Disclaimer:
Information presented in the “Living With…” sections of the SCARF website represent the personal viewpoint of the individual who made the journal entry and do not represent the opinions, positions, or viewpoints of SCARF or the veterinary community. [see complete disclaimer at bottom of page]
One day I noticed a greater than normal discharge from one of my dogs' eyes. Her vet examined her eyes and saw some cloudiness in the corneas which he diagnosed as corneal dystrophy. He did a fluorescein dye test of the eye with the discharge, but found no ulcer. He prescribed eyedrops to reduce the inflammation which was causing the discharge.
Sometime later I again saw greater than normal discharge. This time there was an ulcer, so our vet stopped the anti-inflammatory eyedrops and gave her antibiotic eyedrops instead. That turned out not to be enough. The ulcer was so severe that it required surgery; her eyelid was sewn shut to promote healing. During healing, without the anti-inflammatory drops, there was excessive growth of blood vessels that could be seen on the cornea when her eye was exposed again (vascularization). As soon as the ulcer was healed we had to go back to the anti-inflammatory drops. Our vet sent us to a veterinary ophthalmologist who confirmed his diagnosis of corneal dystrophy. We could see the cloudiness in her corneas.
This became a chronic condition requiring daily eyedrops and frequent trips to the vet any time we saw the slightest abnormal discharge so that he could do the fluorescein test and determine if there was an ulcer this time or not. We were able to manage it with eyedrops of one sort or another as long as we were very observant and went to the vet immediately when there was any change.
Disclaimer:
Information presented in the “Living With…” sections of the SCARF website represent the personal viewpoint of the individual who made the journal entry and do not represent the opinions, positions, or viewpoints of SCARF or the veterinary community. There may be discussions of drugs, devices, additives, foods, vitamins, herbs or biologicals that have not been approved by the FDA/CVM for the particular use being discussed. SCARF assumes no liability for the accuracy or outcomes of any suggestions, advice or other information provided by the “Living With…” postings on the SCARF website. All treatment decisions should only be made after discussion with your pet’s veterinary health professional, and no changes in your pet’s treatments or diet should be made based on any information found on the SCARF website.