Dry eye???

hi all, i had to take daisy to the vet this morning, her eyes have been a bit more gungy and sore. the vet has given us a gel to put on her eyes now, she says she has "dry eye" . can someone tell me a bit more info on this? i feel quite disapointed that she now has this, is this something that will go away? i have to go back to the vet in 2 weeks time. on top of that my grandad died last night, so feel a bit down about this and daisys eyes too.

Dry eye is a condition that many dogs suffer with but especially Cavaliers.

You will be able to keep her comfortable but you cannot cure it. It is a condition that you can use medication to help with and sometimes it can be worse than others, you will be able to see what helps and what doesn't. Try avoiding wind and sand, dusty things and draughts etc.

Viscotears bought from any good chemist (Boots and Lloyds) and used once or twice daily really helps as well, it keeps the eyes nice and moist.

Did your vet do tear tests to establish how severe/mild the dry eye is at all? I would ask for these to be done and then repeated a few weeks later after using the drops/gel to see if there is any improvement in the eyes and also so that you you can be sure that this is really Dry Eye and not just a mild infection causing the discharge.

So sorry about your Grandad. (((hugs)))

Alison, Wilts, U.K.

I don't know anything about dry eye and read this thread to educate myself. So sorry about your granddad. May he rest in peace.

Mickey

Mickey and Daisy's mum,

you might like to visit .....

www.cavalierhealth.org

an excellent health site for Cavaliers with coverage of Dry Eye Syndrome.

Alison, Wilts, U.K.

It's pretty common, especially in certain breeds. Good thing you caught it early. It will likely require lifelong treatment. the cause is usually unknown and immune mediated. Basically, the eye stops making enough tears so the eyes get dry and irritated. If untreated, it can lead to blindness, ulcers, etc.

You can read more aboout it here:
http://www.vetmed.iastate.edu/services/vth/clinical/ophth/diseases/kerato.asp

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/keratoconjunctivitis-sicca-kcs-in-dogs/page1.aspx
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1606&articleid=451

If the cause is unknown and likely immune mediated (#1 cause of dry eye in dogs) then treatment is usually topical cyclosporine - which suppresses the immune system.

thanks for all the replies. i shall keep going with the gel and hopefully the vet can say if her eyes are better or not in a couple of weeks time. the vet did do the eye test with a small piece of paper in each eye, her left eye went to 15 and her right eye went to between 5-10, but what this really means i dont know.

{{{{{{{{Emma}}}}}}}} so sorry about your Grandad :flwr:

Hope Daisy soon recovers and the dry eye is caused by an infection or something.

Alison's Honey-Bee had dry eye so Alison does know exactly what she's talking about as a pet owner (as I'm sure Kendall does as a Vet trainee - you are still training Kendall?) You have had two very good inputs here so I can't add anything except to send you and Daisy my very best and some big hugs too :hug:

Those results are not that bad, 15 is high.

My Honey never got above 2 or 3.
With those results I wouldn't over worry to much. :flwr: :flwr: :flwr: Just take care with them.

Alison, Wilts, U.K.

Fifteen is just the cut off for treating. So that's not TOO bad, but still should be treated. 5-10 is pretty low.

So sorry about your Grandad, Emma. :hug:

I hope little Daisy improves with her gel. :flwr:

My boy has one eye that isn't producing any tears...his good eye averages around 18 on the tear test...his last few times he was tested in the bad eye he was producing 0....His is not the typical dry eye as his has been like this since he was a baby...they figured his tear duct either never completely formed or was injured shortly after birth...We use Refresh liquigel (a human eye lubricant) at least 4-6 times a day..more often if I can...and Tacrolimus (which is suppose to help inflammation and help produce tears) twice a day (three times if he is having problems) and antibiotic eye drops as needed....I also use a saline eye wash as necessary to clean up the eye when he's been out in the dust and dirt...

Since we have been doing this since he was a puppy it really doesn't bother him a bit and does not stop him from doing anything he wants..LOL..we do agility in a field and in a horse areana..he goes to daycare with all size dogs...he doesn't know or care that there is anything wrong with him...of all the things that could be wrong with a dog this is pretty minor for the most part but does require constant care and monitoring...

I'm thoughts are with you and your family on the loss of your grandfather.