White thing in the middle of the eye
 

I was just cleaning around his eyes yesterday, and I noticed that there's a white spot in the middle of his eyes. I'm worried about it, as I had a dog growing up that had developed cataracts.

My puppy is only 4 years old. :(

Any advice/suggestions anyone can give me?

One thing to do is to take a flash light and shine it into the affected eye - if there is a cataract, you should be able to see it very well by shining the light at it. If there is one, make sure to check the other eye too. Also, you'd really want to see a Vet Ophthalmologist soon too, bc they can go blind if special drops aren't given to help w/ the inflammation that cataracts can cause. Many dogs can live w/ a cataract for a very long time without needing surgery...many can go without surgery entirely.

Any signs of diabetes, btw?

I would have the vet check it out and refer you to an eye specialist if needed. I know Nikki my 17 year old has big white spots in both eyes and one is worse looking than the other. That one has a cataract in it. Both of his eyes have a condition that older dogs get which is harmless but your baby is so young. Keep us posted.

I'm going to get him to the vet on Friday anyways for his annual check-up, I just hope this is nothing serious. :(

A white spot can be a scar from a corneal scratch...cateracts tend to look like a hazeover the entire iris...but a vet check is in order....

Yes that's what Nikki's eyes look like, a haze over his entire eye.

I learned this recently from our vet when Max had a corneal ulcer. Definitely something to check out with the vet.

Does the white spot look like its "on" the eye or "in" the eye? Can you take a picture for us?

After multiple attempts... I finally got some pics...

How bad is it if it's a corneal scratch/ulcer?

I'm not quite sure w/ the pics. So, is this white part visible, at any time then? Meaning, you don't have to shine a light at it? Unless cataracts have progressed and covered the whole lens, they usually can't be seen without a little effort.

For example, Wylie has a cataract in his R eye - it covers only about 1/4th the lens, has an irregular shape, and can only really be seen if a flashlight is aimed at his eye.

If it is a corneal scratch (currently), he'd have a tough time holding that eye open bc those are very painful.

I didn't discuss scarring in depth with my vet because Max's eye ulcer healed correctly. Sources I have read online say scarring is permanent and may impair vision. Sometimes the scar has a lip or ridge in it that needs to corrected surgically. Eye surgery sounds scary, but it is actually a simple procedure sort of like lasik eye procedures done on humans to improve vision.

I would take your puppy to a canine opthamologist to have the spot properly diagnosed and to determine the best course of treatment.

:thumbup: If the white spot is the result of a corneal scratch or ulcer, it would have had to have been a severe one, and you would have noticed your pup holding his eye closed for a period of time and pawing at it.

No light is needed to see the white spot on his left eye. It's just there. As for pawing, he usually play paws at his face while wriggling on his back, but he doesn't seem to have any issues keeping them open.

Lady had a white spot exactly like that on her eye a few years ago and it turned out to be a pocket of infection. My vet sent me to an ophthalmologist. They did eye scrapings and lab work to diagnose it.

Since our general practice vets don't have the training or specialized equipment to deal with anything more than routine eye problems, I always think a visit with an ophthalmologist is important.

My boy does the same, rolls on his back and play paws at his face, baring his teeth. What are they thinking about I wonder? :p

If the white spot is related to a scratch or ulcer, it would be a scar from improper healing of the scratch or ulcer. So any symptoms like holding the eye shut would have been in the past.

Was the infection resolved with medication or was a procedure required?

You should see an opthamologist. Scarlett has a very similar spot in each each that turned out to be something called Corneal Dystrophy. Your regular vet will check to make sure it isn't a corneal scratch or ulcer or an infection and then can make the referral for you.

Good luck.

I'm glad you posted because I was thinking of Scarlett and was going to link to your thread in the S/I forum.

I lucked out by getting Lady into her ophthalmologist quickly as the infection pockets penetrate the surface of the eye. Lady's had only penetrated it slightly and she is a very good patient, so they were able to numb her eye and remove as much of the infection as possible without anesthesia. They cultured it and found both a fungal and bacterial infection. She was on very expensive eye drops for a month, but it cleared up. The vet school ophthalmologist told me that they usually have to be surgically removed and sometimes require a graft.

I tend to have little issues checked out before they become big problems, thankfully.

It looks like juvenile cataract. Juvenile Cataracts in Dogs | eHow.com

Many puppies appear normal at birth, so there is no way to know if the puppy you are buying is going to develop juvenile cataracts. Many dogs do not show signs until six months to two years of age. Some go even later with the cataracts forming five years later.

Juvenile cataracts does not always lead to blindness. In many cases, the puppy or young dog still sees basic shapes, but they may be blurry. In some cases, the disease leads to glaucoma.

The only way to eradicate juvenile cataracts in dogs, breeders should have both parents tested by a licensed veterinary ophthalmologist no more than a year before breeding. Not every breeder does this however, so you should ask for eye registry papers for both parents before agreeing to purchase a puppy.

Providing the cataracts is not bothering your dog by causing severe vision problems, inflammation or advancing rapidly, treatment is unnecessary. Many dogs with juvenile cataracts do not worsen. They happily go through their lives with mildly impaired vision.

If the vision problems are affecting your dog, treatment may be required. Juvenile cataracts in dogs may be treated with cortisone eye drops. This treatment only works if the young dog has dissolving cataracts. Dissolving cataracts are a type that clear up when steroids are used.

Non-dissolving cataracts will require surgery. In this eye surgery, ultrasonic waves are used to turn the lens to liquid which is then extracted through a small incision in the eye. Some doctors will use a plastic implant to replace the lens.

Before any surgical procedure is used, a veterinary ophthalmologist will perform an ERG to make sure the dog's retina is functioning properly. Blood samples are drawn to check the animal's overall health to prevent any possible reaction to the anesthesia or medications used before and after the surgery.

Up to 95 percent of all juvenile cataract surgeries provide outstanding results. In a successful cataract surgery, a dog's vision is restored to normal.

I still think it is a healed scratch..but I have no degree on the wall ..LOL

Me either, but I've been thru this with a dog and it does look like the start of a cataract. Easy to remove, but expensive.

I'm just going to hope this is nothing too serious or expensive to deal with. Sadly the trip to the vet shall have to wait until Friday when I only have one class and no work to deal with. :(

I keep on watching him though, and he's acting perfectly normal right now.

:thumbup: Words to live by.

Thank you for sharing Lady's experience, and thank you Yorkiedaze for the info on juvenile cataracts. After Max's eye problems, I like to learn all I can so that I can be prepared.

I have had dogs with cateracts as they age...but never saw it start with a spot..like with a human the entire cornea gets hazy like a scratched window pain...or a foggy up one...but I am sure not all cateracts are the same either..,
And with a scratched cornea you usually see the dog react in some way....blinking, drooping lid, redness, rubbing the eye, watering.etc..

does the spot look like its inside the eye or on the cornea of the eye?

It looks like its on the cornea :(

I do not think this is a cataract at all. Cataracts are more milky, cloudy looking and do not present as a white dot like you show us here in the pic. I am very familiar with cataracts as my Katie had them bad and they led to her being pretty much blind at 17 1/2 years old when she passed. They looked like cloudly misshapen contact lenses on her eyes.

I really believe this is a Corneal dystrophy -- here is a quote: Corneal dystrophies are characterised by a small deposit of calcium, crystal or fat within the tissue of the cornea. They usually develop in young adult dogs (ie 6-12 months), and present as a white, grey or silver dot right in the middle of the eye (or both eyes). They usually don't have any adverse effects, and don't really affect the dog's ability to see. Here is a picture of one up close (But they can appear different too -- some are a deposit of mineral like calcium, lipid, cholesterol, and can be varied in size or shape): Eye Care for Animals - Corneal Dystrophy
They can be genetic, can be result of trauma, can be caused by having too high a level of calcium or cholesterol in the blood. Usually do not lead to blindness.

But as others have said -- I am no vet -- best to get to the vet asap and get a proper dx. Good luck! Hope it is something that at least will not lead to further eye problems.

Thankfully the vet visit was positive. It's only a scratch in his eye, that the vet said he might have accidentally done to himself. I will have to put ointment on his eye for the next two weeks. :)

That's what i thought it was. Glad to hear its nothing more serious. Hopefully the meds clear it up quick!

glad to hear it's going to be ok!