Dog Eye Redness, Irritation with Raised Spot on Lens

by Marisa P.
(Temecula, CA)

Our 8 year old Cattledog/Chow mix Mattie presented with reddened sclera on one eye quite some time ago--probably a year or so. This eye is half blue/half brown and the redness is on the outer or brown side.

The redness seemed to be worse at night and gone or brownish in the morning. We resolved to watch it as we thought it might be a passing irritation from a scratch. The redness didn't seem to worsen or become consistent so we let it go.

Just this past week or two, we noticed a cloudiness and raised spot on the eye. The redness of the sclera is still consistently worse at night--bright red--and less irritated upon awakening. At first the spot appeared red and now has darkened to brown, but the area of cloudiness seems to have increased.

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Aug 10, 2014

My Online Vet Response for: Dog Eye Redness, Irritation with Raised Spot on Lens
by: Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

August 9, 2014

Hi Marisa,

From the photo of Mattie's eye, all of the changes are occurring on her cornea, NOT her lens. I am concerned that she may have corneal dysplasia, which is a genetic abnormality. Or a condition called 'pannus'. Pannus involves the development of numerous capillaries that start to grow from the sclera of the eye over to the cornea, and begin to cause a pigmentation of the cornea. This can lead to blindness as the cornea becomes completed pigmented. This is considered to be an auto-immune condition.

She may have had an old injury, or developed a 'sequestrum' in her cornea, (such as a piece of plant awn or thorn) becoming embedded in her cornea and her body is trying to *reject* it.

In my opinion, I feel that it would be best to take her to a veterinary ophthalmologist, for a specific diagnosis. Perhaps there are some alternative treatments for her eye, but I am not able to advise you without knowing exactly what is wrong.

In the meantime, please DO NOT give her any vaccinations, (in case her immune system is compromised), and feed her a GOOD quality diet, NO DRY DOG food, see our page on 10 Best Dog Food Options, http://www.organic-pet-digest.com/10-best-dog-food-options.html. And consider a RAW diet. This will help to provide more nutrients for her to heal.

Click here to find a holistic veterinarian in your area. Another resource for vets knowledgeable in homeopathy is AVH.org.

Please keep us posted by coming back to this page and clicking the 'click here to add your own comments' link below.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

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DISCLAIMER: The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

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