Lizzie And Pannus

[fourofem]

Last week I asked yaw'll about Lizzie's cloudy/grainy looking eyes. My vet said her eyes had both been scratched somehow and she was given two types of drops, one for the infection and one for the pain. He thought I should start to see some improvement by Christmas and off we went. Yesterday, they were not looking any better so I called to see if she should come back in or if I should continue with the drops. His office called me this morning and said to get her in pronto. After checking her again he said it was vascularization that was causing the reddish looking cloudiness and that was part of the healing process. He substituted the other drops with an antibiotic/steroid drop for both eyes, 2 to 3 times a day. I went back to my original post and several of you mentioned pannus as maybe being the cause. I have done a lot of research today and after reading and seeing pictures, I'm 90% sure that's what I'm dealing with here. The course of action seems to be steroid drops, which I'm doing but I'm wondering if she should see someone specialzing in opthalmology. I'm not sure we have a vet here in Richmond but I'll get on that tomorrow. Like I said in my prior post, I really like my vet but he's a good ole' country boy and while he's never done me wrong with any of my greys, I'm just thinking this might be stretch. Maybe I'm wrong...maybe pannus isn't as uncommon as I think it is. Lizzie's still a young girl and I don't want to jeopardize her sight. If there's anything else I can do, I want to do it. I've tried to get a picture of her eyes but none of them have turned out so far. Any advice or thoughts?

[gracegirl]

Have you mentioned pannus to your vet before? What was his reaction? What kind of info did he give you? If you have not mentioned it, start there. Maybe give him some of the readings you have found to be helpful. If he has no experience, a second opinion can't hurt. I seem to remember vets that are not grey-savvy thinking that pannus can't affect greys, so if he dismisses your concerns then seek a specialist.

 

I hope you get some answers soon!

Edited December 28, 2007 by gracegirl

[Burpdog]

I would get her to a specialist asap Sending prayers!

[greytlucy]

Get her to an opthamologist. If your vet can't diagnose the issue, he/she wont' ahve experience treating it. My dog only sees the specialist for her eyes...we were referred there by our general vet when she recognized what was going on as Pannus. She prefers to refer out then treat herself which is fine by us, we love the ophtalmologist.

 

We've had really good results with the treatments for over 5 years now. The specialist knows exactly how to treat and what to look for...you won't be sorry.

 

Good luck!

[Guest meakah]

I would definitely find an eye specialist in your area if you can. While it was a regular vet that first diagnosed Koda with Pannus, she still referred me to an eye specialist for a 2nd opinion. I saw him about a week later and he agreed that it was Pannus and started her treatment. A lot of vets think Pannus is more of a German Shepherd problem and don't realize how common it is in Greyhounds. I would definitely seek out a 2nd opinion if I were you. It is easily treated but it is just that....treated....and if you don't treat it properly it can weaken their eyesight over time. If it was an ulcer on the eye like the vet originally diagnosed...it should have been virtually cleared up by now.

[jamngrey]

prayers for you both

[Guest lat41065]

mIdnight had about 60 % of her eye clouded over, drops didnt touch it. We saw the opthamologist and he injected the eyes they are now only about 15 % clouded it worked fantastic. We still use the drops daily but she is so much better. Good Luck, Lesley

[Guest HeatherDemps]

Soon after adopting Dempsey almost 9 years ago, our vet diagnosed him with pannus and he was started on eye drops. It didn't present as typical pannus apparently does, so they referred us to a specialist at U of I who Dempsey saw a couple of times. As others have mentioned, I would discuss this possibility with your vet and look into seeing a specialist as well. Fortunately, in our case, Dempsey's eyes haven't changed in many years.

[Sirocco_Nikki]

Another vote for get her to an opthamologist. Our vet is very grey savvy but he still recommended we take Sirocco to an opthamologist after diagnosing his pannus. I am very glad we did. Sirocco's pannus was a bit stubborn at first and required a few steroid injections directly in the eye to get it under control. His opthamologist said Sirocco's case was more like a german shepherd's than a greyhound's. Sirocco's pannus has now been very well controlled for the past 3 years on prednisolone and cyclosporine in corn oil drops twice a day. Also, his opthamologist doesn't charge much more for an exam than a regular vet. Definitely worth $45 and an hour drive.

[Guest goofydog]

I strongly urge you to contact an opthamologist. I took Get Em to his regular vet for increasingly cloudy eyes and after just one look he stepped back and referred me to a specialist. I had done some research and was worried about pannus or ehrlichia, which can cause clouding of the eye. Went to the specialist and after the blood panel came back he was diagnosed with toxoplasmosis, which can be fatal if not caught and treated aggressively. After 3 weeks of 1200mg daily Clindamycin and 3 times daily Pred-Acetate eyedrops the toxo is in remission. Still some issue with the clouding but the worst is over for now.

 

Please, please, please find and opthamologist.

[Guest twilliams]

Richmond - as in Virginia? There is a Dr. Michael Blair (Animal Eye Care Center) on Cary Street that is an eye specialist. My mom takes her dog (who has glycoma) to him. She likes him a lot.

Edited December 28, 2007 by twilliams

[fourofem]

Richmond - as in Virginia? There is a Dr. Michael Blair (Animal Eye Care Center) on Cary Street that is an eye specialist. My mom takes her dog (who has glycoma) to him. She likes him a lot.

 

YES - Richmond as in Virginia. Thank you so much!!!!