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Dog Glaucoma

Dog glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in old dogs. Recognizing the symptoms of glaucoma in dogs and contacting your veterinarian quickly can help your vet distinguish glaucoma from other dog eye problems and diagnose canine glaucoma in order to save your dog's vision.

As your dog gets older, his chances of getting glaucoma increase.

Canine glaucoma is a treatable dog disease that can be controlled by medicine, surgery or both. However, it must be noted that discovery of dog glaucoma symptoms is an emergency.

The disease progresses rapidly and dog vision can be lost within days. If you discover that you dogs has the symptoms that I will discuss shortly, take her to the vet immediately!

If you have a question that is bothering you, you can ask a veterinarian online by using a pet doctor online service.

You will save a trip to the vet and often you'll get a personal answer, LIVE, from a veterinarian, within minutes.

What is Dog Glaucoma?

Glaucoma in dogs, just like glaucoma in humans, is an eye disease where the pressure in the eye increases. In simple terms, the fluid within the eye increases because its exits are blocked or restricted.

As fluid increases in the eye, the pressure on the optic nerve and the other structures of the eye increases. Eventually pressure on the optic nerve damages it and results in blindness.

There are 2 types of glaucoma: primary and secondary.

Primary Canine Glaucoma This type may be congenital or the dog has a genetic predisposition for glaucoma. It occurs without any injury or trauma to the eye. Primary glaucoma is more common in some dog breeds than others.
Secondary Dog Glaucoma This type is not thought to be inherited and it can occur in any breed. Secondary glaucoma is preceded by another disease like ocular inflammation or by lens dislocation, intra-ocular tumors or injury to the eye.

Dog Breeds Most Often Affected

Some breeds are more likely to get dog glaucoma than others. They seem to have a genetic disposition for it.

If you are getting a puppy that is predisposed to canine glaucoma, you might want to have some simple tests performed to make sure that he’s OK.

The dog breeds that are most often affected are:

Beagles
American and English cockers
Basset hounds
Chows
Norwegian Elkhounds
Samoyeds
Siberians
Poodles

Symptoms of Dog Glaucoma

The best time to catch canine glaucoma, and the best chance that you have to save your pet’s vision is when the disease is still in its early stages.

Glaucoma in dogs must be treated quickly, and in the early stages, to prevent blindness. Unfortunately it can progress rapidly, so don’t hesitate to seek help if you suspect a problem.

Early Symptoms

Early symptoms include:

mild redness in the eye, which can sometimes be confused with conjunctivitis.
You may notice some tearing or liquid coming from the eye and the eye can be painful.
Another symptom is photophobia, or sensitivity to light. When your dog is in a room with light, it actually hurts his eye. If you wear contacts and have ever experienced an eye infection, you know what this is like. It can be pretty frightening and very painful!
The affected eye may start to look cloudy.
Left eye first—for some reason the left eye is usually the first to be affected. Since the disease occurs in both eyes, the right eye will show symptoms 6 months to 2 years later.
Winter months—Another oddity is that glaucoma is found more often in northern regions and the symptoms are more likely to appear during the winter months.
Females are affected 3 times as much as males.

In the early stages of canine glaucoma, your dog’s vision will probably not be affected. However, photophobia will cause him to close his eyes when light hits them. Photophobia, very simply put, is extreme sensitivity to light--to the point where light hitting the eye is actually painful.

If your dog has these symptoms, do not delay in getting him an examination. Glaucoma can progress rapidly, and this is a true emergency!

If your dog is among the breeds most affected, make sure you ask for pressure testing for his eyes if he is exhibiting the symptoms above. Sometimes the general practitioner veterinarians are not aware of the particular breeds that are most affected. Your request for testing may save your dog’s vision!

Advanced Symptoms

Most veterinarians will suspect canine glaucoma when the symptoms are in the advanced stages. The unfortunate part about this is that, when the disease is advanced, your pet has probably already lost his vision.

In the advanced stages, you will see:

Red eye
Enlargement of the eye—it actually bulges because of the extra fluid.
Your dog may be unable to close his eyelid because of his enlarged eye. This can lead to a corneal ulcer, which is quite painful.

Treatment of Glaucoma in Dogs

Early treatment of dog glaucoma is essential to prevent blindness. That having been said, you only have a couple of options.

Often the pressure within the eye can be controlled with medicine. You simply put drops in your pet’s eyes and give him medication by mouth.

I like to give medicine by using a training treat and peanut butter to disguise the pill. If you choose to use medication, you will have to give your dog medicine for the rest of his life.

The second option is surgery. There are a couple of types being done now. Freezing parts of the eye can decrease pressure.

Laser surgery is also being used. We’re all aware of the advances made in this area for people. It’s true for dogs as well.

Another possibility is that your vet will suggest a little shunt in the eye. This is like a little tube that helps to drain the fluid from the eye. Doctors differ in their opinions about the effectiveness of shunts.

In rare cases, the dog’s eye is removed and replaced with a prosthetic (or glass eye). This is usually done for cosmetic reasons.

Natural Treatment for Dog Glaucoma

While I generally advocate using natural remedies, treating glaucoma is an exception. Especially if your dog has advanced glaucoma, you will need to take her to the vet.

However, there are a number of herbal and homeopathic remedies that can help prevent or slow down the progression of glaucoma.

Burdock is helpful for eye-cleansing or detoxifying and is used for eye infections.

Rosemary has anti-inflammatory properties and can also help to ease pain.

Eye-Heal by PetAlive can be used with glaucoma to keep the eyes comfortable and infection-free.

What You Can Expect

Early treatment is the key to saving your dog’s vision. Unfortunately pets who have dog eye problems are most often in the advanced stages when they are taken to the veterinarian—and it is too late to prevent blindness.

So the key to making sure your dog does not have a dog glaucoma problem is to seek veterinary help as soon as you see symptoms developing!

Remember that, if you have a simple question, you can always get an answer at pet doctor online.

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