Dog Eye Problem

by Tasha
(Plainview, TX)

Reader Question: Eye allergy or Dog Eye Infection?

My mother's dog is about 10 yrs old. She is a sheltie/pom mix. She has:

-an auto-immune deficiency (one where boby attacks the red blood cells)
-diabetes mellitus
-cataracts (pretty much blind)
-a little overweight

In her right eye, she had begun squinting and had drainage that my mother would wipe away. She was taken to the vet and given tobramycin drops (I believe that's the one). I know that he gave her a fairly thorough exam. I was not there, but I think he said it may be due to allergies.

If drops helped, it was very little. Now behind the pupil it appears to be red and the pupil may be protruding a bit. She is still squinting and paws at it from time to time. The drainage seems not as bad though. Her appetite is good and she still plays. We did get a larger dog whose tail sometimes whips her in the face.

My question is: the red appearance behind the pupil, its possible protrusion and the introduction of the large dog - are we looking at an eye injury or something along the line of Uveitis (or another disease)?

Tasha

Vet Responds to Reader Question Regarding Severity of Dog's Eye Infection

Hi Tasha,

Without examining your mother’s dog’s eyes, I can’t say exactly what is going on, but I worry that with her health history, she might be dealing with something more serious than allergies or another dog’s tail hitting her in the face. The fact that she has cataracts concerns me because sometimes a lens with a cataract can move into an abnormal position causing symptoms similar to the ones you describe. If this has occurred, she could develop glaucoma (i.e., elevated pressure in the eye), which is very painful.

I recommend that your mother either takes the dog back in for a recheck, or at the very least call her veterinarian with an update to find out what his thoughts are.

Best of luck,

Jennifer Coates, DVM