Does anyone have experience with dry eye?

[Justin]

Good afternoon everyone,

I adopted a little girl yorkie and I pick her up this Friday. Her name is Ginger, she is 4 years old and 6 lbs. She suffers from dry eye in one of her eyes and currently uses an ointment once a day to take care of this. Her eye needs to be washed twice a day as well in order to keep her eyes clean. If this is not taken care of regularly, it can lead to further infection which could lead to her going blind in this eye. Will dry eye eventually go away with the antibiotics? If not, what products do you guys suggest using? I will know all the details on Friday when I see the actual medication. (If this doesn't go away it will be quite expensive, medicine appears to be $50 dollars for a one month supply)

-Justin

[Ladymom]

My Lady has had dry eye (KCS) for several years. Unfortunately, it is a permanent condition. Tear stimulators like Cyclosporin and Tacrolimis can help produce tears. In addition, you need to apply artificial tears (Genteal Severe Eye Gel is the best) 4-6 times a day.

I'd suggest you ask your vet for a referral to a canine ophthalmologist. Not only should she be monitored at least once a year, dogs with KCS are more prone to eye ulcers, infections, etc.

Here's a great article about KCS:

KCS (Dry Eye)

[Justin]

how much does all the medication end up costing you in the long run?

(i spoke with the foster mom, it sounds like they have been applying meds for a month and it hasn't gone away... mannn)

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by Justin

how much does all the medication end up costing you in the long run?

(i spoke with the foster mom, it sounds like they have been applying meds for a month and it hasn't gone away... mannn)

KCS doesn't go away. Ginger will have it for life. In some dogs, tear stimulators will help them produce tears. Yorkies are prone to congenital KCS where they are born with lacrimal (tear producing) glands. In that case, tear stimulators won't help.

Cyclosporin didn't work for Lady. She gets Tacrolimus which has to be compounded. It costs about $30 a month. I go through a tube of Genteal artificial tears a week. They are about $10-$11 a tube. I'd estimate about $75 a months on medications. Lady sees an ophthalmologist twice a year. A routine exam runs between $125-$150. You also have to assume you will have some unplanned visits as dogs with KCS are prone to eye ulcers, infections, etc.

There is a surgery available which may be an option for Ginger because she is so young. It's quite expensive, though.

Again, I would really recommend a consult with an ophthalmologist so you know what you are dealing with. Regular vets don't have the training or equipment ophthalmologists have. An ophthalmologist will be able to determine if Ginger has functioning lacrimal glands and could be helped by tear stimulators.

Please read the article I posted. There is a lot of great information in it.

[ladyjane]

I agree with Ladymom. If we get a pup in rescue that has dry eye or any eye condition, we take them to a specialist; and make adopters aware of what the ongoing expense will be. Hopefully the rescue you adopted from did all of that. If not, you really should make an appt with a veterinary opthamologist.
I do hope that you will be able to keep her and provide the necessary meds. Dry eye does not just go away.

[Justin]

Does lady have this issue in both eyes? Ginger is such a sweet dog but I did not plan on spending 75 a month plus misc doctor visits. I am not around to put drops in 4-6 times a day either. I'd be able to do once before work and then twice when I get home. Can you purchase the medicine in bulk to save money? If it has to be done I have no choice I suppose. I wish there was a health plan that includes all Meds and doctor visits.

[Justin]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I agree with Ladymom. If we get a pup in rescue that has dry eye or any eye condition, we take them to a specialist; and make adopters aware of what the ongoing expense will be. Hopefully the rescue you adopted from did all of that. If not, you really should make an appt with a veterinary opthamologist.
I do hope that you will be able to keep her and provide the necessary meds. Dry eye does not just go away.

The foster mom did mention that I would need to apply an ointment twice a day to the eye as well as clean it twice a day but I didn't realize I'd need to apply drops so regularly. I also thought this was a temporary issue though. Didn't realize this would be for life.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by Justin

The foster mom did mention that I would need to apply an ointment twice a day to the eye as well as clean it twice a day but I didn't realize I'd need to apply drops so regularly. I also thought this was a temporary issue though. Didn't realize this would be for life.

You should have records from the vet indicating what was done and the diagnosis. If not, I would call the foster mom and inquire.
If this is a straight forward case of dry eye, you should not have to apply the drops that many times/day.
I would definitely get clarification; and if you cannot afford to care for this pup, let the rescue know!
Good luck!

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by Justin

Does lady have this issue in both eyes? Ginger is such a sweet dog but I did not plan on spending 75 a month plus misc doctor visits. I am not around to put drops in 4-6 times a day either. I'd be able to do once before work and then twice when I get home. Can you purchase the medicine in bulk to save money? If it has to be done I have no choice I suppose. I wish there was a health plan that includes all Meds and doctor visits.

Originally Posted by Justin

The foster mom did mention that I would need to apply an ointment twice a day to the eye as well as clean it twice a day but I didn't realize I'd need to apply drops so regularly. I also thought this was a temporary issue though. Didn't realize this would be for life.

Oh, dear. It doesn't sound like you were well informed what KCS involves.

Lady had it in one eye for a couple of years, but now she has it in both eyes. My ophthalmologist told me in the beginning that most likely the other eye would stop producing tears, too. Lady was 11 when she developed KCS, though. Since Ginger is so young, very likely hers is congenital, a problem with her tear producing glands.

Tacrolimus is compounded and has a shelf life so it can't be purchased in bulk. Walmart has the best prices on Genteal. I can get a twin pack for $18 plus tax.

It doesn't sound like the rescue group had a consult with an ophthalmologist for Ginger. That's unfortunate as it is important to know if she can produce tears with a stimulator or has no tear producing glands. If tear stimulators don't work, Ginger will need artificial tears 4-6 times a day at a minimum. If not, she will most likely have problems with eye ulcers. She will also build up scar tissue over time and lose her eyesight. If she needs artificial tears 4-6 times a day, the rescue should place her in a home where someone is home during the day.

It is important for Ginger's sake that her adoptive family be prepared for the financial commitment adopting a dog with a health condition requires. It's not fair to be blindsided with unexpected vet bills. Lady had an eye infection two summers ago that cost $1,000 to treat. I am close to NC State Vet School so that was much less than what it would have cost with an ophthalmologist in private practice. One of the antibiotic eye drops was $92 a bottle and it only lasted a week. I had to refill it four times. I was lucky that the infection cleared up with topicals, too. The infection pocket had slighted penetrated the cornea. Thank heavens I caught it right away. Any deeper and I was told it would have required surgery.

I hope that you can get a better idea what you are dealing with from the rescue. Hopefully they will take Ginger to an ophthalmologist for an evaluation. It's only fair to Ginger that the rescue makes certain that any potential adoptive family is well prepared for what her condition involves.

[Ladymom]

I found a couple more links that will give you an general overview of KCS. Again, Ginger needs an evaluation by an ophthalmologist so you will have a better idea what type of dry eye she has and her long term treatment plan and prognosis.

Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca (KCS) in Dogs

KCS in the Dog

[Justin]

Did Lady have this in one eye for a long time before it spread to the other eye? Also does this mean it is contagious? Would my other dog or possibly me start to suffer from dry eye? I talked to my coworkers cousin, and he suffers from dry eye. He says he is completely miserable if he doesn't put drops in his eyes many times a day. I am assuming this would be the same feeling for dogs. I am going to talk to the foster mom today when I get out of work. I want to do what is best for the dog, and it sounds like the dog might need to be in a home where the owners can take care of it throughout the day with drops. If it was me, I wouldn't want to go more than an hour or two without drops.

I did read that there is a surgery for this, how much does the surgery cost and what are the risks? Would this surgery take care of one eye and in turn prevent it from happening to the other eye?

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by Justin

Did Lady have this in one eye for a long time before it spread to the other eye? Also does this mean it is contagious? Would my other dog or possibly me start to suffer from dry eye? I talked to my coworkers cousin, and he suffers from dry eye. He says he is completely miserable if he doesn't put drops in his eyes many times a day. I am assuming this would be the same feeling for dogs. I am going to talk to the foster mom today when I get out of work. I want to do what is best for the dog, and it sounds like the dog might need to be in a home where the owners can take care of it throughout the day with drops. If it was me, I wouldn't want to go more than an hour or two without drops.

I did read that there is a surgery for this, how much does the surgery cost and what are the risks? Would this surgery take care of one eye and in turn prevent it from happening to the other eye?

Lady had it is one eye only for about the first 1.5 years. It is not contagious. It is usually either immune mediated or a result of a congenital deformity such as absent tear producing glands.

I've seen a number of ophthalmologists over the years since I now take Lady to the vet school. Each and every one plus the two I saw in private practice before that said that I needed to apply artificial tears a minimum of 4-6 times a day. They said if I could do it every hour that would be even better. Not only are they miserable, it makes them more prone to ulcers and scar tissue which causes blindness if you don't.

One of our members, Maddie's Mommy, takes Maddie to U of Tennessee. They are the most reasonable vet school I know of. The ophthalmologist in private practice in Raleigh, North Carolina gave me an estimate of $3,500 several years ago, but Lady was not a candidate because of her age and the length of the surgery (several hours). I can't imagine what it would cost in NYC. It's not without possible complications, though.

There is lots of information in this thread:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...ns-anyone.html

[MaddiesMommie]

My Maddie has dry eye in her left eye only. We have tried several medications and none of them worked to stimulate her tear production. Thus, we were sent to an ophthamologist at UT vet school. This is where a specialist determined Maddie was born with either no tear duct in her eye or one with a genetic defect which eventually stopped working.

There are reallt 2 scenerios here and you should find out just how much has been done with Ginger to help solve her problem. 1.) She can be put on tear stimulators such as those mentioned my Lady's mom. If these work, she will need to have these for the rest of her life along with other lubricating drops. 2.) She does not have a working tear duct and therefore, tear stiulators will not work, as in Maddie's case. This means you will find yourself cleaning her eye out several 3-4 times a day with eye wash and a warm cloth. Then, she will need drops or ointment applied about every 3-4 hours. In my case, my dh often works from home and I work close to home so this is usually managable for us. However, on days that she goes all day without drops, I come home to find her eye completly covered with mucus.

We have considered a surgery. This is called the Parotid Duct Transposition. The parotid duct is the salivary gland on either side of the facial cheek. It produces saliva which is carried to the mouth via a long duct. This duct can be carefully dissected out and moved so as to deliver saliva over the eye. Saliva actually makes a reasonable substitute for tears though in time some mineral deposits will form on the eye surface and eye drops may be needed to control this.

KCS is a very serious condition and can easily become costly.
I encourage you to find out as much as you can about the treatment Ginger has received. Do you know if she is on tear stimulator now and if it is working?

[MaddiesMommie]

I am sorry but I must say that I do not agree with the statement made by this rescue on Ginger's information: "I have a dry eye but its no biggie."

It really bothers me that dry eye is being passed off by like bad breath or something. Anyone who has had to deal with this condition will agree it is a "biggie".

[Justin]

Ginger was just diagnosed with Dry Eye within the past few weeks, so they are testing medication out on her to see how she does. They are going to be following up with the Vet to find out what happens. The fostermom did disclose everything to me when I first met her. She told me the exact procedures they were going through with Ginger and the dangers of not maintaining them. I just wanted to do my research beforehand to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into. Based on the eye drops and other maintenance I am not going to be adopting her because both the rescue and I fetl that it would not be in Ginger's best interest. It would make more sense for her to go to a home that can take care of her during the daytime as well. This would be ideal for someone that is able to stay at home more. I will be adopting a different dog from them very soon. Thank you for the concern, Ginger will be going to the best home possible to treat her condition. Ginger's well being is what matters at the end of the day.