dry eye

[fifeandshaffer]

I will call the vet tom to make an appt but, my cooper seems to have trouble with his eye, not red no discharge, I called a friend who is an eye dr he said it prob dry eye, I was wondering if anyone else has this issue and what you do for it, I put some drops in it tonight for him, he seems to rub it less since I put them in, seems to be worse at night and its only 1 eye. I will call the vet tom and get him an appointment to make sure. thanks

[Ladymom]

Lady developed dry eye (KCS) when she was about 11 years old. She has done really well with tear stimulators and artificial tears.

Yorkies can be born without lacrimal glands which means they don't produce tears. In this case, tear stimulators don't work.

Your vet can do a very simple test to see if Cooper is producing tears.

Here is a great article about dry eye:

KCS (Dry Eye)

[fifeandshaffer]

thanks so much, im pretty sure that is what he has, i did put some restatis in his eye tonight ,, eye dr said it was fine said thats prob what the vet will give him anyway, I for sure will make an appt for him tom to have the test taken, see if i cant get his eye a little better, when I rrscued him a few weeks ago the previous owners had taken him to banfield who put him on some kind of eye drop but didnt know what for, i have since had him fixed, rabies shot and titer done babyteeth pulled and cleaned but his eye thing seemed to just start back up so didnt mention it to the vet the few times we have been there i guess i should have mentioned it

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by fifeandshaffer

thanks so much, im pretty sure that is what he has, i did put some restatis in his eye tonight ,, eye dr said it was fine said thats prob what the vet will give him anyway, I for sure will make an appt for him tom to have the test taken, see if i cant get his eye a little better, when I rrscued him a few weeks ago the previous owners had taken him to banfield who put him on some kind of eye drop but didnt know what for, i have since had him fixed, rabies shot and titer done babyteeth pulled and cleaned but his eye thing seemed to just start back up so didnt mention it to the vet the few times we have been there i guess i should have mentioned it

Restasis is cyclosporin which is a tear stimulator. It didn't work for Lady, but the newer Tacrolimus does.

I would really recommend taking Cooper to an ophthalmologist if he does have dry eye. General practice vets just don't have the equipment and training to deal with diseases of the eye beyond the very basics.

[fifeandshaffer]

I just got back from the vet with cooper they did Schirmer Tear Test he failed his one eye was a 2 his other about a 5, she started him on cyclosporin 2x a day i need to have it compunded so i got both the drops and ointment, I will have him retested in 10 days, and see what heppens,, vet said i caught it way way early and usually when she sees it the dog is in way worse shape, she is confident that drops are all he will need for now but will see if the cylcosporin works or change to tacrolimus, his glands produce but just the way they should, and he is also draining properly she did a few stains as well to check his eyes. I hope that the drops work for him,,, thanks for your help and info ,, i also ordered the drops on amazon that you suggested. she said I can use them as needed, but wait atleast 15 min after the cyclosporin to use them,, how often do you use them is your dogs each day?

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by fifeandshaffer

I just got back from the vet with cooper they did Schirmer Tear Test he failed his one eye was a 2 his other about a 5, she started him on cyclosporin 2x a day i need to have it compunded so i got both the drops and ointment, I will have him retested in 10 days, and see what heppens,, vet said i caught it way way early and usually when she sees it the dog is in way worse shape, she is confident that drops are all he will need for now but will see if the cylcosporin works or change to tacrolimus, his glands produce but just the way they should, and he is also draining properly she did a few stains as well to check his eyes. I hope that the drops work for him,,, thanks for your help and info ,, i also ordered the drops on amazon that you suggested. she said I can use them as needed, but wait atleast 15 min after the cyclosporin to use them,, how often do you use them is your dogs each day?

Oh, I am so glad Cooper will produce tears w/drops!

You can get Genteal at Walmart or Walgreens so you don't even have to order it.

Yes, wait about 10-15 minutes after doing his drops to put artificial tears in. 4-6 times a day is recommended, but you can't overdo it. Lady's ophthalmologist said to do it hourly whenever possible.

I also am very careful to keep her eyelid area clean to reduce inflammation as much as possible. I wash Lady's eye area every morning with an eyelid scrub. I also have a gel (Blephagel) that I get from her ophthalmologist to use before bedtime.