Should I breed my dog with keratitis? Is it inherited by puppies?

It sounds like your dog has had a complete ocular workup, and the treatments appear appropriate for the diagnostic findings. I agree that the problem may be autoimmune or genetic. There are also a few viral or infections caused by tick-borne disease that could cause chronic keratitis in dogs. I would recommend discussing this with your veterinarian. Often dogs will need long-term use of steroids or other immune-altering drugs to control immune-mediated disease.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Short answer, No. We should avoid breeding any potentially congenital conditions. Since there is a lot we don't know about auto-immune disorders, and how they are related to one another, we ideally would not be breeding any dogs with any form of auto-immune diseases. Best of luck with Max!

Any scarring on the cornea will cause changes to the vision. Pets with this condition can also get pigmentation of the cornea which will also cause blind spots. KCS is generally a chronic and requires daily treatment with an immune suppressant eye drop like cyclosporin and an artificial tear. Here is a helpful link: https://www.petcoach.co/article/keratoconjunctivitis-sicca-or-dry-eye-in-dogs/ If that was an injury to the cornea, make sure to have it rechecked by the veterinarian to make sure it is fully healed. Pets with KCS will be more prone to infections and will have a harder time healing injuries. Any ongoing infection or untreated injuries can lead to blindness and pain. I hope this helps.

It depends on the trigger - in some cases if the underlying condition such as lack of tear production or ingrowing eyelashes can be addressed then the condition will often resolve but in other cases it is slowly progressive but can be reduced by ongoing management. A repeat exam, serial photographs of the eye to compare and a tear test would be recommended after treatment and again one month later

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Keratitis is basically inflammation of the cornea. In most cases it improves with just topical medications (eye drops). I recommend that you continue the course prescribed by your veterinarian for now. It is likely that he will get better. Good luck and have a good day!

If the allergic condition is improving, you should continue with the same protocol as prescribed by your veterinarian. You may also want to consider a food elimation trial because if Bonnie is allergic to environmental factors she may also have food allergies. If the condition recurs or worsens, medications such as steroids, Atopica or Cytopoint may be considered. As for breeding, allergic individuals are more likely to give birth to puppies who have the same ailment.

She may be sensitive to bright light since the iris will likely not be able to respond normally by constricting. There is no treatment or cure for the condition and vision is typically only minimally affected. Since it is a genetic condition, she should not be used for breeding when she is older.