A Puggle dog, just like any other breed of dog, usually uses his nose more often than his eyes. But that does not mean that dog eye care can be neglected. Their eyes, as well as other parts of their body can be affected by diseases from most simple to more serious ones so it is important to take care of them so as not to destroy their vision and make them miserable for the rest of their lives.
It helps if you will watch out some of the eye problems that could possibly affect your Puggle dog.
Ectropion – Ectropion occurs when the eyelid is turned and can cause exposure problems. To correct this, place a fingertip on the lower part of the lid and draw it back from the eye to the normal position. Doing this frequently will cause the lid to regain its normal position. This can also be surgically corrected.
Cataracts – Cataracts are spots which affect the dog's eye lens. While a normal lens is clear, a cataract becomes cloudy that does not allow light to pass through it. Cataract may either be congenital or from an eye infection and injury. This is treated through surgical removal.
Glaucoma – Glaucoma is an increase of pressure within the eye. If not treated, glaucoma can cause blindness by destroying the retina and damaging the optic nerve. It can occur as a result of structural changes or from injury.
Dry Eye – Dry eye is another term for Keratoconjunctivitis sicca. This occurs when the tear of film that protects the cornea stops working. When this film stops working, the cornea is deprived of the nourishment it needs to remain healthy. Lack of oxygen in the cornea can result to destructive changes such as brown pigmentation, scar tissue, ulcers and blood vessel growth across the cornea leading to vision impairment. Dry eyes can be treated through eye lubrication, reduction of bacteria and inflammation and stimulation of natural tear production. Hyperthyroidism, tear gland infections and toxic effects of some drugs can trigger this disease.
Uveitis – Uveitis is also known as inflammation of the eye. Blinking, squinting and watery discharge characterizes uveitis. Some eyes turn out to be dull or bluish while some the white becomes red or swollen or there is a change in the color of the iris. Inflammation of the eye can be triggered by diseases such as ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted fever, Lyme disease and brucellosis. There are also other causes which include a foreign body in the eye, a bacterial infection, an autoimmune disease, a scratch or cataract. Treatment includes oral or topical antibiotics as well as dilating drops or ointments to relieve pain and to prevent scarring, glaucoma or blindness.
These are just few of the many eye diseases that could possibly affect a dog. Once you suspect that your dog is suffering from any of these diseases, veterinary check up is needed to prevent more serious problem and losing your Puggle dog's vision.
Richard Cussons is a writer and a dog enthusiast. Learn more about Puggle training and the Puggles breed in general here. |
