Hi Lizzy
1st of all.....deep breath & relax (opening a bottle of wine to aid this is optional at this point
)
2ndly - although technically, your vet is right, I think she may of labelled Baileys condition in the extreme & may of panicked you some what
There are many of us on here, with dogs with very similar problems to Bailey, so I'm sure get loads of advice & reassurance
Personally, I have a bitch (Purdey ) who's 71/2 years now & has multiple allergies, causing many of the symptoms you describe in Bailey, dry eye being one of them. I would highly recommend you get Bailey referred to an ophthalmologist (& because you're insured it should all be covered
) to get an expert opinion on his present condition & accurate treatment for now & the future - vets are good at their job but not expert - if you go to a specialist, I'm sure you feel so much more informed & confident in the diagnosis
There can many reasons for dry eye, anal gland infection, sore skin etc - for Purdey is was numerous allergies that were found when she was tested (again this is covered under insurance
) & for our girl, the turning point for her, was when we changed her diet & found one that eased the majority of her symptoms to 'almost nonexistent'
For the past 2-3 ears she has been in the best health she's ever been in & it's great to see her so comfortable & happy at last
Lastly, don't punish yourself in any way - if his eyes were that bad you would of noticed that's for sure - when dry is at it's worse, you cannot mistake there is a problem & his vet would of picked up on this sometime ago, so hopefully it's borderline & something that can be treated quite successfully.
Off out with the girls now but please feel free to ask an further info
Cuddles for Bailey & his worried mum
Lindsey xx