dry eye- advice please x

hi everyone,

bentley has developed a sore eye over the last week. its not red, just where his eye weeps (which i wipe clean) the area has gone a bit bald and looks very dry and flakey. ive noticed tonight that the other eye has it slightly. he doesnt seem bothered by it in the slightest, any ideas what it could be??
i wipe his eyes with a soft dry flannel as i thought using just tissue would be too harsh. should i be using dog eye wipes instead?? any brands that you would recommend??
also, could his shampoo have caused it?? i do my best not to get it in his eyes and ive cecked him head to tail and the rest of his skin is flake free, just this small area near his eye.

(sorry if i sound paranoid )

xx

I would err on the side of caution and have the vet check his eyes for corneal scratch, infection, entropian, etc. It isn't worth taking a chance on letting a problem go untreated.

This is an opportunity to learn from your vet what to watch for and when to bring him in, etc.

Some cavaliers have slightly 'buggy' eyes (Geordie and India do) and can get a scratch easily from pricker weeds, berry plants, etc.

After all these years of having dogs, my vet has given me a small bottle of prescription antibiotic eyedrops (not Steroid) to use right away when I notice minor blinking, winking, light sensitivity-type symptoms that could indicate a small scratch. If the minor problem isn't gone in one day, I know to get an appointment right away. I don't have to use these very often, and I am allowed to call in and pick up a new bottle when the old one expires.

thank you for the advice, its not his actual eye its where is fur is outside the eye socket in the corner (where some dogs like poddles get that orange discoloring stain) its gone slightly bald and flaky like a skin irritation. im going to call the vet tomorrow and get an appointment.

here's a pic, i know its not very clear but you get the jist of where it is:

That's a very mild version of the problem a little tricolour I looked after 18 months ago had. Both her eyes were bald and crusty and she was in so much discomfort from it. As we had to find a solution to the problem that the owner could/ would continue without too much cost (long story and not for a public forum :bang::bang we took advice from our vet. She recommended cleaning all the scabs off under the shower, gently of course. Then we cleaned that area twice a day with a cotton wool pad (like you use for removing eye make-up) dipped in cold black tea. And then we massaged a wheatgerm based oil into the bald areas to deal with the dryness. I used another cotton wool pad dipped in the oil for this and avoided getting any into the actual eye, of course.

It took 4 months in total, but all her fur grew back, and when she went home the owner continued with daily cleaning with the cold black tea. She hasn't had a re-occurence of the problem. Apparently black tea has antiseptic properties?

The more expensive solution that may work is a cream called Dermacton. I haven't tried it myself though it has good reviews.

So, what I would do is check with your vet that there isn't an underlying infection first, then maybe try the tea/ oil combination. The oil was Hypercoat from the Animal Health Company - made to be ingested, but can be applied directly to problem areas. I only used this because it was gentle and I had some in the house.

Pippin has watery eyes, and we clean his with black tea, and so far he hasn't had any hair loss or flaky skin.

Good luck

This is neither Dry Eye or a corneal scratch or laceration, as those symptoms come from inside the eye.

It doesn't sound serious but you would be best advised to see your vet. Has your dog been scratching anywhere else? Or are there any other bald or inflamed patches of skin anywhere on the coat? If so, this could be caused by Harvest Mites, which I would treat by using Advantage, which you can only buy from your vet. It is also good at killing or preventing fleas.

The only wash or wipe I would use anywhere near the eyes is a dampened piece of Plenty kitchen paper, working gently from the area nearest the nose outwards. I then thoroughly dry the area with either a clean flannel or another piece of Plenty.

It would be nice if you could let us know what the vet says when you see him.

i will definatley let you all know thanks for the advice x

Sorry to hear you're worried about little Bentley. Give him a gentle hug from Leo and Me and let us know what the vet says.

hey everyone,well bentley was in the vet at 9am today. not for his eye.... he is showing signs of pain in his back and cant get up on the bed etc and is wimpering. i spent all night awake supporting his head as he couldn lay flat. i know what will jump into most peopls minds, cm or sm. i guess you could say we are frtunate as we are with the same vet group as clare rushbridge and the vet i saw today i was very happy with. bentley has no discomfort when you bend his kneck every which way you can, which believe me the vet did and he listened to all my concerns, i sounded like such a paranoid mother
bentley is currently on rimadyl nsaids and i have to phone wednesday, if there is no improvement bentley will be refered straight to clare. so please everyone keep your fingers crossed for my baby.


as for his eye, the vet said as we use advocate it is unlikely to be parasites. he seemed to think that it is tear stain burns as there is no inflamation etc. i bathed his eye with black tear tonight and then added some aqeuous cream to soothe. the vet didnt seem too concerned but to be honest at this point i think all our concerns were focused on bentleys back

xx

Poor Bentey's having a bit of a rough time.

I hope the back is nothing more than a stain.

Tear stain burns .... if this is the case, he must have a lot of acid in his system.

Hugs to Bently and hope he feels better soon.