Cali limping and eye problems.. Ugh!

[mikebdub]

Took Cali in for a early visit to the doc because she was having a bit of trouble getting up after laying down. She spent about a week with my Mother after one of her Doxy's had passed recently so her other pup would have a friend around and stated the limping right after she came home. We figured it was just a sore muscle or something along those lines because she just does not know how to be easy while playing! The doc did X-rays and found nothing wrong so he put her on a pain med and light duty for a few weeks to see how things pan out. Luckily things are doing good for her and there is really no limping to be seen after a few days but I brought up her leaky eye while we we there. It had only been bothering her for about a week at the time so I just kept it clean and kept a eye on it.. The doc said she has a developing problem called Distichiasis which is basically eyelashes growing on the inside of her eyelids into her eyes! He said the only thing to do for a pup who has this problem when it is irritating the eye is some type of surgery to correct it. He referred us to a specialist and Cali has an appointment in a few weeks to see what they think.. It is looking like its going to be around $1000 before all is said and done which is going to be a big hit but I could not even imagine something constantly poking me in the eye so money is no object I have to get the poor girl fixed up! Does anybody else have any experience with his condition? I am going to pick up some eye meds Monday to help keep her eye lubricant since its going to be a while before the eye doc can see us. Thanks for any insight!

[Ann]

I'm glad Cali's limping has improved...at least that's the good news, right?

Sorry to hear about her eye. I have no experience with that particular condition but our Ivy used to occasionally get cysts on her eyelid that we'd have to have removed surgically. Once she needed stitches which was nasty, and the dreaded cone for a time afterward. She always healed well though. I hope the same is true for Cali. Please keep us posted. Give her some pats for us!

[corbinam]

Sorry to hear about Cali's issues.

Lexi has distichia as well, but it's really mild. I took her in to the eye doctor when she had a weepy eye (we have a friend who is a vet opthamologist) and she pointed it out to us. Luckily, we've been able to hold her still and pluck them ourselves. She only gets 1 at a time, and maybe just a few times a year.

Usually the surgery requires freezing them off (I believe), but you may get lucky if you find a good vet opthamologist that can try plucking them first. They will usually come back after being plucked, but it might be a better alternative than a $1000 surgery, just depending on the amount/frequency of hair growth.

Keep us posted--I'm sending good thoughts your way!

[Chris]

I real about that eye condition in one of James Herriott's books. He repaired it with surgery, too. I hope Cali's isn't so severe.

[lovemyshelties]

We had a male Sheltie many years ago with this issue. Luckily he was a sweet, gentle guy who would let me use tweezers to pull out the offending eye lashes. Worked like a charm. Of course, not all Shelties will let you get that close to their eyes without flinching so not sure what advice to give you. I guess the main thing I'd want to know is the success rate is for this surgery. Good luck...

[Tagg]

This is a condition that is commonly seen in the cocker breeds and any other breed with loose skin around the eyes and often surgery is the answer. I wouldn't be suggesting that anyone pluck since one wrong move could be bad news. If left you run the very real risk of corneal scratches and ulceration with poor healing ability and the dog is not a happy camper with those pesky little lashes continually rubbing.
Also, it is a genetic fault that you need to talk to your breeder about. Hopefully it is a good one and that they will step up and assist with the costs.
I don't know how the surgery is done now but the old one was quite successful.

[mikebdub]

She is generally a calm pup but not when it comes to her eyes so there will be no attempted plucking from me! Hopefully it will be mild enough to try some eye drops before surgery and see how that goes. I know she won't like having to do it every day, but at least it will give some comfort. It really doesn't seem like it bothers her now and I never would have thought anything otherwise except for the leaky eye. As far as her breeder goes, she was a rescue from a barn so she was a "accident" you can say and was given to us for free. Some help would be nice but its not going to come from there None of her brothers or sisters are showing any signs of it but I have warned the parents to keep a eye on them! Thanks for the kind words and Cali says thank you for the pets!