Possible KCS - YorkieTalk.com Forums

juliaw04 · 11-02-2010, 01:36 PM

Just trying to kill some time before I can pick up my KaCee from the vet... Anyone have any experience with KCS that they're willing to share?

I took KaCee to the vet this afternoon to have her ear looked at (I believe she has an ear infection) and he noticed her gunky eye. He seemed really concerned about it and kept her to run a schirmer tear test.

I'm doing some research trying to figure out just what KCS is and it seems like it has a really high maintenance treatment plan. It also seems like something that is crucial to be caught in the early stages...this really concerns me, because she has *always* had problems with that eye but my previous vet was never concerned about it.

This is the first time I've seen this new vet. DH and I just moved here a few months ago and our neighbors recommended we try this clinic. I can pick her up at 5:30 so hopefully he'll have good news because I am worried sick right now.

fifeandshaffer · 11-02-2010, 02:21 PM

my cooper has kcs, means they dont produce enough tears, or in coopers case almost none, the lacrimal gland doesnt work properly, when i rescued him he was on a ointment for what they said was in infection and they used it when the remembered, it seemed to be ok when i used it 2x daily then about 2 weeks later he would not open his eye at all, off to the vet we went, started on cylclosporine, however that didnt work for cooper, he had 3 ulcers but they cleared pretty quickly, he is now on tacrolimus 2x a day 1 drop in each eye, cooper doesnt mind the drops at all and they dont burn as much as the cyclosporine does. I hope all works out ok.

juliaw04 · 11-02-2010, 03:16 PM

Well, we just got home. Vet said that she didn't even register on the tear test, so less than 1. She is on Optimmune 2x a day and Neo-Poly-Dex drops 4x a day. He wants to see her back on Thursday or Friday.

This is definitely not what I wanted to hear.

fifeandshaffer · 11-02-2010, 03:27 PM

im sorry about the dx, cooper was the same less than 1 in one eye and a 3 in his other eye, but after a few weeks of the tacrolimus he is soing much better, his eyes looked so awful but now they look great, opptimune is cyclosorine, that didnt work for cooper,,, i also found that drops were easier to give than the ointment, i got them both for cooper to try, the drops had a higher percentage than the ointment, but like i said he was no better with the cyclosporine. When cooper first started going to the vet and the eye specialist it seemed like we were there every few days. I hope the cyclsoporine works they usually try that 1st but tacrolimus seems to work if it doesnt, its a newer t cell inhibitor.

juliaw04 · 11-02-2010, 04:05 PM

The dry eye is just in her left eye, her right eye is perfectly fine. I just feel so bad for her. I really think this has probably been present for quite awhile. My previous vet would mention her eye and suggested to keep it cleaned with a warm wash cloth. This new guy took one look at it and suspected something was wrong.

So am I correct in assuming that she will be on these medications for life? I'm not going to lie, the idea of putting drops in her eyes 4-6x a day, every day is a pretty daunting right now.

fifeandshaffer · 11-02-2010, 04:15 PM

i use the drops 2x a day for cooper, and sometimes when it looks dry i use over the counter drops i like soothe xp from band l. I suspet the neo poly will be short term just to rule out infection then you will just use the cyclosporine, but that your vet wil decide, its good that its just in 1 eye, coop has it in both, the specialist at penn said cooper also has sjogrens syndrome, he also lacks saliva, causing his teeth to be pretty bad too, and not a good surgery candidate so i thankful the tacrolimus works. cooper hated the drops for a few days but after that he was fine, i think he knows its makes his eyes feel better, its very painful to be so dry and also to have an ulcer.

juliaw04 · 11-02-2010, 08:00 PM

So far, she is handling everything pretty well. She doesn't like her face messed with much, so I was afraid this would turn into a rodeo! I've used the drops twice tonight and so far, so good. I have a feeling she's going to wise up to it though in the next few days.

I hope you're right about the neo-poly drops being short term. Twice a day treatments sound much more manageable to me. I'm unemployed at the moment, so doing it throughout the day isn't much a big deal, but once I start working again, it will become more of an issue.

Ladymom · 11-02-2010, 09:07 PM

Lady was diagnosed with KCS several years ago. She gets Tacrolimus twice a day. Optimmune didn't work for her. I also put Genteal Severe Eye gel in her eyes 4-6 times a day per her opthamologist.

I'd suggest you get a referral to an ophthalmologist at some point. Dogs with KCS are prone to other eye problems like corneal ulcers, uveitis and infections. Tear stimulators like Cyclosporin and Tacrolimus actually encourage infections as they are immune suppressants.

Neo-Poly-Dex is actually an anti-inflammatory antibiotic so KaCee must have had something else going on - an ulcer, maybe? They are very common when a dog is first diagnosed. You will only use it for a week or so.

Here is a great article on KCS:

KCS (Dry Eye)

juliaw04 · 11-02-2010, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ladymom

Lady was diagnosed with KCS several years ago. She gets Tacrolimus twice a day. Optimmune didn't work for her. I also put Genteal Severe Eye gel in her eyes 4-6 times a day per her opthamologist.

I'd suggest you get a referral to an ophthalmologist at some point. Dogs with KCS are prone to other eye problems like corneal ulcers, uveitis and infections. Tear stimulators like Cyclosporin and Tacrolimus actually encourage infections as they are immune suppressants.

Neo-Poly-Dex is actually an anti-inflammatory antibiotic so KaCee must have had something else going on - an ulcer, maybe? They are very common when a dog is first diagnosed. You will only use it for a week or so.

Here is a great article on KCS:

KCS (Dry Eye)

Thank you for that link, Ladymom. I actually came across that in my google search earlier today. He mentioned that she had an infection in her eye as well, so that must be what the Neo-Poly-Dex is used for. I will ask about an ophthalmologist referral after I see how things go on Thursday. I used the search function on that website you provided and it looks like the nearest specialist is about 5 hours from me.

juliaw04 · 11-04-2010, 08:48 AM

Well, her recheck went well. The vet seems very pleased with the progress she's made in the last day and a half. We will go back on Monday.

boopster · 11-04-2010, 09:15 AM

That's good news. Hope she continues to show progress.

11-02-2010, 01:36 PM	#1
juliaw04 Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Midland, TX Posts: 2,166	Possible KCS Just trying to kill some time before I can pick up my KaCee from the vet... Anyone have any experience with KCS that they're willing to share? I took KaCee to the vet this afternoon to have her ear looked at (I believe she has an ear infection) and he noticed her gunky eye. He seemed really concerned about it and kept her to run a schirmer tear test. I'm doing some research trying to figure out just what KCS is and it seems like it has a really high maintenance treatment plan. It also seems like something that is crucial to be caught in the early stages...this really concerns me, because she has always had problems with that eye but my previous vet was never concerned about it. This is the first time I've seen this new vet. DH and I just moved here a few months ago and our neighbors recommended we try this clinic. I can pick her up at 5:30 so hopefully he'll have good news because I am worried sick right now. __________________ ~ Julie, mommy to A.J and KaCee~

11-02-2010, 03:16 PM	#3
juliaw04 Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Midland, TX Posts: 2,166	Well, we just got home. Vet said that she didn't even register on the tear test, so less than 1. She is on Optimmune 2x a day and Neo-Poly-Dex drops 4x a day. He wants to see her back on Thursday or Friday. This is definitely not what I wanted to hear. __________________ ~ Julie, mommy to A.J and KaCee~

11-02-2010, 04:05 PM	#5
juliaw04 Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Midland, TX Posts: 2,166	The dry eye is just in her left eye, her right eye is perfectly fine. I just feel so bad for her. I really think this has probably been present for quite awhile. My previous vet would mention her eye and suggested to keep it cleaned with a warm wash cloth. This new guy took one look at it and suspected something was wrong. So am I correct in assuming that she will be on these medications for life? I'm not going to lie, the idea of putting drops in her eyes 4-6x a day, every day is a pretty daunting right now. __________________ ~ Julie, mommy to A.J and KaCee~

11-02-2010, 08:00 PM	#7
juliaw04 Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Midland, TX Posts: 2,166	So far, she is handling everything pretty well. She doesn't like her face messed with much, so I was afraid this would turn into a rodeo! I've used the drops twice tonight and so far, so good. I have a feeling she's going to wise up to it though in the next few days. I hope you're right about the neo-poly drops being short term. Twice a day treatments sound much more manageable to me. I'm unemployed at the moment, so doing it throughout the day isn't much a big deal, but once I start working again, it will become more of an issue. __________________ ~ Julie, mommy to A.J and KaCee~

11-02-2010, 09:07 PM	#8
Ladymom Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: North Carolina Posts: 8,317	Lady was diagnosed with KCS several years ago. She gets Tacrolimus twice a day. Optimmune didn't work for her. I also put Genteal Severe Eye gel in her eyes 4-6 times a day per her opthamologist. I'd suggest you get a referral to an ophthalmologist at some point. Dogs with KCS are prone to other eye problems like corneal ulcers, uveitis and infections. Tear stimulators like Cyclosporin and Tacrolimus actually encourage infections as they are immune suppressants. Neo-Poly-Dex is actually an anti-inflammatory antibiotic so KaCee must have had something else going on - an ulcer, maybe? They are very common when a dog is first diagnosed. You will only use it for a week or so. Here is a great article on KCS: KCS (Dry Eye) __________________ http://www.myladysdogbows.com/ http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref...6213341?ref=nf

11-02-2010, 02:21 PM	#2
fifeandshaffer YT Addict Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: cherry hill, nj usa Posts: 306	my cooper has kcs, means they dont produce enough tears, or in coopers case almost none, the lacrimal gland doesnt work properly, when i rescued him he was on a ointment for what they said was in infection and they used it when the remembered, it seemed to be ok when i used it 2x daily then about 2 weeks later he would not open his eye at all, off to the vet we went, started on cylclosporine, however that didnt work for cooper, he had 3 ulcers but they cleared pretty quickly, he is now on tacrolimus 2x a day 1 drop in each eye, cooper doesnt mind the drops at all and they dont burn as much as the cyclosporine does. I hope all works out ok.

11-02-2010, 03:27 PM	#4
fifeandshaffer YT Addict Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: cherry hill, nj usa Posts: 306	im sorry about the dx, cooper was the same less than 1 in one eye and a 3 in his other eye, but after a few weeks of the tacrolimus he is soing much better, his eyes looked so awful but now they look great, opptimune is cyclosorine, that didnt work for cooper,,, i also found that drops were easier to give than the ointment, i got them both for cooper to try, the drops had a higher percentage than the ointment, but like i said he was no better with the cyclosporine. When cooper first started going to the vet and the eye specialist it seemed like we were there every few days. I hope the cyclsoporine works they usually try that 1st but tacrolimus seems to work if it doesnt, its a newer t cell inhibitor.

11-02-2010, 04:15 PM	#6
fifeandshaffer YT Addict Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: cherry hill, nj usa Posts: 306	i use the drops 2x a day for cooper, and sometimes when it looks dry i use over the counter drops i like soothe xp from band l. I suspet the neo poly will be short term just to rule out infection then you will just use the cyclosporine, but that your vet wil decide, its good that its just in 1 eye, coop has it in both, the specialist at penn said cooper also has sjogrens syndrome, he also lacks saliva, causing his teeth to be pretty bad too, and not a good surgery candidate so i thankful the tacrolimus works. cooper hated the drops for a few days but after that he was fine, i think he knows its makes his eyes feel better, its very painful to be so dry and also to have an ulcer.

11-04-2010, 08:48 AM	#10
juliaw04 Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Midland, TX Posts: 2,166	Well, her recheck went well. The vet seems very pleased with the progress she's made in the last day and a half. We will go back on Monday. __________________ ~ Julie, mommy to A.J and KaCee~

11-04-2010, 09:15 AM	#11
boopster Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Southern California, USA Posts: 1,643 Blog Entries: 1	That's good news. Hope she continues to show progress.