Why is my old dog squinting with a white spot in her eye?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lexi. I recommend that she sees a veterinarian as she may have a corneal ulcer. This is a scratch to the surface of the eye. It is very painful and causes the dog to squint, tear and possibly paw at the eye. Her veterinarian will place a drop of dye on the eye to test for an ulcer. If this is not the case, pugs are prone to condition known as pug keratitis. This is dark pigment that grows across the surface of the eye. I hope this information helps!

Hello, The constant closing of the eye is called a "blepharospasm" and is often a pain induced reflex to keep the eye closed. Dogs also often show pain by becoming less active and interested in food. I'm concerned that what is going on with Spike is painful and that is causing his change in behavior. I would recommend taking him into a vet to be seen and find out what exactly is going on with his eye. They will likely recommend a trio of three basic eye tests, which can diagnose most of the eye diseases that affects our pets. The first one is called a fluoroscein stain, which is a dye that can tell us if there is any ulcers (scratches or defects) in the cornea, the outermost layer of the eye.. A tonometry test measures the pressures of the eye globe to rule out a couple of diseases called glaucoma or uveitis. A schirmer tear test can measure the tear production of the eye, as lack of tear production is another common cause of eye disease in dogs. These tests will help your vet come up with the best plan possible to get Spike comfortable again. :) I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

This could have been caused by a conjunctivitis possibly allergic or infective. Corneal injuries could be present as well. I would recommend a check up to confirm these clinical suspicion and treat appropriately. Anti-inflammatory or antibiotic eye drops may be needed.

Hi, and thanks for your question. That is likely to be due to a mild to moderate conjunctivitis, probably secondary to a trauma or infection. A check up would be needed as appropriate treatment would include antibiotics and anti-inflammatory eye drops. Corneal injuries must be ruled out as well. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

Hello, sorry to hear about Poli. There are several things that could make dogs eyes painful so that they have to squint and tearful. Most commonly, especially if this happened suddenly, a corneal scratch or ulcer could be causing this. Corneal ulcers can take a couple of days to heal but require ointments and sometimes even lenses to protect the cornea thus allowing it to heal. Corneal ulcers can occur due to trauma, a foreign body, an eye infection, or even abnormal eye lashes or hair. Unfortunately these are quite painful and should be evaluated by your veterinarian so that they can give her any medications she may need. Other less common but more aggressive things that can cause her signs include things such as glaucoma, uveitis, and foreign bodies. These can also be ruled out by your veterinarian. Hope this helps and best of luck!!!

I think a full ocular exam would give you more information on whether one or both eyes need to come out. The small eye may be congenital or may have already ruptured and may not be painful any longer. The larger eye could be large just because it looks bigger as compared to the small eye or could have glaucoma. KCS can easily be diagnosed with a vet, but will likely need life-long medications to manage, and these can be expensive depending on the medication and formulation used. Many dogs with severe KCS have their eyes enucleated and become much more comfortable. My impression from reading her file is that she has very painful eyes, and that this is a chronic pain. Bilateral enucleation would easily resolve this pain and may improve her quality of life drastically. The cost for this surgery can vary depending on the vet clinic chosen, you may call around and ask for rough quotes for bilateral enucleation. It could range from $700 to $1500 or more. I would recommend that she have both eyes done at the same time (if the vet performing the ocular exam thinks they are both defective eyes) as this will decrease total time under anesthesia and make Lia only have to recover from a painful procedure once. If both eyes are removed, then she may not need significant medical care or follow-ups (cost-wise) after she is fully recovered. Her file tells me that she may be a great one to rescue if your group can cover the costs of surgery. I admire the work you do and appreciate your compassion more than you will ever know!

Hi, and thanks for your question. That is likely to be due to a mild to moderate conjunctivitis, probably secondary to an infection. A check up would be needed as appropriate treatment would include antibiotics and anti-inflammatory eye drops. Corneal injuries must be ruled out as well. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!