Something in my dog’s eye?

[Courtney H]

Tonight I noticed that Cora might have something in her eye. I thought it might be some kind of foreign body so I tried to dab a cotton swab on it to catch it and that didn’t work. So I flushed her eye with contact solution to try and move it, and it didn’t. She doesn’t seem to be bothered by it one bit. There’s no gooping other than after the saline. I thought maybe her eye was a tad red, but not too bad. Her eyes (and Axel’s) tend to get a little red when we have the pellet stove running. She was asleep for about two hours and when she got up, it was still there.

I’ve attached a picture for you all to look at. Should I take her to the vet or do you think I should give it a few days?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

 

[Boxergirl]

Do you mean that brownish speck in the inside corner? I wasn't sure if that was a reflection. I don't mess around with eyes, so I'd probably take her in if it's still there.

 

[Courtney H]

Do you mean that brownish speck in the inside corner? I wasn't sure if that was a reflection. I don't mess around with eyes, so I'd probably take her in if it's still there.

Yeah it’s the light brown spec on her iris. I honestly have no idea how long it’s been there...

 

[Courtney H]

Yeah it’s the light brown spec on her iris. I honestly have no idea how long it’s been there...

It’s actually the outer part of the eye. I’ve attached another picture with the spec circled.

 

[Nik]

I would take her in if it is still there. Dogs are so good at hiding pain and discomfort and eyes aren't something you want to risk.

 

[Courtney H]

I would take her in if it is still there. Dogs are so good at hiding pain and discomfort and eyes aren't something you want to risk.

I found this article and it seems like this is maybe what she has. I’ve also been hearing about “sun spots”? Have you heard of that?

http://dogcare.dailypuppy.com/canine-iris-melanosis-5011.html

Having eye problems, myself, the pain in not easily hidden. Especially a scratched cornea. I think she would, at the very least, be pawing at it if she had any discomfort. And her eye isn’t anymore red than the other eye, no discharge, etc.

She has an appointment in about two or three weeks and I’d like to not push that appointment up if I don’t absolutely have to (6 month post op check). I think I definitely need to keep an eye on it and see what happens in the next couple of days.

 

[Nik]

I found this article and it seems like this is maybe what she has. I’ve also been hearing about “sun spots”? Have you heard of that?

http://dogcare.dailypuppy.com/canine-iris-melanosis-5011.html

Having eye problems, myself, the pain in not easily hidden. Especially a scratched cornea. I think she would, at the very least, be pawing at it if she had any discomfort. And her eye isn’t anymore red than the other eye, no discharge, etc.

She has an appointment in about two or three weeks and I’d like to not push that appointment up if I don’t absolutely have to (6 month post op check). I think I definitely need to keep an eye on it and see what happens in the next couple of days.

Interesting article. I've never heard of that. I totally understand about the eye issues. I have had a scratched cornea which led to a condition in which the outer layer of the eye sometimes randomly peels itself off (like when it gets dry) and this has happened to me several times now and it hurts so bad! But, the dogs ability to hide pain is crazy and not comparable to anything people are capable of. That said, no redness and no discharge are both good signs.

Keep us updated to how it goes and what the vet says when you do visit them. This is a new one to me.

 

[Courtney H]

Interesting article. I've never heard of that. I totally understand about the eye issues. I have had a scratched cornea which led to a condition in which the outer layer of the eye sometimes randomly peels itself off (like when it gets dry) and this has happened to me several times now and it hurts so bad! But, the dogs ability to hide pain is crazy and not comparable to anything people are capable of. That said, no redness and no discharge are both good signs.

Keep us updated to how it goes and what the vet says when you do visit them. This is a new one to me.

Thanks for your input! I’ve never heard of those things either. Maybe it’s just part of the color of her eye and I’ve never noticed...

I used to box as an amateur with USA Boxing and I severely scratched my cornea during one of my bouts. After that, my eye has never been the same. I’ve seen several specialists and all they tell me is it’s probably nerve damage. I have to be super careful when I remove eye makeup or touch my eye at all. If I rub it the wrong way, it feels like I scratched my cornea... so frustrating!

 

[Courtney H]

I moved her follow-up appointment to tomorrow afternoon. Her eye is still fine, but that spot bothers me. I just need to know that it's nothing to panic about.

When it's giving me anxiety, I know I need answers.

 

[Boxergirl]

I'm glad to hear that. Please let us know what the vet says.

 

[Courtney H]

Quick update:

I took Cora to the vets this afternoon. She did have a foreign body in her eye. Her doctor said the edges looked rigid and it appears to have attached to the eye. The good thing is that it barely missed her cornea, which is why it didn’t bother her. So he suggested to put her under anesthesia so he could safely remove it from her eye. I had to leave her there a couple of hours ago. They just called me and said it looked like a paint chip! I honestly have NO idea how that even happened. Not a clue. But she is ok and will be sent home with some eye drops. I can pick her up in an hour.

Ok, so now her leg update. Her leg is great. Obviously still some muscle atrophy, and it will take time to get that back to normal. Her limp is due to some inflammation and the unsteady feeling of her new leg. Apparently it takes large dogs much more time to heal from TPLO. His recommendation is to let her off the leash and let her run. He wants to put her on maloxacam for another 2-3 months. He sees no signs of arthritis or any other condition. And, her good leg is great. He understands my worries, but reassured me that she is actually doing very well. She really needs to just get used to that new bionic leg!

Thank you guys for your input and continued support! I’m very glad I took her in early. My poor baby.. she really can’t catch a break. And neither can my bank account!

 

[Nik]

Hi Courtney! Oh my goodness. I am so glad you went in early. And I know how you feel about her not catching a break. For awhile we were in and out of the vet with Diesel just because he was so accident prone and all the allergy issues. It has been almost a year now since we've had to rush him to the vet thank goodness. Hopefully Cora's leg heals up nicely and quickly.

 

[Courtney H]

Yes, she is on the better end of things and I’m finally starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel!