmed the tear stains off ( with scissors ) they are gone . i am much happier with his appearance , and tears are not so evident now . stains almost non existant , and sleep build up hardly occuring at all .

the eyelid sagging has also reduced a lot .

i'm very happy , i dont have to worry about him now .

a little side note he is a guts . i'm sure if i gave him a roar egg in the shell . he could swallow it whole . i reckon he can litterally fill up his stomach in under 30 seconds . hahaha

i'll post some more pics , soon.

i've never had experiance with cockerspanials before , and i can tell you they are so much fun . they literally wrap you / and the whole family around thier paw. so funny in thier youth too. and the closest thing to a teddy bear when they are asleep .

because i'm a night owl . i brought him inside one night and put him on my stomach as i laid watching TV . he started snoring and got uncomfortable and wrestless turning around etc . in the end he was on the lounge on his back with his paws up to his chest and his eyes rolled back ( open) asleep; and i was on the floor mat.

Edited May 9, 2007 by frank