Eye infection to seeing shadows
Submitted by Stephanie on May 11, 2011 - 10:50amHi All I`m a new member and a very worried and sad bully owner. Our Bulldog Fred is one year and a very healty one.2Weeks ago he had a eye infection, we took him to the vet and he said it`s a infection, gave us eyedrops to be applied every hour. The next morning Fred`s left eye was swolen and we took him back.The vets said it looks like a irritation in his eyes. We asked him if it can be a cataract,because it looked like his eyes had a blue/grey film over it, and he says no it can`t develop that fast.He gave him anti-inflamatory pills for 5 days.Two days later I realised that he canot see me very well. It was a puplic holiday so one of the other vets examined him,She said he can see shadows but not very well,she said definatly this is cataracts,but unusual to grow that fast.She tested him for Diabetes,and he doesn`t have it.Fred was very loving and now gets agresive when you come near his eyes.A Eye spesialist try to examine him , but can`t get near his eyes,he says he canot help him if he can do the tests.Our vets says since he examined him on the 27th Fred`s more agresive, it can be that his eye fluid can be leaking and this is very painful,but says he diffenitly has cataracts.He gave me anti-inflamatory pills for 10 days again.This pill seams to make him calm and sleepy, I think it calm the pain in his eyes.The vet says if they canot test his eyes they will not be able to help him. Please help!!!!
My guess is,
sounds like an ulcer. Becoming aggressive means he is in a lot of pain. Hate to suggest this, but he may have to be given a sedative so that his eyes can be thoroughly and properly checked. The meds you are giving him won't do anything for him but delay treatment. Get a vet to examine him ASAP, ulcers only get worse, are extremely painful and he can lose his eye.
Lynn King CPDT-KA
Ulcer
Ozzy had an eye infection in summer of 2009--it came on quickly and his regular vet treated it first, but when we went back for the recheck she immediately sent his to Tufts to see the eye specialist. They kept Oz that day (Monday) to get the swelling down and to keep him hydrated and calm until they could do the surgery the next day. We were told that ulcers were very painful to the dog (heck think a scratched cornea in a human). We picked him up on Thurdsday with multiple medicines (we had to make a spreadsheet schedule to keep tract)He had to wear his cone of shame for 6 weeks. They took a piece of the upper inner eye lid and sew it over the ulcer--then 4-6 weeks later they cut the "patch" from the rest of the eye lid and that stays forever--we can always see it but it saved Ozzy's eyesight. We now know when he doesn't feel well because his demeaner then and now is like night and day. They did have to sedate his eye (local numbing eye drops) to do the testing. Trust your gut--is his regular vet a bulldog vet? Do you have an vet school or ER in your area--it sounds like you really need to see an eye specialist.
Lyn
Hi Lyn,thanks for your reply.
Hi Lyn,thanks for your reply. We did see an eye specialist, recomended by our local vet, we went to JHB, 150km from wre we live. Fred was very stressed out from the long drive. He knew about our case and was very interested, but he approuched Fred by pulling his head back and that made Fred aggresive. He refused to help us any further and said our dog is to agresive. We were totally blown away by his total refusal to help us.This was so disapionting..I was crying all the way back.To feel so helpless is a terrible feeling! Fred is so special to us.He was born on my husbands birthday and he wanted a bulldog for 7 years.Our vet knows Fred and that he is not agresive, he is like this since the effection, because of the pain.We heard about a Veteninary Institude,I`m contacting them tomorrow.Thanks again for the help!
Hi Stephanie, I know how stressful this must be for you....
But to be honest, cataracts just aren't the problem here. It is most likely a corneal ulcer and it can and will cause blindness if it isn't treated quickly. The Opthamologist needs to be able to sedate Fred in order to get this issue resolved, so tell them to get him sedated! They need to use something besides Ace Promazine though, Bulldogs can't have that drug safely. Please, get him to someone who knows what they are doing. Really, really, he desperately needs it right now. I am not trying to frighten you, but I just had double Entropian surgery done on Sophia to stave off a Corneal Ulcer that had started from her eye lids rolling in slightly. She was in tremendous pain and it had only happened in a days time. it doesn't take long to develop an ulcer. Fred could have sustained a scratch or bump to his eye that caused this.
Anyway, again, I urge you to get him in to see a specialist or at the very least a Bully knowledgeable vet. Where are you located, I might be able to help you find someone.
Amy and Sophia
There are numbing drops
That they can put in the eye and it numbs it so it is no longer painful so they can test it, but they should be able to tell ucler by putting a dye in the eye and them looking at it with a special light.
Hi Amy, we life in South
Hi Amy, we life in South Africa, Rustenburg. This is 150km from Johannesburg. The specialist we were advice to go to that says he can`t help us is in JHB.
I`m going to contact Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute tomorrow, I`m putting alot of trust in them that they will be able the help. Thanks a lot for your reply!! I appreciate it so very much!! You are the 3rd person saying it`s an ulser.
I have to agree with everyone
that it could be an ulcer. I hope you can get him sedated long enough for them to check for sure. Good luck!
Keep us up to date
and good luck and give your little guy a hug
Lyn
Girl, I wish there was more I could help with!
let me ask you....is the lower eyelid rolled inward at all? On either eye? That could be causing irritation that would cause the ulcer. That is what happened to Sophia. You can see yourself if that is the case. If not, I would say it is a scratch or a particle or something that has gotten in the eye and caused the irritation. I just know this, cataracts don't just happen overnight or in a weeks time, they are a lot slower growing than that. This isn't a cataract from what you have described. If there is any rolling in of the lower eyelid, or the upper eyelid in the inside corner of the eye near the nose, then that could cause the rubbing and the ulcer. That is my best guess.
Again, This is only a guess from what you have said. If you can find a vet knowledgeable of Bulldogs and their issues that would be good. Best of luck to you guys.
Amy and Sophia
The symptoms is a lot
The symptoms is a lot like glaucoma,he paw scrath his eyes , and on soft furniture and bedding.His eyes tear a lot and is red. Our local vet said to me yesterday that it can be this, and sugested to me that I must think of putting him out.He subscribed anti-inflamatory pills , after a while giving it to him it seems like he closes his eyes, like he is sleepy. he seems calmer. I don`t know if it`s more painful then or not?This is so hard for me, if I can only stop the pain! His eyelids seems fine.
Do you mean, putting him out as in...
Euthanizing him? Or sedating him so they can see it better? If your vet is telling you that he has to be put down as in dead, that isn't true!!! Even if it is Glaucoma, there are Bulldogs that have their eye or eyes removed and live a long and healthy and happy life without the eye or eyes because of that. I would do that before I would let my dog get put to sleep for good. Do not let your vet euthanize the dog over this, the vet just isn't familiar with eye issues in Bulldogs. This can be treated!!
You said the eye doctor couldn't see him if he was aggressive? Ask that he use a sedative and have the dog examined under that and at lest you will know what the problem is. Then you can go about treating it properly.
Amy and Sophia
A few links that may help you.
Here is information on Glaucoma in dogs. It is treatable. It can cause permanent loss of sight, but your dog will not be in pain should the eye lose vision and have to be removed. There are a couple of dogs with either partial or full blindness here on the board...their owners can tell you more about living with a dog with vision loss.
http://www.discountpetmedicines.com/glaucoma-in-dog.htm
http://www.animaleyecare.net/diseases/glaucoma.htm
http://www.caninegeneticdiseases.net/GLX/G-basics.htm
Amy and Sophia
Did they stain his eye
It sounds like an ulcer. Why don't they sedate him? Find a new vet quick and get this dog some medical help. He is in a great deal of pain.