Dear Alfie poss Genetic eye problems please advise ?

[alexanders-mummy]

Hi All
long time no post sorry (my wonderful ex disconnected the phone and internet and forgot to tell me now I'm sorted lol)

my puppy Alfie went to the vets today to have the chop lol(poor boy hes 5.5months) it turns out he has some sort of possible genetic problem with his little eyes that affects both his upper eyelids its called Entropion and the lower lids its called Ectropion, has anyone else herd of this ? the vet says hes sure its genetic and that my breeder (if they bread regularly would know what this was from a very young age) 

I'm not sure weather to ring the breeder and tell her what the vet said - and ask her if she has ever encountered this before or not to say anything I'm so upset Alfie will have to have too ops on both his little eyes

thanks in advance people

L

[Nicola]

Entropion is a condition where the eyelids fold inwards and rub against the eye, ectropion is the opposite where they roll outwards. Entropion is generally considered to be a genetic fault and dogs with this problem should not be used for breeding. I think ectropion is pretty common in some breeds and I'm not sure if the same applies for it. The surgery to correct it is relatively simple but I'm sorry that your boy has these problems, if I were you I would contact his breeder and speak to them about it.

[alexanders-mummy]

thanks for the advise if just so glad that i got insurance - so a huge thanks to the person on here who recomended i do that  , im very shy by nature and i dont want the breeder to think im after her for money or anything its just there were 3 in the litter and my vet thought this could have affected more then one pup. at least he can have something done to fix it !

im so glad i asked the vet if Alf had heyfever lol!!!

[waggytails]

So sorry your little pup has to go through this, hope everything goes well.

[bajoleth]

Personally I would advise the breeder of the condition because if he/she are responsible breeders it could be that this problem hasn't occured in any of their pups before(perhaps they used a different stud or a new bitch etc) and then they would want and need to know. I hope Alfie isnt suffering too much and that the vets can sort as soon as for him Take care Jo and Belle

[LindyLou]

Hi,

I also was very concerned when I discovered Baxter was suffering from Entropion at 4 and a half months! His op was performed straight away as the curling in of the lids can scar and scratch the eye itself. So, to avoid further discomfort and more importantly, permanent damage, I would have this looked into sooner rather than later.

The op went very smoothly, and the healing of the lids was quick and left no scarring. My vet has clinics in China, and had performed this procedure many times so I was comforted by the fact that he was well versed in dealing with this.

You should contact the breeder and advise him/her that Alfie has the condition. Any responsible breeder would want to know.

Here is a link to my original post when I first joined this forum. Having learnt so much from this site, we would never dream of offering Baxter for stud (with or without this condition) so please ignore my naivety when I refer to this

Hope Alfie is recovering well from his op and you can get his eyes sorted asap!
http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=43753.msg615634#msg615634

[alexanders-mummy]

hi all thanks for all your advise, the vet has Alfie on antibiotics at the moment and he said that he has to wait until the infection is sorted, hes being reviewed on Tuesday so i will update then i will def ring my breeder in the Am tomorrow and let her know whats happening.

Lise

[_jac_]

Hi there, I am sorry to hear about little Alfies eyes.

I just wanted to say that sometimes entropian can be over enthasised by health and age, as the skull is changing shape etc it is not unusual for the eye shape to change and very often this is a time many worry about eyes not seeming right. Also a bout of illness can cause weight loss leading to such conditions being highlighted.

Entropian does have hereditary factors, but it is not always hereditary and some breeds are more prone than others. I would definately call your breeder as I am sure any responsible breeder will want to know, so future litters can be carefully planned or avoided.

I would also be inclined to see a specialist on anything to do with eyes, my old vet said my labrador had hereditary cataracts and when I took her to see an eye specialist he said her eyes were absolutely fine.   May be worth a second opinion? 

[alexanders-mummy]

thank you for the advise !
how do i ask the vet for a second opinion without seeming rude? when asked if they did many of these ops he got a little prickly to say the least !

[_jac_]

I would just ask if you could be referred to an eye specialist, or ask if he thinks a specialist opinion is appropriate?  My vet was very supportive of me seeing the specialist with Roxy, I suppose it depends how many cases they come across and the level of eye experience he has himself . 

With eyes I like an experts opinion.

[julesph]

Little Alice ( ex puppy farm girl ) had entropian and was operated on before we got her from Many Tears. She had stitches in for a week or two and looked a little sorry for herself but she has recovered beautifully and her eyes are pain free although she does have some slight loss of sight.  Due to her eyes being left untreated her eyes were sealed shut, very swollen and they were infected and she is now fine so I sure that your pup will recover well.  My understanding is that this is an hereditary condition and dogs should not be bred from with this problem.  I suspect that many of Alice's poor little pups will end up having to have operations. 

[alexanders-mummy]

i saw the vets last night and they were great they are going to review Alfie in 8week intervals (unless i think he has an infection ) until hes fully grown, he said it is defiantly entropens lower and upper - and Alf just sat there and let him show me  poor wee man you can see it turning in on its self ! we are keeping a close eye (sorry for the pun lol) on the situation until he is fully grown, then if he needs the op he will have it !

i rang the breeder and told her, she seemed more angry that i had decided to have my dog nurtured then that there was a problem with his eyes and said that there has never been any of her dogs with this condition, and that "i had locked him in puppyhood forever" i explained that the vet had recommended it and i wasn't going to use him for breeding he was my family pet! she demanded i bring the puppy to her so she could see him, i just found this reaction a bit odd so needless to say i haven't gone anywere Near her!

thanks all for your help and advise i will post pics of my wee man asap !!