My senior dog has glaucoma. Is he in pain? Should I do eye surgery?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Oliver! Did they diagnosis him with glaucoma? If yes that is very painful and usually results in permanent blindness. You can ask your Vet for eye drops to lower the pressure in his eyes (for comfort purposes until surgery) and oral pain medications. You can also have your Vet refer you to a Veterinary ophthalmologist for a second opinion. I wish you and Oliver the best!

I'm sorry to hear that Danny has glaucoma! If the ophthalmologist is recommending removing the eye, I'm assuming that Danny is already blind in the affected eye. If this is the case, then I'm afraid there really aren't any better options - there is no treatment that can reverse the blindness, and the eye is a constant source of pain for him. Removing it will improve his quality of life dramatically, since he'll no longer be in pain. If he does still have some vision in the affected eye, then you can certainly ask the ophthalmologist to discuss other possible treatment options with you. Glaucoma can sometimes be medically managed for a while with prescription eye drops, although this will eventually stop working as the disease progresses. Some dogs may also be good candidates for laser surgery to help improve the glaucoma - you can certainly ask the ophthalmologist about this to see if it might be an option for Danny, if you haven't discussed it already.

Hello. The procedure involves injecting gentamicin into the eye. The procedure is safe, relatively quick & generally done under sedation. The procedure does not always work, some dogs will relapse in 3-6 months, but the injection can be repeated at this time. In some cases, the eye will shrink, what we call end stage, but not always. This is a good option if you are not ready to consider enucleation. If successful, the injection protocol can result in a non-painful & quiet eye. No one can predict final outcome, but this is a nice way to preserve the eye & keep Izzy comfortable. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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!

I'm very sorry this is happening to Roxi! It sounds like this tumor has gotten quite large, and is likely very irritating to her eye. In my opinion, surgery can be done on old dogs as long as blood work is done first that shows their organs are in good enough health to handle the anesthesia. Any surgery is a risk, and the anesthetic risk should be evaluated before making the decision to go or not. Given that the tumor is so large that you cannot see her eye anymore, her quality of life is affected, and it would be worth seeing if the tumor can be removed. If your vet does not want to do it, I would recommend seeking a second opinion from another vet.

Old age is not a disease. And the eye itself sounds like it will need to be operated on either now or later. You should try to save the eye. If the eye does rupture Bruno will still need an operation to remove the eye due to intense pain and discomfort. So this is definitely the better of two options in my professional opinion. Also you should know that every Venerian does pre-op bloodwork to make sure there is no organ malfunction that needs special care during surgery. With every surgery there is a risk, but most veterinarians are equipped to handle any issues that may arise while the pet is under general anesthesia. I hope Bruno gets well soon!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Copper is having ocular issues. Given your description, I would absolutely have Copper seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Glaucoma (increased pressure inside the eye) is incredibly painful and requires emergency treatment. Your veterinarian will be able to examine Copper and measure the pressures inside his eyes to determine what sort of therapy he needs. If addressed quickly, there is a chance of regaining vision. If left untreated, Copper will become irreversibly blind. I hope this is helpful!