Dog with glaucoma

[suzi1780]

My sister called me today very upset. She had just been to her vet's office with her 5 year old basset hound named Luna. The vet had been treating Luna for dry eye. On Saturday my sister took Luna to the vet because she was worried about her eye (this was visit number 4), the vet didn't see Luna, just gave them more drops to try. So today, my sister took Luna back to the vet because Luna's eye looked very bad and was swollen. The vet did a pressure test on Luna's eye and the pressure level was 75 in the bad eye and 8 in the good one. They gave her the number of a vet vision doctor an hour away and told her to call them. She called them from the parking lot of the vet's office and when she told them the pressure level, they said "get the dog here now." She got there but it was too late, poor Luna has lost vision in her eye forever. So now my sister has 3 choices, 1) to have the eye removed and just sewn up, 2) have a fake eye put in 3) some procedure that involves a shot in the nerves I believe, but Luna is not a good candidate for this because of something to do with her lens floating around? (sorry didn’t really understand what she was talking about)

My sister is very upset and feels that she should have been more forceful at the vet’s office on Saturday, making sure the vet saw Luna instead of just giving them another eye drop. The eye doctor vet did tell her that Saturday was probably too late anyway. I told her that she did everything she could, (I mean she took the dog to the vet’s office 5 times in a 3 week time period!) and not to be hard on herself. I also told her that Luna will function fine with one eye.

Anyone have experience with glaucoma and having an eye removed? She has to decide in the next day or two what they will do. The eye vet also told her that glaucoma is genetic, common in basset hounds and that is not a matter of "if" Luna will get glaucoma in her other eye, but "when"

Here are some pics of lovely Luna and her brother Flash (when he was a puppy)

 

[RDZCRanch]

I would just have the eye removed. I grew up with a one eyes dog(she was hit by a car in our driveway) and she lived to 22 years without any problem. It took her a bit to get used to having one eye but after a little while it became normal. Not to mention...she already can't see out of the eye so she wouldn't be missing anything.

Your sister did all she could! It's a genetic disease and it was going to happen anyhow. At least now she knows what to look for and can go straight to the specialist. It makes me feel all fuzzy inside that your sister loves her baby enough to take her straight to a specialist(most are VERY expensive). I hope Luna has a quick recovery and I wish your sister luck with whatever decision she makes!

 

[3CsMommy]

I wouldn't spend the time and money on a false eye when continued problems with the other eye are a given later on. She'll have enough fuss treating the good eye without having to take out a prosthesis for cleaning, etc., and the dog isn't going to notice a cosmetic thing like a glass eye unless it's uncomfortable or otherwise feels weird. I'd tell your sister to ask this specialist what he/she would do if it were the vet's own dog on that table. If the specialist is as good as it seems, your sister will probably get an honest answer that's going to be what's best for the dog in the long run. The good news is, Bassets are tough little (well, not exactly "little") dogs, and with Flash around to keep her active, there's no reason Luna can't adjust wonderfully to losing her vision. Your sister might have to skip rearranging the furniture once Luna's other eye starts to go, but small price to pay, I say.

Meanwhile, has Luna and Flash's breeder been contacted so he/she knows dogs with a genetic disease have been bred at his/her facility? The two dogs Luna's out of should never be paired again to avoid the disorder spreading, and the rest of their animals should be tested for it as well.

 

[suzi1780]

Meanwhile, has Luna and Flash's breeder been contacted so he/she knows dogs with a genetic disease have been bred at his/her facility? The two dogs Luna's out of should never be paired again to avoid the disorder spreading, and the rest of their animals should be tested for it as well.

That is a good point, Flash and Luna are from different breeders. My father got Luna for my nephew from England from some "top breeders" or something and I am sure he paid a crazy amount of money for her. However since then, my sister no longer has a relationship with my father (I never have), he is just a big jerk... anyway so I am not sure if she has the contact information for the breeder in England but I will mention it to her.

 

[3CsMommy]

If she has any kind of UKC registration or purchase paperwork for Luna, the breeder's name will be on that. She can use the Club website to contact them, and personally I'd let the UK Basset Club president know what happened too, in the event the breeder turns out not to care that pups of his/her breeding are going blind at age 5. She might have to send copies of the test results etc. overseas to support the claim, so she should be prepared to scan and email Luna's chart.

(My dog growing up was out of a b!tch from champion hunting Am. Foxhound lines, but thanks to a greedy jerk of a neighbor, she was ruined for the ring when her first heat found her pregnant by the neighbor's Lab. Part of the "purchase" contract for Jack included the Dam's pedigree and the names of the original owner and the vet that gave his puppy shots. I'm pretty sure at least some of that information is provided to anyone buying from a scrupulous breeder, regardless of what country they're based in, b/c so much commerce goes on between kennel clubs.)

 

[suzi1780]

Just got off the phone with my sister, they are going to do the fake eye. It won't be completely fake, just the iris. So they won't have to worry about taking it out and cleaning it or anything like that. I told her see should just get it sewn up, but the cost difference was only $100 so she decided to go with the fake one.

Didn't have time to talk to her about the breeder before she had to go back to work

 

[ChunkyChins]

I had a Chow that came down with Glaucoma when she was 2 years old.. I had gotten her from the shelter as a puppy and one day she just started hitting into walls. She lived for a good 6 years after that, completely blind in both eyes. It took her a bit to get used to having no vision, but she did great once adjusted!

My sister has a cat that had one eye removed, there was a false eye put in the socket but after 6 months her body rejected it, and it ended up having to be removed anyhow.

I'd go with not bothering with a fake anything, but since they already made their decision it should all work out in the end anyways.

Your sister shouldn't be upset with herself. Glaucoma comes on VERY fast, and hits very hard. Once there is pressure in the eye, the vision is shot. Those days in between probably didn't make much of a difference, because the drops are normally given for inflammation. Same thing happened with my Princess, but the first vet had just diagnosed her with Pink Eye... I don't blame myself, because as Tabitha said, if Glaucoma is going to hit, there's no stopping it!

Best wishes for Luna!

 

[~*=Phoenix=*~]

I had a vet diagnose my dog with Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca (Dry eye). They did a Schirmer test in both eyes, one was borderline and the other was really dry.

After reading the complete package and booklet that came with it. I decided I wanted to get a second opinion because I disagreed with the diagnosis. Although he did have a eye that was a bit dry and had discharge, this was not constant as it typically is with true KCS. It was because he kept getting dust and crap in his eye and then pawing at it. He did however have a bit of hyperpigmentation. He now has eye gel to help with it, neobacimyx with hydrocortisone and the vet said I could use eye drops that said "artificial tears" on it.

Generally when the vets discover the glaucoma in dogs, they are usually already mostly blind (if not completely) in that eye. It is painful for them.

I would recommend having the eye removed and getting a fake eye. People who don't know the dog can be freaked out by a one eyed dog and the dog doesn't really know why they are acting "wierd". help save doggy feelings lol.

She should speak up and/or have gotten a second opinon. BUT, she shouldn't feel bad for not doing so.

 

[Chinmama]

I am just reading this for the first time, but I hope everything is going well for your sister and Luna.

My dog Jake had a condition known as Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration (SARDS). I got up with him in the middle of the night one night to take him out and he was running into things that he normally could see. The next morning he was okay, but when I came home that afternoon I could tell something was off with him. I took him to the vet the next morning and by the time I picked him up that afternoon, he had already gone completely blind. He was a 12 year old Brittany Spaniel.

I think it affected me more than him, and it took us both some time, but he adjusted to it very well. He learned some new commands and also learned that he had to trust me completely. He could go out in the yard off the leash and I could tell him stop, left, right, step up, step down, and he could get around well. He had the occasional senior moment where he would think he could not listen to me and run into something, but not too often.

Hopefully the vet will be able to medicate her to keep her other eye healthy for as long as she can. If she does lose her vision completely, she will adjust and still be a happy girl. Jake lived for another year and a half after he went blind, and may have lived longer if other health problems hadn't shown up.

 

[GorillaJTA]

One of the bigger adjustments that your sister will have to make is remembering to warn people about approaching Luna on her blind side. With the prosthetic eye, people may not realize she is blind on one side and a dog being approached on that side can get antsy.