Recurring dog eye infection

by Karolina Khachatryan
(Sydney, NSW, Australia)

Jerry's right eye inflamed

My 4 year old cavalier cross beagle Jerry has had a recurring dog eye infection for the last two years (his height: 40cm, weight 15.5 kg).

Jerry often keeps his eyes half closed and does not like to look at the light, most probably his eyes are sore. But I don't think his eyes are itchy as he does not rub his eyes. His vision is not very sharp as he completely relies on his nose to find small objects.

Last year vet performed a procedure on Jerry to check if he had any scratches on his eyes putting green fluorescent drops. She said there were no scratches, then prescribed us to wash his eyes with saline water drops twice a day + AMACIN ointment. Couple of days after this Jerry's eyes looked better: the redness and irritation was gone but there still was a patch of dark/brown tissue covering his eye whites mainly on his right eye.

His eyes would get irritated and red from time to time. When I noticed irritation I would apply the Amacin ointment.

During our next visit to the vet a tear test was done which showed that Jerry's eyes were lubricating just enough.

Other than his eye problems Jerry had dog yeast infection in his ears and on his paws between his toes which were successfully treated using home remedies.

Jerry is not a food obsessed dog but he is quite a fussy eater. Recently the vet recommended to change his food from Pedigree to Royal Canine Neutered to keep his weight at a healthy under 15kg. Jerry loves chicken choosing the cooked over the raw. I do include cooked veggies in his diet a few times a week.

While looking for answers and solution to Jerry's eye problems I came across the Organic Pet Digest website and saw photos of other dogs with similar problems. In my opinion the photo describing Corneal Ulcer was very close to what Jerry has.
Looking forward to hearing from you.

Jerry & Karolina

Comments for
Recurring dog eye infection

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My Online Vet Response for Recurring Dog Eye Infection
by: Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

Hi Karolina,

From the photos you submitted of Jerry, it is difficult to tell if his pupils are constricted or dilated. Since he has been checked for dry eye and corneal ulcer and he is negative for both conditions, I am suspicious that he has a deeper problem occurring. You may need to seek the help of a veterinary ophthalmologist.

Jerry may have a condition called Uveitis (inflammation of the iris and uvea). This causes the pupils to constrict, causes light sensitivity, and causes pain and inflammation of the conjunctiva. Having the intraocular pressure checked can help to diagnose the problem, since uveitis causes a drop in the intra-ocular pressure.

Uveitis can be triggered by a vaccination, virus infection, trauma or irritation into the eye.

In the meantime, making sure that his eyes are lubricated throughout the day might make him more comfortable. You can apply one drop of Cod Liver Oil to each eye every four hours.

And add 1/4 tsp of Cod Liver Oil into his food. (Hopefully, he will not object if you add enough chicken.) He should have only moist food, NO DRY FOOD. Raw chicken would be ideal, but if he only likes cooked chicken that's ok for now. Eventually, you can try to cook it a little less each day, until after 4-6 weeks, it is more raw, or rare.

Add steamed vegetables, carrots, zucchini, greenbeans, with the chicken, into every meal.

There are several homeopathic remedies, that may be beneficial for his symptoms of--
Chronic eye inflammation,
Dim vision,
Eye pain from light.

Calcarea carbonica, Hepar Sulphur, Phosphorus, Silicea.

Once a diagnosis is made by the Veterinary EYE doctor, you may want to seek out the help of a holistic veterinarian, for differentiating which of these remedies might be the best.

To find a holistic veterinarian in your area click on the link below
find a holistic veterinarian in your area

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

DISCLAIMER: This educational advice is based on the depth of your question and the picture you submitted. The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

Recurring eye inflamation
by: Karolina Khachatryan

Thank you for your reply Dr. Tillman.

Yesterday I purchased some fresh saline eye wash and some Cod Liver oil and started the home treatment you recommended. I applied the saline water drops and after about 15min Cod Liver oil to Jerry's eyes every 3-4 hours.

Jerry had a good sleep between the treatment. To my surprise by the end of the day his eyes looked a lot better. The redness has visibly reduced leaving only a few red capillaries on his eye whites. His vision has also improved.

Jerry loved the taste of the Cod Liver Oil! And his eyes looked very good when he woke up this morning.

When we returned from our morning walk at 9am I noticed that his eyes were red again. I kept doing the saline wash and Cod Liver oil and the redness has reduced once again.

I phoned the veterinary ophthalmologist and they requested a referral letter from a vet. Would you be able to provide me with a referral letter? As it would be very costly for me at this time to see both the vet for a referral and then the ophthalmologist.

Thank You,
Karolina

My Online Vet Response for Recurring Dog Eye infection
by: Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

Hi Karolina,

That is great the Buddee has some relief with the Cod Liver Oil. As for a referral letter, you will need to contact the veterinarian that has actually done an exam on Buddee.

Explain that you are going to take him to a veterinary ophthalmologist, and they will need a referral letter. Explain that his symptoms are not new, this is the SAME problem he has had for the past 2 years. He has already been tested for a corneal ulcer and for dry eye, and you need to find out if he has something worse.

I do not think they will require that you go in for another exam, just for them to write a referral, or they can call to refer Buddee, since it is for the same problem that they have already checked him for.

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

P.S. If you've found this service or our web site helpful, please "Like" us by clicking the like button at the top of the left margin. Thank you!

DISCLAIMER: This educational advice is based on the depth of your question and the picture you submitted. The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

Related Pages:
- Dog Eye Problems,
- Ask a Vet Online Library - Dog Eye Problems Section

SAME PROBLEM NEW
by: Jamie Beagle Owner

Hi there,

My 4 year old female beagle seems to have the exact same problem, as it looks exactly the same, just in her right eye, the white of her is bloodshot and she has that same clear layer around the bottom of her eye. It doesnt seem to bother her atm but i was wondering if you managed to get to the bottom of the problem in the end? I will try the same home remedy with the cod liver oil first, or would you recommend going to the vets asap?

look forward to your reply

My Online Vet Response for: Recurring dog eye infection NEW
by: Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

Hi Jamie,
As you have not submitted a photo, it is difficult to know if this is an emergency situation or not. It would probably be best to go to a veterinary ophthalmologist for a diagnosis.

Also, we only accept new questions from subscribers (the original question above was from a subscriber).
Please click here to sign up and submit your question and photos. I'll then get back to you right away at the bottom of your newly created web page.
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

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