January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month

Hello, Patch Pet Lovers!

Our pets are so resilient, and rarely do their afflictions affect their daily lifestyle!

The photos attached are included in the article below; both are doggies whom have been diagnosed with glaucoma.  

The first: "Greta suffers from glaucoma, which is not uncommon in dogs."  Photo Credit:  Jim Sears and Shelly Brown

The second:  "Teddy Bear lost an eye to glaucoma, but he doesn't let that stop him."  Photo Credit:   Bonnie L. Hays Small Animal Shelter

Pet Talk: Keep your sights on animal eye health  By Monique Balas 

Symptoms of glaucoma

The most common sign that something is wrong with your dog’s eye is what’s called an elevated third eyelid.

“It almost looks like the eye is rolling up and out,” Kirschner says. “It’s not; it’s an optical illusion, but it’s almost always a sign of pain in the eye.”

The dog’s third eyelid, also known as the nictitating membrane, is a thin piece of tissue that acts as “windshield wiper” across the cornea. It’s usually not visible, but when the eye is irritated from glaucoma or a corneal ulcer, it may become elevated and cover the eye.

This is likely what Brown saw when she noticed something was wrong with Greta.

Dogs may also squint or paw at their eye, or the eyeball may become enlarged and bulge forward.

Treatment

If Fido gets glaucoma in one eye, it’s only a matter of time before it develops in the other eye.

There is an eye drop that can help delay onset in the healthy eye for up to two years, but your pet will develop glaucoma eventually.

There are lots of treatment options, although Scherlie’s preferred method is simply to remove the eye and stitch the skin shut.

“The benefit to that is immediate pain relief, the stitches are out in seven to 10 days, and there’s no eye to have any future problems,” he says.

For older dogs like Greta, who aren’t good candidates for surgery, there’s the option of injecting an antibiotic into the eye. This procedure kills off the cells producing excess fluid.

Another technique is removing the eye and putting in a silicone implant to keep the eye’s shape, but the dog can still contract other diseases that affect the surface of the eye.

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Helping to keep beloved furry babies healthy and safe... and pet parents informed!

Lori

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