Watery eyes

[Sue Metcalfe]

We have had Bramble since 2nd December (she will be 15 weeks on Tues 14/01) and since we have had her she always has had teary eyes.  Today it has been very noticeable and has made the fur round her eyes really quite wet.  It does not appear to bother her nor does it affect her vision and she has beautiful clear brown eyes otherwise.  

I wondered if this is was a cocker trait and/or if this is just to do with puppydom and something she will grow out of, or is it something I need to run past a vet?

She is lovely in every other way, a very healthy appetite, absolutely full of energy (and naughtiness ) and loves everybody.  We have just been for a walk and she launched herself at my neighbour who lives opposite, an endearing little habit of hers we need to work on.  Puppy class next week, should be interesting/entertaining                    

[*Jay*]

HI Sue, are Brambles eyelids okay ie not turning inwards or outwards? It could be conjuctivitis but they normally experience a bit of discomfort with that. it could also be blocked tear ducts as this can cause a clear discharge. I would probably get it checked out just to make sure there is nothing in the eye that is irritating it.                    

[Sue H]

Sue, Bramble's brother Bramble also has quite runny eyes, and they seem more 'baggy' than aunty Barleys, but I just sponge them with tepid water if there is goo - I remember this when Barley was little, and because they rummage about in everything I just guess it's dust and stuff, but like the advice, check their eyelashes.... haven't heard from you for a while - our Bramble is a right little character and enjoying the icy puddles and has met a Bernese Mountain dog who is like a sized-up version of him almost (Bram is about the same size as Woody's head!!)  By the way, my Bramble is tri-colour - what colour is your little girl?                    

[Jane S]

It's not that uncommon for some Cockers to have watery eyes - some "lines" seem more prone to it than others. Sometimes it's a tear duct problem & sometimes it's caused by distichiasis (extra eyelashes growing inside the lid) which is very common in Cockers. It's unlikely to be caused by entropion (inward turning eyelids) as this is a v painful condition & you would see other signs than a watery discharge. Ectropion (eyelids turning out) can cause watery eyes as the bagginess of the lids makes it easy for dust & grit to get in & cause irritation. Sometimes puppies who are teething get watery eyes which they grow out of once the adult teeth are through - I have seen this many times so it's something to be aware of if your pups are approaching the age for teething (15 weeks is early for teething but you never know!)                    

[Sue Metcalfe]

Hi Sue

Do you remember when we last chatted it was suggested that we used instant messaging (I think thats what it's called) so that we can exchange email addresses etc?  I haven't figured out how to use it - bit dim - perhaps one of the team could clarify.  That way we can catch up more easily.

Anyway, I have looked at Bramble's peepers this morning, not easy as she is the nearest thing to perpetual motion I have come across, and I can't see that she has eyelashes growing on the insde of her lids.  She does however have very droopy lower lids does your Bram have droopy lower lids?  When she is sleepy they are particularly droopy.

By the way she is a blue roan!  Look forward to your reply,

Sue                    

[Gilly]

If you want to IM someone privately all you do is click on their name at the side of their post, this will take you to thier profile. You will see at the bottom of their profile " send this member a private message" click on that and it takes you to a box where you can type your message.
Just click on send when you have finished.
If you have any messages it will let you know when you log on or move from page to page...click at the top of the screen and it will say Hey, Sue, you have ** messages, * is new.

Well I made a right pigs ear of that   If you can understand any of that I'll be amazed                    

[Jane S]

Anyway, I have looked at Bramble's peepers this morning, not easy as she is the nearest thing to perpetual motion I have come across, and I can't see that she has eyelashes growing on the insde of her lids.

The extra eye lashes are not always that visible to the human eye as they are so small. One opthalmologist we used to take our Cockers to for eye-testing said that he thought as many as 90% of all Cockers had extra lashes to a greater or lesser degree. I think that's probably over-stating the case but it does seem quite common.

I don't need to explain about Instant Messaging as Gilly has already done an excellent job of it                    

[Sue Metcalfe]

Thanks for the info.  If she does have extra lashes how would his be treated? The other thing I am aware of (becoming paranoid now ) is that the "whites" of her eyes are quite pink.  My husband says they have always been like it but I'm not so sure.  Is this normal or a sign of somehing not quite right?  As I said earlier she does seem unduly troubled by her wet eyes.  I feel a phone call to he vet coming on.

Anxious mum signing off :-                    

[*Jay*]

The extra lashes are usually removed by surgery. In saying that, when I went to visit my pup, an owner had returned with their cocker to ask advice as they were told by their vet that the dog would need an op to correct the distichiasis. The groomer(I think thats who she was) said that the dog didn't need surgery at all and that she would take the dog upstairs and remove them. The breeder then came for me 10 minutes later so I never got the chance to find out exactly how they do this. When I got home, I looked up it up in one of my books and it says that they can be removed by electrolysis Whatever next  One of Vegas's eye is pink where it should be white but we couldn't find anything wrong with it. Guess we are going to have to live with that one                    

[Jane S]

Surgery is only necessary in severe cases - sometimes the hairs can be plucked out under a local anaesthetic (though they often grow back) & as Gill says, it's sometimes done by groomers & breeders too (though I've never tried it) If the only symptom is a slightly watery eye, then I would leave well alone - many Cockers live quite happily with a few extra lashes without needing any treatment whatsoever.                    

[Sue Metcalfe]

Bramble's eyes are nice and dry today and the weather is a lot milder.  I wondered if the cold weather we have just had made her eyes a bit sensitive.  Back to grey, wet and windy in this part of the world .                    

[Mike]

Daisy seems to have this condition too - the bottom lid of her left eye is often slightly baggy/droopy, and a bit watery and red. It's the main reason why I'm not interested in showing her. The vet, however, has seen her various times and never suggested that something could be done about it though - maybe I'll have to bring his attention to that!

Is this condition hereditary? I was just wondering if this was the kind of condition that eye-testing is designed to eliminate?                    

[Michele]

The extra eye lashes are not always that visible to the human eye as they are so small. One opthalmologist we used to take our Cockers to for eye-testing said that he thought as many as 90% of all Cockers had extra lashes to a greater or lesser degree. I think that's probably over-stating the case but it does seem quite common.

Just to back up Jane's comment, the person I take my dogs to for eye testing (Peter Bedford) reckons its more common than not, and that a Cocker wouldn't be a Cocker without those odd extra lashes. If Meg's eye's ever bother her I bathe them with cotton wool in a weak salt water solution, and that seems to clear them up.

The redness under the eye may be due to lack of pigmentation in the haw (the third eyelid). Again Meg has this on one eye and if she gets tired or if its a windy day this eye always reddens more than the other.                    

[Jane S]

Is this condition hereditary? I was just wondering if this was the kind of condition that eye-testing is designed to eliminate?

Yes the condition is almost certainly hereditary but the mode of inheritance is not known & it's not one of the conditions actually covered under the eye-testing scheme. The eye panellist doing the testing will often note the presence of extra lashes on the eye certificate but this won't result in a "fail" - only the presence of proven hereditary conditions like PRA will do that. Distichiasis would be a v difficult condition to eliminate entirely simply because so many Cockers are affected, even if in only a small way (ie one or two lashes)

I'd agree with Michele about unpigmented third eyelids - these are very common too & can be confused with ectropion (baggy lids) but are nothing to worry about & should not be considered a fault in the show ring (although some people prefer the look of eyes with darkly pigmented third eyelids)                    

[NinaW]

Hi

In Norway, we do get a note about extra lashes when we eye test our dogs.  My vet says about 50% of all the cockers he test have extra lashes.  And when it comes to breeding, we try to mate a bitch with extra lashes to a dog that don't have them.  My oldest bitch have extra lashes, and was matet to a dog that did not have them, the girl I kept, did not have them  
Cockers that suffer from ectropion or entropion are not to be used for breeding i Norway.

Nina