Lets talk about eyes

Eyes and eye health is something we do not think about until we usually have a problem. But lets look at some of the eye problems that can occur in your dogs life time. 

The first thing I want to say is I am not a veterinarian and if you have any eye health concerns you must seek medical professional advice from. your vet first and foremost.  For diagnosis to care.  The reason is we can not mess around with eyes and leave them.  Blindness soon occurs from accidents. 


Lets begin

Some breeds of dogs like the French bulldog, Pugs, or any dog with shallow eye sockets can get injuries easily to the eyes. One such injury can be sand blowing in the air on beaches which causes then irritation and ulcers.  Ideally in your first aid kit you should always have in your car some eye wash for dogs.  It's advisable also for other dog breeds.  As Vizsla will dig holes and get sand in there eyes.  So take an eye wash with you.  If your dog appears in any discomfort from sand which is redness, rubbing, eye shut, blinking more please ring your vet immediately for treatment.  But the eye wash is a good first aid treatment you can use to help quickly until your vet has seen you. 

Injury from sticks. Now this is something which makes my stomach churn the thought of it, but it can happen.  In your first aid kit you should have some cotton wool for blood, saline solution to clean fur around. Bandage for head.  You need to loosely wrap bandage over eye not touching eye, and have someone hold it in place and get to a vet.  Darkess can help a dog not struggle so much.  Try not to sound worried as your dog will pick up on this. Be calm and careful and go to vet asp. 

Ulcers - These are horrible and with quick treatment vets can save eyes.  Not always but they can.  Referrals are often suggested now as it's more complicated than just eye drops and goodbye.  A vet will take some blood from. your dog, spin it, and take the serum from the blood and put into the dogs eye. This can help repair quickly.  You're in your vets hands, and they will diagnoses some eye drops.
The eye drops they diagnose are the exact same ones we have for our eye health as it's all the same drugs.  So if you are not insured and you need to keep payments down you can buy same products from chemists.  But we advise veterinary treatments. 

HEREDITARY EYE HEALTH

Well dogs sadly have hereditary eye issues.  The breeds I have are effected with them and this is why we have eye testing done so we do not breed from an effected dog.  But also there are DNA tests for the breeds I have for some dogs.   The problem with eye issues is you can go for years with out seeing anything then out the blue something occurs.   As a breeder it is wise to not do the same pairing again if you have produced an eye problem. Either change sire on bitch or vice versa. But some breeds it's almost impossible to avoid entirely as it's everywhere.   But do your best and thats all anyone can ask of you.  


French bulldogs - DNA test for Hereditary Cateracts.  
Miniature Poodle - DNA test for PRA 1 cord. 

Vizsla - Visual eye exam with specialist vet for Glaucoma.  Plus an annual eye exam for other eye problems. 

Bracco - Visual eye exam with specialist vet. 

All dog breeds can have eye issues, even cross breeds.  So make sure you're insured. 

The above info is only current now.  Things change and dna tests become available, so check labs twice a year to see if a new test has become available. 


Let's look at some of the eye problems which can come and go.
JUNIOR ENTROPION
The first being Junior entropion which is seen in the Bracco Italiano. It's where the bottom eye lid with all the skin rolls inwards causing weeping eyes.  This appears to disappear as the dog gets older and the face shape changes.  In the words of vets they would never treat this until the dogs an adult because in most cases it rights itself.  Some would argue the word junior entropion does not exist and its entropion.  But it goes as the dog grows and thats why it's often called age related entropion not adult entropion. 
 The Bracco is so well known for all that skin.  It is also known for the head changing shape dramatically and suddenly the problems disappear. 

ENTROPION
This is again where bottom eye lid rolls inwards.  It can also happen on the top eye lid.  It can cause ulceration on the eye ball, or just irritation.  I saw it once years ago in a Weimaraner where both lids were effected.  I had this operated on and did not breed from this dog.  Now the operation I feel looks horrible once it is done as they look then like blood hounds with drooping eyes but after 4 weeks the eye skin tightens once again and repairs and dog goes back to normal.  A specialist vet or experienced vet only should attempt this operation.  This can be seen commonly in Labradors.  But Bracco Italiano, Vizsla it can occur. 

CHERRY EYE
The third eye lid becomes bright red, inflamed and flips out.  This can be caused by injury to the eye or it can be hereditary.  Most vets will treat with drops first and try to reduce inflammation.  I brought a Weimaraner years ago which had this and again operation to repair.  We knew hers was through injury with a stick.   They cut away the third eye lid but a vet should never remove the tear gland.  It used to be common practice to remove both.  So check with your vet and tell them you do not want this removed.  This is because you then create dry eyes which means drops daily for life. 

ECTROPION
This is where the dogs bottom eye lids sag down.  This is seen in Bracco Italiano. In some cases they tighten as they get older.  But in most cases they do not.  We imported a Bracco with the worst eyes I have ever seen.  Sadly the breeder did not mention this and his eyes never righted. He was not used for breeding. 

DISTICHIASIS
This is where extra hairs grow on the eye lids and rub against the eye ball causing pain and irritation.  A specialist vet can remove hairs with electrolysis but they generally come back again.  This is seen in Weimaraner's mainly.  Although a friend told me their is a Vizsla stud dog in Europe which is effected  and because he is a stud dog and puppies are imported to the UK Im guessing it wont be long before its seen more commonly here.  These dogs should be removed from breeding programs.  It is hereditary and after seeing it in Weimaraner's I would not wish anyone to have this in the Vizsla.  

PRA 1 CORD
Day vision degeneration occurs in dogs with this condition until eventually blindness.  This is hereditary in most breeds of dogs.  I have never seen it in a dog of ours yet or one we have bred. 
There are now DNA tests for this in several breeds of dog.  The annual eye exam checks for this also so if their is not a DNA test for your breed the BVA vets will find it on the exams. 

JUNIOR CATERACTS
This can be caused by accidents.  There are also links to Leptospirosis and cataracts in horses. Unfortunately it can occur in most breeds of dogs.  The annual eye exam will pick this up if your dogs effected.   The dog needs life long specialist treatment.  I have little information on this as Ive not seen it in my own dogs. 


PET INSURANCE
This is the one big thing you need to do with your puppy before you have even collected it.  Make sure you have pet insurance from day 1.  Do not be fooled with free insurances, as these will effect any claim in the future.  Most insurance companies pay breeders to give free insurances, because they know puppies can have all of the above eye conditions and if something is picked up early they can exclude that from lifetime cover and then your stuffed.  So set up insurance. Make sure breeder has done a health test on the puppy before collection so you know its healthy.. 
Have insurance set up so any accident that comes along your puppy is covered.  
What amount should you be covered for?  You want the highest you can afford.  If you can do £15K or £20k do it.  The lowest cover I would go for is £10k. 

Start off knowing you have everything covered for your pet.  If you can not afford insurance then seriously walk away from owning a dog, any dog. Cross breed or pedigree dogs cost a lot of money now.  It is even putting most families off having a dog because they can not afford basic veterinary bills.  If they get serious health issues there is no way they can afford the dog. 

I hope all the above helps.  Remember its not common the eye problems, they pop up and I hear friends telling me that this dogs got this or that.  But its not common and its usually dam bad luck its happened.  But be prepared and ready.