Going to the vet today for eye issue

[curlytails]

Got an appointment scheduled for the afternoon, about 4 hours from now. I'm so glad our vet was able to fit us in.

Bowpi has one watery eye that's always been like this since before we got her (well over a year ago now). Her previous owner says she got in a fight with a Mini Schnauzer once and she sustained some injury to that eye (I don't think on the eye itself – she has a tiny scar below), so it's always been a bit watery.

I'm not sure if that's related, but anyway, as of last night, that eye has gotten REALLY watery and puffy, to the extent that she won't open it. She also tries to paw at it a little and she bunny kicks at her head to scratch, but she has stopped with a yelp several times now. I tried to gently pat-wipe her eye gunk off with a tissue earlier, and that also made her yelp, though not as loud. Since she barely opens it, it's hard to tell if it's red or anything.

Her appetite is normal, and she darted right for the backyard as usual when we opened up the back door to give them both a little sun. I'm taking the dogs out in a bit. Then Little 'Pi just gets an extra outing to the vet this afternoon, and I'm a little nervous.

[nobarkus]

Hopefully nothing serious! Let us know what was found. Maybe something got under the lid. Were you out were there are weeds?

[sharronhurlbut]

Good thoughts on this eye issue. Please let us know what the vet says.

[curlytails]

We're outdoors in the dog park just about every single day now that it's summer. Lucky for the dogs, but it's likely that something in the air or grass aggravated her. The doc diagnosed it as a mild case of conjunctivitis and gave her meds (antibiotic drops and Rimadyl). They said it wasn't contagious to either dogs or humans… right?

It's just a little scary to go from this...

Clear eyes on June 7th

to this…

mild conjunctivitis this afternoon

… in 2 days. And the yelping was very sad, since she's normally so quiet.

They checked for corneal scratches, and her eyes were clear. The vet said they've seen a LOT of foxtails lately, including in eyes (ewww). I've seen a lot of them outside too, and they're bad enough to make me avoid at least one of our favorite parks, but I figure as long as I'm checking carefully after every outing, it's worth the risk.

And they tested her eye pressure. The doc said the pressure in the affected eye was slightly low, but not enough to indicate uveitis.

I'm glad it turned out to be something pretty common. I'm a little paranoid about her eyes sometimes because the right one in particular is constantly weepy, and she often does look a little "squinty" when we're outside. But the meds should clear her right up, they said, or bring her back on Monday.

[Kipawa]

I'm really glad that Bowpi will be okay! Yes, when you see something wrong with an animal you own and love, it really makes you nervous and scared. Keep us posted on how things heal.

[sharronhurlbut]

Oh, I am glad it's nothing worse..Yes eye issues can be scary and sometimes serious. Glad your b will be on the mend soon.

[DebraDownSouth]

@curlytails:

The doc diagnosed it as a mild case of conjunctivitis and gave her meds (antibiotic drops and Rimadyl). They said it wasn't contagious to either dogs or humans… right?

They checked for corneal scratches, and her eyes were clear. The vet said they've seen a LOT of foxtails lately

Foxtails were my first worry, those things are nasty. Glad she is okay… but if her cornea is clear, why does he think she has tearing? I know entropic eyes not common with basenjis, but watering eyes always makes me want a reassurance.

[curlytails]

@DebraDownSouth:

but if her cornea is clear, why does he think she has tearing? I know entropic eyes not common with basenjis, but watering eyes always makes me want a reassurance.

I was told by her previous owner that her eyes have been teary since her old injury, and this is what I relayed to the vet. He took that cue and suggested that her right eye may constantly be wet because her tears may not be accumulating properly in her tear duct – could be blocked or scarred or something? -- and so it just "spills over" and comes out. I don't know dog anatomy very well, so that's the best as I can relay of what I understood. The stuff that comes out is usually clear and watery, not gunky, and not a lot, just constant.

This picture shows her old scars slightly better. They're barely noticeable, just a couple white lines around her eye (I added a "note" to them in the flickr shot):

Looking forward

I asked him to talk more about her tearing because I was trying to understand how to tell the difference between "normal" tearing and more serious eye issues, especially if she's always teary. Her appearance today was a VERY clear indicator that something was wrong, and I'm glad that I was able to get her right in there. But what if I had missed an earlier sign, and this wasn't as sudden as I thought? Anyway, I don't know if there's a good answer except to observe and know what's normal for her. I just don't want my assumptions of what is "normal" to mask any underlying problems that are actually making her feel really uncomfortable.

[lvoss]

Before you think that it may be worth the risk with fox tails, a friend of mine just spent $600 because her dog got a fox tail up between his toes. So be aware fox tail injuries can be very expensive.

Did you see a vet opthamologist or just a regular vet? If she hasn't been seen by a vet opthamologist and has a chronic eye condition, you may want to get her checked out.

[agilebasenji]

Poor baby. Obviously you will need to cook for her, let her sleep on the bed and cater to her every need. You know, a normal day.

[curlytails]

Yikes, why did it cost so much?! Did they have to sedate the dog and surgically remove the thing?

I've heard horror stories of foxtails up the nose, etc., so I know it can be an issue. But I'm not concerned about the way we play it. For example, I live in a neighborhood where, frankly, lawn care is not a priority. There are foxtail jungles landscaping at least three houses down my block. We march right by them when we're out on regular walks, and if I tried to avoid every clump of the weed in my neighborhood, we'd be tracing hieroglyphics up and down the street. Heh.

The parks that we continue going to are far from foxtail-free, but the layout and general maintenance efforts make it possible to not be too troubled by them. That is NOT the case at this other park that we basically have to abandon over the summer because it becomes completely overrun by weeds of all kinds.

This was just our regular vet. I haven't ruled out a specialist, as I'd love to get more customized answers, someday.

[curlytails]

@agilebasenji:

Poor baby. Obviously you will need to cook for her, let her sleep on the bed and cater to her every need. You know, a normal day.

:D:D:D
Doesn't take much to justify any of that though.

[lvoss]

@curlytails:

Yikes, why did it cost so much?! Did they have to sedate the dog and surgically remove the thing?

Yes, and I know basenji owner who had a similar vet bill due to fox tail removal about 2 years ago.

[DebraDownSouth]

@agilebasenji:

Poor baby. Obviously you will need to cook for her, let her sleep on the bed and cater to her every need. You know, a normal day.

LOL, yep normal day.

On foxtails, wow, $600 is normal. I know a gal with a spaniel that ended up a couple of thousand between dx, specialist for the surgery because of how far into nasal cavity her reg doc wouldn't do it. Reminds me that somewhere I have a picture of the bandaged up dog. But I also know a gal who nearly lost her dog when it actually aspirated one into its lung. (Okay so just spent 10 min looking, so old of pic must be on my old computer files that were transferred to leora's new one). Anyway, yeah, they are terrible. My friend spent a fortune eradicating them from her yard and surrounding area after her dog got one in eye. Wasn't terrible cost to remove it as I recall. We don't have them here, btw,

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art29569.asp

[Chealsie508]

What are foxtails?? … I happened onto this thread because today I'm taking oak to the vet because his eye ( which too has always been watery; not the one with corneal dystrophy either) has been red and extra wet but as of yesterday I came home from work to crusty green blobs, I thought it was allergies but now I think it's conjunctivitis...I felt like every ten minutes I was wetting a warm cloth to clean his eye...poor boppy with all this weird eye stuff! Naturally he got extra cookies and love from me....

[curlytails]

They're a prickly little weed that's shaped like its namesake. Apparently it's only found West of the Mississippi River?

http://speakingforspot.com/blog/2011/05/31/its-foxtail-season-again/

They seem really bad this year so far (they haven't stiffened and dried out yet), so I'm a little nervous.

Hope Oakley's eye troubles are a simple fix!

[Chealsie508]

Oooo…. Out here we have things that look very similar to that, however they are in area near the wetlands, ponds and such...never anything I have to avoid.... They almost have wire like razor feel to the individual hairs...hmm, I learn something new everyday!

I too hope we're done with vet visits for awhile ( knock on wood), I do just think its a case of mild conjunctivitis because he shows minimal to no irritation but it is crusting and forming mucous....I'm such a worrier now about his eyes (and gum!)
Thanks

[Kipawa]

We have foxtails here in British Columbia (west coast of Canada). Kipawa had trouble with some in his ear last year, in addition to him having a small sea shell stuck in their too. Vet bill, if I remember correctly, was just under $500

[krunzer]

Fox-tails are prevalent in most of Canada I believe. We have them here in northern Alberta, everywhere. They are just a weed. But if they get into the skin they will keep working their way in and are very hard to pull out, kind of like a porcupine quill. I have never had a problem with them or with the dogs and them for that matter, but I hear they can be a very nasty weed to deal with if they work their way into the skin. I have also heard of them gettin stuck up dog's noses. Not pleasant!

[Chealsie508]

Oak went to the vet and low and behold, just what I thought- conjunctivitis…poor bop, extra treats, sticks and love...