Symptoms that show your dog has cherry eye include:
- An oval mass protruding from the dog’s eyelid nearest his / her nose
- Swelling
- Possible irritation
- Red, thickened tissue
- Dry eyes
It
is believed that the condition is not painful for your dog and that in
all likelihood he / she will carry on as normal. Your dog will likely
show no signs of distress or the condition other than the visible
protrusion.
So Max woke up one morning with cherry eye. I didn't know what it was, just assumed an eye infection and got him into the vet in 3 hours. It made him look baleful and sad.
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The eye thing is not
bothering Max. |
He weighed in at 56.2 pounds! Vet said his gland was popped up from behind his third eyelid. If I had waited a week we would have been screwed, but since he got in right away we could try avoiding surgery. The gland could have been irritated by bacteria, virus, allergy, impact... who knows. He was playing with some rough dogs the night before. Max's snoot gets swatted when he bites hard or doesn't drop something life threatening. Jaren doesn't think it was the snoot/us because "that's such a small area, and hard to get to." Either way, it's irritated and up where it doesn't belong. +Snoot swats have reduced dramatically.
We got steroidal drops. I was told to give them as often as possible (as in every 4 hours). If they didn't work in 2 weeks, come back in and a tacking-down surgery would be discussed. "There is a 60-70% success rate. If that doesn't work we'll have to completely remove the gland, which causes dry eye. And he'll need drops the rest of his life or he'll go blind."
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He keeps being his puppy self,
and doesn't rub at it. |
I didn't want ANY surgery! He's just a little kid! How traumatizing would that be if he has to be awake like with lasik? (PS, the vet was very nice, trying hard not to be invasive since Max is shy around the vet types, but when he said that the drops would make a scratch infection worse, I asked him to make sure that Max didn't have any scratches on his eye. Plus why is he licking at his butt? So that went out the window.)
That first weekend the drops were still not "killing" it. Alpha Male wondered if maybe MaxAMillion was rubbing his eye at night when we were sleeping. I thought about getting a cone. Looked into it-no good, really. Went with Rex Specs instead! They will continue to be neat and useful for pictures, hikes (UV filters-not that he needs it, but it can't hurt) and car window sniffing.
If Max ends up getting surgery, it will work as a blocker then. For now he's leaving his eye alone so well that we are only acclimating him to wearing them, or putting them on when he is playing with the horse whip-tug. Basically, at this point he'd rip them off if we tried leaving them on at night.
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| Dislike! |
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| But he looks so cute! :D |
I also tried googling what it was even called, it's hard to mention something without a name. I had to keep describing it. So lo and behold, there are articles online! Cherry Eye. And the dogs shown online have big tumorous pink globs covering half of their eye. Max's case is actually pretty mild. yay! And yet the ugly dogs' owners said they had success massaging it back into place. Oh well. We see a rod under the pink flesh, it seems stuck in the corner of his eye. When he is aroused or it is irritated, the flesh gets red like his gums. Other times it is almost silver.
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| if red is a 0, and silver is a 4, I'd say this color is a 3. |
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| He looks so cool in this picture. :) Like a cartoon dog. |
If his third eyelids are activated for their normal reasons, it is also pushed further up his eye. Otherwise it looks "better" or "worse" depending on the angle of his head, frankly. Muzzle pointed down and he's looking up-it appears really bad. Muzzle pointed up, or his head upside down, and it's just a little blip in the corner. This makes it difficult to get a read on whether it is improving or regressing. I go by the average, favoring his neutral stance when he his looking straight ahead (ish).
The important thing about the articles, is that besides giving me a name, they were the first to mention any sort of treatment I could attempt besides the ineffective drops, and they mentioned what might cause it. (No one knows for sure.) It's not normal in shepherd breeds. Max's Dad's human mom said some people are speculating that the unusually warm and dry winter has had something to do wtih it. Weak connective tissues were mentioned.
My favorite listed some supplements that vets usually recommend AFTER surgery, but I'm trying to use them to PREVENT it.
There are also various remedies that a vet will recommend after cherry eye surgery to stitch the gland back in, that could act as a preventative after a home treatment:
- Bilberries – these contain anthocyanoside flavoids which may (research has been limited) provide structural support for the retina, cornea and other constituents of the eye.
- Chrysanthemum – widely used in China to treat inflammation of the eyes, dry eye, weeping eyes and blurred vision.
- Rehmannia – rich in amino acids and vitamins A, B and C, this has anti-inflammatory properties.
- Lycium fruit – Long used in China to support eye health, this is a herb containing b-carotene, amino acids, as well as vitamins B and C.
Well, our health store only had bilberry. Done.
Sodium Ascorbate version of Vitamin C. Done. "That actually synergizes with collagen. And since you were mentioning connective tissue, we have this over here."
Super Collagen! Um, okay! (Type 1 and 3? Where did the 2 go? Does that matter? Collagen is collagen, right?) Well, we have it now. Let's mix it in some peanut butter. (It IS the wrong kind!)
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Side note: it was easy to find the dosage for vitamin C. The first article I found was
on a site selling the supplement for dogs. Collagen was harder, and especially bilberry.
Facebook is populated by snarky twats. "Why not make a bone broth?"
Why not answer my original question, ya b? "Because I already have it."
"Fresh is best! :)"
F***. You.
We went with 1000 mg of the collagen based on what articles I could find, and 1 tablet of the bilberry.
Fun fact, Max doesn't LIKE bilberry in his PB. He takes it in milk now. |
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That weekend we played outside with Jaren, and came inside with a small bit of dead leaf stuck to the middle of his eye. It barely moved when he blinked. AUGH. It's gonna scratch him up! I had an eye rinse from Jory's MN hayfever last summer, and we got it out. Beth wondered if perhaps his eyes were getting too dry at night to heal properly?
So we enter the second week. I contacted a holistic vet once surgery was mentioned, and scheduled to see her after my next payday. Because Rex Specs and vitamins are not free, my friend. In fact, they aren't even cheap. I also got a hold of a second local vet clinic that has about the same amount of fb recommendations as my regular vet for a second opinion, mostly to make sure it is cherry eye. They mentioned herbs, so maybe I could skip the holistic vet an hour away. :) Wrong.
The receptionist I scheduled with used to work for an ophthalmologist. wow-zies. So she knew all about the cherry eye.
- Wait until they are older to make sure the Left eye's gland doesn't also prolapse.
- Also? Those drops 5 times a day are OVERKILL. It hasn't worked yet. May as well stop.
- The tacking surgery is tricky. Residents were fine with cataract surgeries, but not that one. If your stitch irritates the eyelid, the dog will develop a nasty ulcer.
Explains the "60-70% success rate" mentioned earlier. "If it were my pet, I'd take them to a specialist."
I sure will. But I have a month to avoid that. PS We got into that vet on the monday my original vet wanted to discuss surgery. She verified it is cherry eye, mentioned the gland was irritated, probably because it was up where it didn't belong, and otherwise annoyed me. I'd call that the "stupid people's vet" of the valley, because everyone there loves to lecture you like your an idiot, even if you try to cut them off by explaining what you already know.
You know what else the articles mentioned? Massaging it into place. For some reason, someone thinks a dog with a hot cloth or teabag on his eye is going to be able "absolutely relax" if you have a partner rubbing their belly. Hogwash. I'd need chloroform. We only irritated the thing. Luckily I still had my steroid drops.
We gave up on that for a few days, but surgery was mentioned by vet 2, and it still seems to need some extra help. Turns out the heat is only to stimulate tears. I have two kinds of eyedrops! But the biggest challenge is getting him to relax. I've decided petting his eyelid towards the corner of his eye is only worthwhile if I can catch Max dozing. I watched him one morning, his lazy third eyelid blinks nearly sucked the gland back in.
Friday 3 weeks later rolls around. To the holistic vet we go! By this time I was feeling pretty chagrined about forking over money to someone if they are going to tell me what I already know. But it was a lovely experience.
Check out this examination area!
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| See that wool skin in the top corner? That's resting on a crate. He climbed up there, too. |
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| It was an extremely comfy couch, really. I want one in my house. |
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Max met a sight hound mix, who wanted to play with him but was a little
too scared. He met the receptionist, owner of the mix, who said I was fine letting him off leash. He became better acquainted with her by wandering around
behind the counter. He ended up wondering everywhere: the reception room, vet's private office, and up some tiled stairs to a nice grooming area. Dr. Bachus
smelled neat, he wasn't scared at all (didn't want her in his face, but wasn't scared) and licked her essential oils.
As far as treatment goes, I brought his stuff for her to see. She said since I'd caught it early and been doing so much, there was still a good chance to avoid surgery. She gave me a tube of ozone suspended in oil to put on his gland.
It is super neat stuff! Dr. Bachus's favorite homeopath doctor said that if she was locked in a box with only one tool, she's choose ozone. So she looked into it and loves the stuff. It's like if hydrogen peroxide traded it's bad side effects for super powers. The oil reeks. Smells like rancid olive oil-soaked cardboard. I'm not a big fan of olive oil in the first place. Oh well. Keep refrigerated!
She put some on Max's eye (he hated that part) and by the time we were done talking and the bill paid, his little rod was much receded!
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| I had to hold his face still for the picture. Angle isn't ideal for showing just how reduced it was. |
She also checked out his wee belly. The great news is that his undescended testicle is right in front of the sac! Get down there already!! Here is a picture because I knew that I would forget how she described it's coordinates. Referencing my earlier conversation about how he has become much bolder, and just a week or two ago was curious but then remembered he was "shy," she joked that perhaps as his courage increases, his ball will drop.
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The camera on my Samsung S4 is definitely showing it's age. :(
Oh, but max was very happy to be getting belly lovins and butt scratches on the comfy couch. :) |
On a more application side, she referred to energy lines (reiki, right?) and that if I wanted to do some rubbing, I could go from his belly button downwards. Belly rubs for testicular energy, haha. I wouldn't put stock in it in a double blind study. But I'm still gonna do it. Can't hurt! Positive thinking and energy and all of that, why not?
Oh, we also got
two important upgrades. "Night time" eye drops that are a lot more viscous. The body cream of eye drops. Very good. And type TWO collagen, which helps (don't totally quote me on this) stimulate cartilage growth, reduce inflammation, and moderate the immune system. Which is good, considering
this article's speculation that vaccines can (usually) make the body attack it's own joints.
It’s not surprising that type II collagen helps arthritis as well as
sports-related joint issues because it naturally contains chondroitin
and hyaluronic acid. These are two substances known to support joint health. Chondroitin
helps keep cartilage healthy by absorbing fluid (mainly water) into the
connective tissue. It also provides the building blocks for the body to
produce new cartilage and may also block enzymes that break down
cartilage. Hyaluronic acid, naturally found in joint fluid, lubricates
joints.
When type II chicken collagen is ingested in cases of autoimmune
inflammation, the first site of activity appears to be at the level of
dendritic (antigen-presenting) immune cells in the intestines. These
areas, known as Peyer’s patches, have a high population of dendritic cells. These incredible cells were first discovered more than 30 years ago and
are now known as controllers that can both create and decrease your
body’s immunity.
By incorporating chicken collagen into your diet, you can
improve your primary immune responses as well as the ability of your
immune system to be adaptive in general.
https://draxe.com/chicken-collagen/
From another article:
Collagen Type 2 protein makes up the fluids and function in the
cartilage and joints. Type 2 collagen supplements should be taken
separately from Types 1 & 3 to ensure adequate absorption.
And there ya go, I learned something else trying to find my original source. Need to be giving him his fancy collagen pill 1/2 hour separate from food and that other collagen I bought. (PS his fur looks great. haha) So If I can get him eating chicken feet, we'll be golden the rest of his life!
Now for a little update on the ozone. Getting it where it goes is pretty darn tricky! Max has EYELIDS to prevent that sort of thing. We got back into town yesterday, and his eye looked back to it's "normal" place, but the color was very silvery, which is good imo. less "inflamed". (drats! Is it really only twice a day for that stuff?) So that evening I put more on... his fur? I'm seriously not sure HOW much got in his eye! The dramatic effect was not there!
So for this morning's application I trimmed my nail to get closer at a more natural angle, had Alpha Male hold Max's head, made sure to get UNDER his eyelashes, and held the glob against his third eyelid while it melted. This was upsetting, his third eyelid really craned up, and I used that as an opportunity to slather more gel on the bottom of it. Immediately after we had one irritated eyelid. Max got breakfast, so he was okay himself. It was like 6 am, and max was chewing on naughty things, and Alpha Male had pulled a one-nighter... so I put him in his crate. A few hours later of snoozing in the gloom, and his eye was looking very good! For this blog, I stepped outside to get some pics.
Third eyelids popped up in the bright sun! "Well that's not what I saw."
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| A red sun rises. Blood has been spilt this night. |
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| He seems to be saying "This is getting old." Yes, Baby Dog, yes it is. |
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| Example of how it looks worse at this angle. :P blegh |
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Glad I have his other eye still normal to go off of. "Yes. Yes! It's just not an eye friendly situation out here."
PS, first time Left eye has shown goober in forever. |
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This is a picture taken later in the gloom, I brightened it so the eye is visible. I think it looks very promising.
It was even better post nap, but what can ya do? Life must be lived.
The reflection here isn't gunk, it's from the oil. |
So what have I learned? Maybe we keep max in the dark while we are trying this ozone therapy! We tried wearing his shaded lens in his rex specs on a breakfast-seeking car ride. But I still saw his eyelids were up. So yeah. :/ Gloom it is, when we can.
Second ozone application was a happy middle between getting it on his gland, and not making his eyelid jump all the way up.
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| Will the sweet Baby Dog avoid surgery? We can only feed, ozone, and see. |
Edit: here is an article that my vet sent me. Sums it up well.
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/01/04/how-to-recognize-and-treat-cherry-eye-in-your-dog.aspx
Update: An email response from our vet:
It is fine to apply the ozone ointment 3-4 times per day. With regards
to your thought about less light exposure, I THINK that you should
embrace situations to stimulate the eyelid to do its work with support
of ozone do it remodels and gets stronger. Avoiding situations could
delay the healing process! Thanks for letting us know how his eyelid is
progressing, love to get reports!
Not Eye Related
On the errand, we wandered together in a parking lot, Max peed and pood away from the house! yay! That worry seems behind me. Now to be more strict about unrequested piddles. He met a middle aged lady when we threw his poo away, and she pet his face and neck.
Later we went to basket ball, and he was all over the playgrounds! He was really, really into it! There was a tunnel that curved up, and he really wanted to get up it but kept sliding all over. So I pushed his butt with my hands and inevitably my head. What a HAPPY GUY!!! We walked around at the top, me carefully keeping his leash short-he was wearing his handy harness. Alpha Male stopped playing basketball for a bit to walk to a few different sides beneath Max, (what a funny dad) and poked his toes through the grate. "Geez, you would!"
Max went back down the S-tunnel, and my knees were hurting by now. (I am too big for these things!!!) So I went down a slide to meet him on the other side and he amazed me by bounding up the hitherto unaccessable thing on his own. I'm gaping like a fish, "Wow, you did it!---no!" and he goes down the slide too! AUGH! It had a kink-turn half way down it, so he jumped off there, and landed hard on his front fee, and almost biffed his face into the ground, and got woodchips all over his face. Max sat down, I descend on him like YOUR LEG!!!! "are you okay???" and he agrees that wasn't great, holds his paw up after a beat and WHINES! I pressure checked along it, no jerks or reactions. Luckily he seemed to "walk it off" but I know he's a little liar about pain already. He'd go from no limp to obvious and back again while we explored the doorways of the elementary school and church. (It was conveniently complex.) No more playgrounds today!
Suddenly a few sets of kids showed up, and max met most of them. We went away and came back to the busy area a few times. Max tried playing with a toddler like it was a little dog. "BARK BARK! CHASE ME!!!" hop hop "Yeah, no. You can't play like that." He play-barked at a tiny girl who could barely walk, and she burst into tears. It was a little sad, and a little funny.
Max got overwhelmed at one point by a specific girl who was determined to pet him, and so I picked him up. (Yes, I could have told her to get lost, but we had the pick-him-up option.) He was fine with her petting his face, safe up high. She was satisfied and left. Then he remembered I can do that, and asked me to pick him back up as soon as I put him down. By putting his paws on my shoulders. haha, "Okay." So I put my arms around his butt, and held him like a fuzzy 60 pound child. (Oh yeah, he was 60 pounds at the Friday appointment.) It was awfully darn cute. Even alpha male took pause to behold. I don't do it more often because I'm worried about him leaning back-fine for humans to go upside down, but his legs don't bend that way. We collected his bone and wondered further off onto the grass, where he didn't feel the need to be babied, haha.
At home he got a doggy aspirin left over from, I think, when Jory chewed part of his paw-pad off. :/ What an event that was! I was already keyed to Max's leg because he'd hurt it going wild for the basket ball last week. It was almost 100%! We were being VERY CONTROLLED when he was interacting with the ball today. (As in I kept him from sprinting with temporary leash pressure, and Jaren let him have the ball easily, slow and easy.) Ugh, I'm an idiot.
And I couldn't help thinking, that if that jump had done more than twist his ankle (or maybe a toe is extended?), killed him. How such a stupid little thing would be loaded like the stupid little things I think about over and over again that killed Jory. Maybe empty-headed moments are more common than I like to think. It still BOTHERS me. I'm always upset when I let my fur babies get hurt, and get determined to prevent it in the future. Beating myself up is my perfectionist routine. But today's feels like an echo. It's weird. I'm glad he'll be okay.
