Pet of the Month - June
Tuesday, June 15th, 2010
Feisty is the word most often used to describe terriers. From the Latin word “terra” for earth, most terriers were originally bred to “go to ground” after burrowing vermin, larger rodents and even foxes. These fiery little dynamos would dig up underground dens and burrows while barking furiously, forcing the inhabitants out where hunters awaited. As they became less in demand for these outdoor traits, they became an easy crossover as the intelligent household pet that we have come to love today.
Although they are more domesticated to a life indoors, they still retain most of their genetic drive to chase prey and burrow. So you may find the terrier eager to get to the shrubbery or rutting in the backyard to find prey. Sometimes, with this energetic working breed, the need to for-fill the urge of their heritage has them diving into the brushes, ivy, shrubbery, and dirt head first which could be a problem for their eyes.
In walks Ms. Cortez and her Terrier, “Eddie”. “Eddie” is a Rat Terrier mix and is almost 3 years old. We could tell that he was a true Terrier from his muscular physique, and his attentive eye contact displayed a great amount of intelligence. Unfortunately, he was uncomfortable after retaining a corneal foreign body on his right eye. After days of the foreign body not dislodging on its own, Ms. Cortez decided to bring “Eddie” to AVEC to be seen by an ophthalmologist.
Corneal foreign bodies can include plant material, flecks of metal, and chips of paint that can adhere and form depressions in the corneal epithielium to the point were the eyelids alone cannot dislodge them. The foreign bodies can be removed in most cases with just a topical anesthetic and ophthalmic corneal forceps. Complications of corneal foreign bodies include secondary bacterial and fungal infection, corneal ulcers, and severe corneal scars. Sometimes if the foreign body is lodged deep within the eye surgical intervention with general anesthesia may be necessary.
After a comprehensive ophthalmic examination on “Eddie” we discovered the foreign body that had been causing the irritation to his eye. “Eddie” held nice and still as we gave him an injection for pain management. After about ten minutes we took “Eddie” back to the O.R. to remove the corneal foreign body. Dr. Powell-Johnson was able to dislodge the corneal foreign body revealing a secondary corneal ulcer. The foreign body was a piece of plant material that had lodged its way into the cornea. “Eddie” was the perfect gentleman, as holding still if often a difficult thing to do, even for humans.
To heal the secondary corneal ulcer for “Eddie” he was placed on both a topical and oral anti-inflammatory, and antibiotic medical regime to complete the healing. Now “Eddie” has continued to do well, and his corneal foreign body episode is a thing of the past. He does have a small corneal scar at the site of where the foreign body was lodged, but it continues to be more and more transparent, and eventually undetectable to the naked eye. We love helping our patients at AVEC and feel client education is an important part of the services we provide. Now that Ms. Cortez and “Eddie” have a healthy preventative regime, we are sure he will continue to enjoy his “fun” outdoors.
If your pet is a shrub diver, or dirt digger, never allow them to engage in this behavior unsupervised. Also you can help protect their eyes by applying a topical nonmedicated lubricating ointment to the eyes prior to these types of activities. This product is an over-the-counter ointment found in most pharmacies’ eye care section. It acts as a barrier to help protect the eyes, we suggest our patient use it prior to grooming episodes as well. It is important to be observant of your pets, as a small thing like a foreign body can be very difficult to notice, until it begins to cause problems. If you notice your pet having and signs of ocular irritation like; redness, discharge, squinting, pawing or rubbing, please seek the help of a veterinary ophthalmologist.
Who can resist the big brown eyes of a Bassett Hound! Meet our patient of the month, “Desi” Bunn, an 11-year-old Bassett Hound that has been challenged with chronic genetic eye disease. Both of “Desi’s” eyes are cloudy and he has developed many painful corneal ulcers in the past.The cornea is the window in the front part of the eye. In health, it is transparent and acts as an important barrier between the eyes and the environment. The surface epithielium, and the last layer (endotheilium) keep fluid from entering the corneal tissue. “Desi” the Bassett Hound has a genetic disease where the endotheilium is abnormal and allows fluid to accumulate in the corneal tissue. Ultimately, the surface of the eye become edematous (waterlogged and cloudy), fragile and constantly ulcerates because of the abnormal endotheilium. Endotheilial dystrophy can be observed in several other breeds including the Boston Terrier, and the Chihuahua. This disease makes them genetically prone to corneal edema, and corneal ulcers due to the poor health of the endotheilium.
Ah, those long legs, that tiny waist, such an Italian beauty; that’s Gina Lollobrigida. This describes our first AVEC patient of the month, a wonderful Italian Greyhound puppy, “Gina Lollobrigida” Jancuski. Gina’s owners brought her to AVEC on November 2, 2009, following a traumatic injury to the left eye at the owners mountain home. Hope for a cosmetic, non-painful solution was initially very doubtful. “Gina” presented with hyphema (blood in the eye), uveitis (intraocular inflammation), and a secondary glaucoma. Needless to say, the owners were devastated, and only hoped that their beloved family pet would not have to lose her left eye. Dr. Powell-Johnson discussed the medical and surgical options with the Jancuskis. First, Gina’s left eye was stabilized and an aggressive topical and oral medical regime was initiated. Dr. Powell-Johnson developed a special relationship with this young patient, and when the clients had to go out of town on a trip that had been planned months in advance, she took Gina home with her each evening for several days. Gina and Hattie Mae developed a great friendship.