Eye diseases in dogs are one of the most common pathologies that lead a canine to visit the veterinarian. These diseases can be very dangerous if not treated on time. Due to their care and consequences, today we bring an article dedicated especially to them and we will teach you how to deal with them before you take them to your doctor.
List of eye diseases in dogs
Next, we are going to see a list of the most frequent diseases that affect the eyes of dogs. These are conditions that can be treated with medication, but some are only corrected after the animal undergoes surgery. Let's see what they are:
Prolapse of the lacrimal gland of the third eyelid
- Conjunctivitis
- Keratoconjunctivitis sicca
- Epiphora
- Corneal ulcers
- Cataract
- Anterior uveitis
- Glaucoma
- Keratitis
- Eyelid tumors
Let's learn a little more about each of them and how they affect our dogs.
Prolapse of the lacrimal gland of the third eyelid
This disease is also known as "cherry eye", this refers to when we can see with the naked eye the lacrimal gland that is located in the dog's third eyelid. When this happens, the eye can be slightly injured, causing irritation that could cause the animal to suffer from conjunctivitis. There are some breeds of dogs that suffer from this disease from the moment of birth. When this occurs it is recommended that it be treated as soon as possible.
This disease is treated only through surgery. It is not recommended that the gland be removed, since this could result in dryness and irritation in the dog's eyes, which is why the way to treat it is to have it put back in its place through surgery. However, over time it could be repeated since it cannot be fixed.
Conjunctivitis
This is a very common disease that affects many breeds of dogs regardless of their age or size, it causes reddish coloration in the white area of the eye and the eyelids and other mostly thick or purulent secretions. There are different causes of this disease, it may be due to allergies that sometimes both eyes are affected or it may be due to an object, garbage or particle affecting one of the eyes and causing the disease.
Conjunctivitis presents in three different ways:
- Serous: This can occur due to particles that enter the eye and are brought by the wind, causing itching and also the presence of secretions of a light color that is almost transparent.
- Mucoid: This occurs due to infections in the eyeball or irritations in it. The disease brings with it secretions of the mucous type when they dry up it can make the eyelids stick together.
- purulent: this generally brings with it the presence of pus in its secretions, it is a little more complex to cure due to the presence of the bacteria that cause the infection.
The best way to treat these diseases is first knowing what caused it, in order to proceed to give the proper diagnosis and continue with the corresponding treatment. Let's remember that one of the treatments that will help the rapid improvement is maintaining adequate care in the animal's eyes, cleaning them gently to remove residues and applying the treatment prescribed by the veterinarian.
Keratoconjunctivitis sicca
This disease is also known as "dry eye" and as its name says, it is due to dryness in them, this is caused due to the deficiency of tears, if the dog does not produce tears adequately the eye and the cornea tend to dry out. When this condition attacks, you can notice the constant secretion of clean or purulent mucous. In addition to this, we can also notice the lack of brightness in the canine's eye.
If we notice any of these symptoms, we should immediately take our dog to the vet. If this disease is not treated promptly and properly, it could irreversibly affect the pet's eye and leave it blind.
There are several causes that cause the appearance of this pathology, it may be due to injuries or as a result of suffering from other diseases. Only the doctor will be able to diagnose the cause by examining the tear duct and measuring the amount of tear production. The doctor can prescribe immunosuppressants as a treatment that must be administered throughout the life of the animal, another way to treat it is through surgery, but this technique is still not very common.
Epiphora
Contrary to the disease mentioned above, epiphora refers to the excessive production of tears, the moisture produced by tears can cause inflammation and even infection in the areas where they constantly fall. This condition does not turn out to be serious, in fact, it is considered something aesthetic, however, care must be taken since it can occur as a result of some other disease that the dog is suffering from.
This disease mainly affects the breeds of Pekingese, Poodle, and Maltese dogs, it will be noticed because they leave a reddish trail where they fall, this color is caused by the response that tears have when they have contact with the sun. There is a medicine that prevents discoloration from happening even when tears continue to appear. It can be treated surgically, however, this operation can result in the tear duct being damaged and now it looks like dry eyes.
Corneal ulcers
This disease directly affects the layers of the cornea. Its appearance is almost always due to injuries that directly damage the animal's cornea, however, it can also occur due to dry eye disease or diabetes. Well, both conditions can result in damage to this part of the eye. This not only occurs in dogs, it is also in other species of animals and in humans.
The appearance of this disease can bring with it severe pain in the affected eye, constant tearing and even aversion to light, since it can seem annoying to affected dogs. The most effective way to diagnose this disease is by administering fluorescein inside the eye which will make it look greenish, if this happens it means you have a corneal ulcer.
It is vital that the dog is seen quickly by a veterinarian and treated correctly, otherwise removal of the eyeball may even be necessary. If after receiving treatment the disease does not show improvement, surgical treatment should be resorted to. The breeds most affected by this disease are usually the boxer, Samoyed and poodle. It should be noted that this pathology is not easy to cure and tends to take some time to do so.
Cataract
Cataracts in Dogs It is a mostly genetic disease, so puppies inherit it at birth, it presents itself causing the transparency of the lens to be lost, gaining a milky color that can be easily noticed just by looking at the dog's eyes. A large number of breeds are prone to this pathology, however many other dogs can suffer from it. Typically, cataracts appear before the animal is 6 years old and affect both eyes, although it does not always occur at the same time.
Cataracts can also be acquired, that is, they are not a consequence of genetics and appear in the dog's old age stage, these are called "senile cataracts", they start as a small point in the center of the crystalline and over time it becomes more and more extensive. The way to treat this disease is surgically, although there have been cases of young dogs that heal on their own due to the regeneration of the transparent pigment.
Anterior uveitis
Uveitis in Dogs anterior or soft eye, is a disease that directly affects the iris of the eye and the ciliary body that is behind the iris, this disease is known by the presence of fluid in the anterior chamber of the eye. This condition can occur as a consequence of other diseases that the canine may suffer from.
It is a painful disease that presents a constant tearing, in addition to this it can bring with it a reddish color, sensitivity to light and inflammation of the third eyelid. The pupil tends to shrink and the dog may begin to have no reaction to light at all. In addition to the above, you can also sometimes see a small layer of mist that obscures the eye.
Once the disease is detected, it is advisable to treat it immediately before it worsens, the first thing to do is to know the cause for which it has been caused and thus be able to prevent it from appearing or worsening.
Glaucoma
As in humans, this disease can be serious for dogs and can cause the dog to go completely or partially blind. The cause of this condition is due to excessive production of vitreous humor, it appears much faster than it is eliminated from the body, this causes a much more intense pressure inside the eyeball, which results in both the optic nerve such as the retina are negatively affected.
This disease can be due to genetic inheritance or because of some diseases that cause it, an expensive example of this can be diabetes, it can also appear after an injury that damages the nerve or the retina.
The visible symptoms that affect the dog directly are intense pain, frequent production of tears, hardening of the eyeball, the appearance of a white layer on the cornea and dilation of the pupil. When the disease is in an acute degree, it should be treated immediately to prevent the dog from going blind.
In the event that the glaucoma is chronic, that is to say that it no longer has treatment, the option of removing it should be evaluated, otherwise the dog will continue to suffer pain and could cause an infection that leads to many more complications and risks for health. pet.
Keratitis
Also called a cloud in the eye, it is a condition that directly affects the cornea, which becomes inflamed and cloudy, presenting a milky color that affects the dog's visibility. Its most common symptoms are excessive tears, intolerance to light and inflammation of the third eyelid which is exposed.
There are different types of keratitis that can affect your dog and that if not treated can leave the animal blind, these are:
- ulcerative
- Infectious
- interstitial
- Vascular
- pigmentary
Eyelid tumors
This mostly benign disease primarily affects older dogs. It is about the appearance of sebaceous glands on the animal's eyelid, they can appear in a unitary or plural way, that is to say that there is the presence of several tumors in the eyelid of different sizes.
The canine papilloma virus is usually one of the causes of the appearance of this condition, it can be seen in tumor forms or as warts. Its treatment is only surgical, it does not affect the animal in a negative way, but if the protuberance is not removed it can cause damage to the eye which could affect its vision or even be the cause of other much more severe diseases that would put the animal at risk. canine eye.
To finish, we recommend that when you visit the veterinarian you make sure that he does a review of your dog's eyes, so he can know in advance if the canine begins to suffer from any eye disease.