Dry Eye expensive medicine!
 

Hi my little guy, Rickie, has dry eyes. He barely produces tears as his year ducts are tinyyyy.
I currently buy drops from the vet. The medication is Tacrolimus eye drops for dogs. The cost is about 85.00 dollars every 6-7 weeks. A very good vet said he will need this medication his entire life, but the purpose is to stimulate tear production. I don't think it is working. I also use Genteal eye ointment. Should I keep buying the medication or buy only over the counter ointments. I know I have to ask my vet first, but I would appreciate any good advice on excellent over the counter meds for dry eyes.
Thank you so much!
Rickie & Amy

I spent half of that on cyclosporine for dry eye for my dog. You could ask if that is less costly. It's a better drug anyway from what two ophthalmologists have told me.
Yes I think you need to keep using it.

I think you must mean ciclosporin - cyclosporine is an immunosuppressant medication. I'm not knowledgable about the costs, however.

I personally take several drugs for dry eyes and they are very expensive.
Let us know what the outcome is as this could be helpful for all of us in the future

No, I meant cyclosporine just as I typed it. Yes it is an immune suppressant medications. Dry eye in Yorkies - also called keratoconjunctavitis sicca or "kcs" for short is an inherited autoimmune disease. The top of the line treatment is cyclosporine A ophthalmic soliton 1% or 2%. Teddy is on 1% twice a day to one eye and once a day to the other eye. Without the stimulant, they can get eye ulcers and other issues.

Very interesting. Now I see it is a calcineuron inhibitor. Learn something every day! Do you feel it works better? I see they are both tear producers.

Thanks

I also have always used Cyclosporine except for one pup who had a problem with the oil in it and he was switched an ointment, Optimune.

The new one for Teddy is cyclosporine in an aqueous solution rather than an oil. I like it a lot better!

We sell Cyclosporine eye drops at the vet clinic I work at and I believe it's around $45-$50 a bottle. I suppose cost varies on location. Maybe you could try calling around to different clinics to see if you could get it cheaper or even try a human pharmacy and see if it's cheaper there.

Restasis is the same thing.....is the same active ingredient. I also have a baby that will need this for the rest of his life.....He has been on this for 3 years and it is doing nothing to correct the situation. I treat his eyes in the hopes that it will keep him from getting ulcers and infections. I also use Genteal drops to lubricate his eyes, and I have also started on Optimmune Ointment, as well as Ocluvet....I have to clean his eyes twice a day, and then after I saw no improvement in his tear production with the Cyclosporin, I went to the other treatments named above, and at least his eyes are clear and bright and he has not had any infections or ulcerations.....(This is one of the pups that survived the parvo that ravaged he and his littermates.....the eye specialist that has worked with him for years said the virus settled in the nerve that triggers the tear glands to function......this is permenant now....he had hoped the Cyclosporin may be able to overcome it, but it was not to be.....he loves to have his eye care done and jumps right up on his pillow and lays his little head down for his meds!) 107Barney, what is the name of the aqueous solution ....I may try it if I already have not!

It's cyclosporin 1% but instead of being in an oil it's in an aqueous solution. The medication definitely instills into the eye better than the oil.

Thanks....I will try that!

Wylie has dry eye and he takes Optimmune, which is cyclosporine ointment - I paid a ridic amount for it at the vet's, but then went to Drs Foster and Smith and it was super cheap!

My little guy just was recently diagnosed with dry eye and after much treatment at the regular vet including cyclosporin we ended up at the vet ophthalmologist he was started on Tacrolimus 0.03% which he was been on just a little over a week now and I must say I see wonderful results since he was getting so much mucus in his eye and it is now clear. For me it was $40 for a 10 ml bottle from a compound pharmacy (stokes). If you get a script for it I would look into getting it from a pharmacy because cyclosporin I was told is the first treatment but there are better results with the Tacrolimus. I was told this will be for life and I dont mind a bit to keep my pups vision.

chester takes optimmune ointment and its 30 at dr fosters and smith compared to 50 at vet, try them out

hi i know its been 6yrs post but could i ask you how you administer tacrolimus oitment please ...

Not sure, I would check with your vet.

thank you