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04-23-2018, 07:28 AM | #1 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Roswell, GA USA
Posts: 61
| Need advice with eye issues - red eye, cataracts Hey everyone. Long time no talk. If anyone remembers me, my yorkie is now 10 and is not having seizures anymore. Now he's having some eye issues instead. He's had vision issues since I rescued him (age 2). He goes in for regular checkups every 6 months, and he always fails his menace test. I was told he had nuclear sclerosis but his eyes were ok. In January I noticed he had a cataract maturing in his right eye. He has an immature cataract in his left eye I've been watching. I brought him in for a special visit and they agreed with the cataract assessment. I was told to monitor his eyes for any bulging or discomfort, but otherwise he would be ok since he's never had much vision to begin with. Two weeks ago the white of his right eye became very red. I took him to the vet immediately. They tested his pressure, tear production, and did a stain of both eyes. All normal. I was given neopolydex to apply to his eyes. After two weeks, his right eye showed no improvement and his left eye started becoming red too. I took him back to the same vet and they repeated the same tests, all with normal results. They referred me to an eye specialist. I am taking him in Wednesday afternoon. Would anyone have any advice for me? Questions I should ask during my visit? I am concerned cataract surgery may be the immediate suggestion. I do not want to put him in through that unless it's absolutely medically necessary. Not because of the cost, but because of the stress on him. Stress was often the cause of his seizures. He doesn't handle it very well. He is doing just fine with his zombie eyes right now. Thanks for taking the time to read this. |
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04-24-2018, 03:25 AM | #2 |
Furbutts = LOVE Donating Member Moderator | Is he is flurbiprofen...? Almost all dogs w/ cataracts are on this to prevent inflammation, which can then lead to glaucoma - which is what you're really wanting to avoid the most w/ cataracts.
__________________ ~ A friend told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn. ~ °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° Ann | Pfeiffer | Marcel Verdel Purcell | Wylie | Artie °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° |
04-26-2018, 04:48 AM | #3 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Roswell, GA USA
Posts: 61
| He is not. The specialist yesterday gave him a stronger steroid eye drop and she said if his eye doesn't get better in 4-6 weeks we should consider eye removal. I will call and ask her about the medication. It definitely sounds like he needs to be on it. Edit to add: she said he was not a candidate for cataract surgery due to the advanced stage of his cataracts. I don't think his eyes ever worked to begin with, to be honest. I took him in many years ago and they told me he just had nuclear sclerosis and he was fine. Last edited by Parka; 04-26-2018 at 04:52 AM. |
05-07-2018, 08:45 AM | #4 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Roswell, GA USA
Posts: 61
| Allright so... his eye got much better in the first week, then went right back to being red and inflamed the second week. He also was disoriented yesterday. I'm not really sure what's going on, but he's definitely not improving at this point. Trying to get him back in with the specialist for a recheck. |
05-07-2018, 09:17 AM | #5 |
Donating YT 5000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Brownstown MI USA
Posts: 18,650
| I can't give you any advice but you have our prayers.
__________________ Max & Sasha's daddy |
05-07-2018, 11:28 AM | #6 |
Donating YT Addict Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: SW USA
Posts: 2,505
| Eye issues So sorry your boy has these problems with his eyes. But hope he can be cured. Having dealt with cataracts on my adopted boy when he was only about a year old, I would not advise doing the surgery on an older dog. The prep and recovery was very stressful and lengthy for the poor dog and me! I only did the surgery due to the possibility of painful glaucoma. So as long as eye pressures are monitored and glaucoma does not happen, I would not do anything about the cataracts. It appears that the red and inflamed eyes are something else. I never saw that symptom with my dog. Hoping and praying your vet can diagnose the issues and come up with a successful treatment. My dog did contract blepharitis after the surgery had healed and that was a very tedious issue to deal with. After many weeks of painful drops and discomfort, the eye specialist decided to stop the meds and just irrigate the eyes well with saline. This soon cured the eyes. She thought the drops did not get under the bottom eyelid and that is why it did not improve. We had to hold the lower lid down and thoroughly irrigate that area with saline. Hope to hear good news after the vet visit. We feel for the poor baby and you. |
05-07-2018, 01:01 PM | #7 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Roswell, GA USA
Posts: 61
| Thanks guys. I got a call back from the original specialist and they said the only other option is removing the eye. I am ok with doing that, but something about the way it was phrased didn't sit well with me. I'm not sure how to explain it. I expected more like "we can fit you in for a quick recheck on X day and discuss the plan from there" but it was basically... call your vet and schedule it. Also wouldn't the specialist do the removal? I made him an appointment with a different eye specialist on the 18th. If that specialist says the same thing, then I will schedule eye removal. Until then I will continue to treat with the steroid drops. |
05-07-2018, 01:19 PM | #8 |
Donating YT Addict Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: SW USA
Posts: 2,505
| Eyes I am so sorry that the vet had only one solution, eye removal. Hoping another opinion will give you a less extreme option. Do you know the diagnosis that required removal as the only treatment? If it is glaucoma, can’t drops help there? I am comforted however that you are able to do this for your boy, and I have heard that dogs do well with this option. But I agree it is a tough pill for you to swallow. Kind thoughts and prayers for whatever transpires. Thanks for the update and warm wishes. |
05-07-2018, 01:28 PM | #9 |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: AZ
Posts: 928
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05-07-2018, 01:53 PM | #10 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Roswell, GA USA
Posts: 61
| Thanks KatysMom. I love him more than anything. dottiesyrky - the officially diagnosis was "uveitis" which is eye inflammation. The info sheet they gave me says it can be a side effect of having cataracts. He is not a candidate for cataract removal, so they gave me two options... steroid drops or eye removal. The drops don't seem to be working. His pressures are within normal range - although the right eye with the mature cataract is higher than the left - so I guess he technically doesn't have glaucoma. He's not on any pressure drops. That said, the eye was not bothering him when I brought him in originally. He was also not having any side effects on the neopolydex but he does seem to be acting weird on the stronger steroid drops. I've talked to tons of people since the first appointment and I've gotten a lot of mixed opinions. Mostly either "my dog had cataracts for 10 years and was fine" or "my dog felt better after his eye removal." I think I owe it to him to get a second opinion before putting him through surgery. Maybe I'm stubborn but I feel like there has to be another option. There should be a way to determine what is causing the inflammation and address it. Treat the cause, not the symptoms, right? Last edited by Parka; 05-07-2018 at 01:55 PM. |
05-08-2018, 09:20 AM | #11 |
Donating YT Addict Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: SW USA
Posts: 2,505
| Eyes Thanks for the info. So glad that glaucoma seems to be ruled out. That was the main thing my vet said was a danger with cataracts and why I did the surgery. His other eye had an immature cataract at one year old when the other one was surgically treated, but at 9 years old that eye has remained constant. As for uveitis, that is what made me visit the vet for my dog’s eye, that was treated with some drops, but that is the eye with the surgically treated cataract. I agree with you that uveitis should be possible to treat, unless that it comes with the cataract....but I did not think that was the case with my dog. I understood that uveitis was an infection or inflammation that drops would fix. I really do hope that some specialist will come up with a solution other than removal of the eye. But I am not a vet! I do have experience with human Physicians and they sure do not know everything and sometimes we have to be our own advocates and keep trying to get the right diagnosis and treatment! You are such a good doggie parent to be doing all this, and I pray that your efforts will be rewarded. And thanks so much for the updates, these do help others here who may have similar issues. Last edited by dottiesyrky; 05-08-2018 at 09:22 AM. |
05-11-2018, 03:46 PM | #12 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Roswell, GA USA
Posts: 61
| Quick update... today I noticed he has an ear infection in his right ear. It's pretty bad. His ears were cleaned a couple weeks ago - he gets ear infections during the spring and fall. Probably allergies. We're going to the vet tomorrow for cleaning/meds. No improvement in the eye. |
05-11-2018, 03:51 PM | #13 |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: AZ
Posts: 928
| Hi Parka, Thank you for the update. So hope the ear treatment is helpful for or brings some relief to the eye. Do I have this correct--it's the right ear and right eye, no? Keeping you in our thoughts. --KatysMom Last edited by KatysMom; 05-11-2018 at 03:52 PM. |
05-11-2018, 04:59 PM | #14 |
Donating YT Addict Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: SW USA
Posts: 2,505
| So sorry that he has eye issues too. Could the eye be due to allergies too? Good luck with the vet visit re ears! You must be really stressed now! Hang in there! |
05-12-2018, 07:27 AM | #15 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Roswell, GA USA
Posts: 61
| Hey everyone. Yes, it's both his right eye and right ear that are having problems. They cleaned out his ears this morning and gave me Mometamax to treat him with. He does have an infection in both ears but the right one was really gross. They will be telling stories about him for a while. The ear and the eye could be related - or at least, I hope it's related. I'm going to cross my fingers that his eye gets better this week. I'm definitely very stressed right now. I didn't go to the gym this morning like usual and everyone was texting me asking me where I was. At the vet, again! |
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