Pannus

[fourofem]

Back in December, Lizzie's eyes became very cloudy (almost "grainy" looking). A trip to the vet confirmed pannus. She has been on daily doses of Optimmune and her eyes are now nice and clear but I've noticed that she's very cautious outisde at nght. She used to run to the back fence line with my other three and roam around until she had done her business. Now she doesn't go much further than right off of the deck. If I walk out in the yard and call her, she'll come to me but I think she finds me more by my voice than by seeing me. She does just fine during the day. Is this common with pannus? Lewis, my big male, was diagnosed last month but I caught his way earlier. He's also on Optimmune but isn't showing any signs of night blindness like Lizzie. Anyone else out there seen this with their "pannus-stricken" hounds?

[Guest KennelMom]

we never saw any night blindness in our pannus boy, Caesar. Though severe pannus can lead to blindness, from what I understand. Has Lizzie been seen by a veterinary opthamologist or just your regular vet? If not, I would definitely ask for a referral to see one.

[fourofem]

we never saw any night blindness in our pannus boy, Caesar. Though severe pannus can lead to blindness, from what I understand. Has Lizzie been seen by a veterinary opthamologist or just your regular vet? If not, I would definitely ask for a referral to see one.

She has only been to my regular vet but I got a referral from this afternoon to take her to the opthamologist. Their office was already closed by the time I got home and are closed tomorrow as well. I left a message but will call back on Monday. I'll update on what I find out.

[Guest KennelMom]

Keep us posted...we've dealt with a few eye issues in our pack so I'm always up for learning on this topic. Fingers crossed it's something the opthamologist can fix right up! :goodluck

[Guest JudiK]

I will be watching as well. My Pere has pannus, and he sees fine at night. My Thor also has pannus and has run into the dining room screen door at night. Because of running into the screen door, he does not trust his vision at night... well actually he doesn't trust that door anymore at night - he seems to believe that there is an invisible force field that I sporadically employ on that door only and so he insists that I walk over to the family room to let him back in the house at night.

[Guest carolyn]

Waggin was diagnosed with pannus last August, and despite daily eye drops she still has cloudy spots on her eyes. She just recently started to resist going potty at night, and I think it has to do with it being hard for her to see at night.

 

We have a deck with four stairs she has to go down to get to the yard, and at night she will not do it. My husband carried her down the stairs (she's such a diva - this may have been a mistake! ) and then she went, no problem. We're putting a new backyard light out to help her see the stairs better, and hopefully that will help.

 

According to her last ophthalmologist visit in March, her sight hasn't deteriorated and the pannus is under control so I'm surprised the stairs are just now giving her trouble but I don't know what else it could be.

[fourofem]

That's one of the questions I had....can the opthamologist test her vision? Can they determine the difference between her day vision (which seems fine) and nght vision?

[rycezmom]

Because the sunlight can exacerbate Pannus, Gus does most of his raiding at night! He had his check up yesterday and all seems to be moving in the right direction. Vasularization is almost gone. Gus had no problems before his diagnosis or after with his night vision. He can spot a bug at 30 yards in the dead of night and be all over it in a heartbeat. The Tacro twice a day seems to be working the best for him with limited lounging in the backyard during the day.

[fourofem]

Because the sunlight can exacerbate Pannus, Gus does most of his raiding at night! He had his check up yesterday and all seems to be moving in the right direction. Vasularization is almost gone. Gus had no problems before his diagnosis or after with his night vision. He can spot a bug at 30 yards in the dead of night and be all over it in a heartbeat. The Tacro twice a day seems to be working the best for him with limited lounging in the backyard during the day.

Tacro? Is that a drop or a salve? The Optimmune I'm using is a salve but that came from my vet. Hopefully, the "eye doctor" will help out. I'll remember Tacro when I get an appointment.

[Guest ChasesMum]

yes, before it was under control. Its better now occasionally it seems to flare up.

 

Chase is on (I think) Prednisolone drops.

[Guest KennelMom]

That's one of the questions I had....can the opthamologist test her vision? Can they determine the difference between her day vision (which seems fine) and nght vision?

 

They don't have a doggy eye chart or anything like that, of course But they do have specialized tools, training and experience to assess the function of the eye. Since they specialize in eyes, they will have much more experience in diagnosing and treating various eye disorders. As well as knowing what the latest and greatest research is regarding eyes and treatment, etc...There could be something else going on in addition to the pannus that your general vet isn't seeing or noticing. I love our general vet and his clinical skills are excellent (IMO), but the orthopedic specialist that looked at Melody's foot xrays saw a whole lot more detail in them than our original vet.

 

FWIW, Caesar was on prednisolone drops to control his pannus. They were very effective for him. He was misdiagnosed by a general vet, resulting in receiving the wrong drops and a delay in the proper treatment. Having dealt know with three dogs with different eye issues - pannus, progressive retinal atrophy (night blindness is often the first sign) and a pre-existing eye injury from the track that caused blindness in one eye - I will always get a referral to an opthamologist...when Hanna was diagnosed with PRA, our general vet was 99.9% sure that was the correct diagnosis but still referred us to the opthamologist to confirm it. Even when the vet is right, it's peace of mind to know an expert agrees and your treatment is on the right track.

Edited July 19, 2008 by KennelMom

[rycezmom]

Because the sunlight can exacerbate Pannus, Gus does most of his raiding at night! He had his check up yesterday and all seems to be moving in the right direction. Vasularization is almost gone. Gus had no problems before his diagnosis or after with his night vision. He can spot a bug at 30 yards in the dead of night and be all over it in a heartbeat. The Tacro twice a day seems to be working the best for him with limited lounging in the backyard during the day.

 

 

Tacrolimus 0.02%. Its a liquid, one drop each eye twice a day. Gus comes and waits for me to get it out of the fridge. It was ordered by his eye doctor and I do not get it here in Miami. I get it from Roadrunner Pharmacy in Phoenix. They mix it especially (compound) for him at the percentage ordered by the doctor. It has done wonders for him from the day we started using it. You might be better off seeing a canine eye specialist if your vet is not/does not deal with this on a regular basis. Priscription only. After six months, the vascularization has receded almost all the way. We will keep him on twice a day until it it all gone, then start cutting back a little at a time. He will be on this for the rest of his life. It is not a curable condition. UV light will exacerbate it. Gus goes out in the early morning for a short while. Potty breaks as needed and his long playtime outside is in the evening. No more hanging out at the park or beach for him. He is, after all, a PIMP. The nighttime is HIS time.

 

[Guest MnMDogs]

Don't mean to hijack - but does the Tacro need refrigeration? Mork is on it for severe dry eye, and the vet didn't mention that it needs refrigeration.

 

Anyway, Mara has pannus, and is on cyclosporine 2 times a day. Her night vision is very good, Mork's not so much - he is our PRA boy.

[rycezmom]

Don't mean to hijack - but does the Tacro need refrigeration? Mork is on it for severe dry eye, and the vet didn't mention that it needs refrigeration.

 

Anyway, Mara has pannus, and is on cyclosporine 2 times a day. Her night vision is very good, Mork's not so much - he is our PRA boy.

 

I was told it needed refrigeration by both the doctor and the pharmacist.

 

L.

 

[fourofem]

That's one of the questions I had....can the opthamologist test her vision? Can they determine the difference between her day vision (which seems fine) and nght vision?

 

They don't have a doggy eye chart or anything like that, of course But they do have specialized tools, training and experience to assess the function of the eye. Since they specialize in eyes, they will have much more experience in diagnosing and treating various eye disorders. As well as knowing what the latest and greatest research is regarding eyes and treatment, etc...There could be something else going on in addition to the pannus that your general vet isn't seeing or noticing. I love our general vet and his clinical skills are excellent (IMO), but the orthopedic specialist that looked at Melody's foot xrays saw a whole lot more detail in them than our original vet.

 

FWIW, Caesar was on prednisolone drops to control his pannus. They were very effective for him. He was misdiagnosed by a general vet, resulting in receiving the wrong drops and a delay in the proper treatment. Having dealt know with three dogs with different eye issues - pannus, progressive retinal atrophy (night blindness is often the first sign) and a pre-existing eye injury from the track that caused blindness in one eye - I will always get a referral to an opthamologist...when Hanna was diagnosed with PRA, our general vet was 99.9% sure that was the correct diagnosis but still referred us to the opthamologist to confirm it. Even when the vet is right, it's peace of mind to know an expert agrees and your treatment is on the right track.

Lizzie was also misdiagnosed...at first my vet thought she had scratched her eye and treated her for that. After a week, when they hadn't gotten any better, I took her back and saw one of the other vets and she was the one that said it was Pannus and put her on the Optimmune which cleared them up right away. I'm anxious to hear what the opthamololgist will have to say.

[rycezmom]

That's one of the questions I had....can the opthamologist test her vision? Can they determine the difference between her day vision (which seems fine) and nght vision?

 

They don't have a doggy eye chart or anything like that, of course But they do have specialized tools, training and experience to assess the function of the eye. Since they specialize in eyes, they will have much more experience in diagnosing and treating various eye disorders. As well as knowing what the latest and greatest research is regarding eyes and treatment, etc...There could be something else going on in addition to the pannus that your general vet isn't seeing or noticing. I love our general vet and his clinical skills are excellent (IMO), but the orthopedic specialist that looked at Melody's foot xrays saw a whole lot more detail in them than our original vet.

 

FWIW, Caesar was on prednisolone drops to control his pannus. They were very effective for him. He was misdiagnosed by a general vet, resulting in receiving the wrong drops and a delay in the proper treatment. Having dealt know with three dogs with different eye issues - pannus, progressive retinal atrophy (night blindness is often the first sign) and a pre-existing eye injury from the track that caused blindness in one eye - I will always get a referral to an opthamologist...when Hanna was diagnosed with PRA, our general vet was 99.9% sure that was the correct diagnosis but still referred us to the opthamologist to confirm it. Even when the vet is right, it's peace of mind to know an expert agrees and your treatment is on the right track.

Lizzie was also misdiagnosed...at first my vet thought she had scratched her eye and treated her for that. After a week, when they hadn't gotten any better, I took her back and saw one of the other vets and she was the one that said it was Pannus and put her on the Optimmune which cleared them up right away. I'm anxious to hear what the opthamololgist will have to say.

 

 

Me too! Please post...