Rickiesmom Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Jeff has been diagnosed with Uveitis. It started with a tiny amount of greenish discharge on Friday evening. I wasn't too worried at that, but watchful. Next morning, no discharge, flushed his eye with saline just to be on the safe side. Mid-afternoon went to do the same thing, but his eye looked cloudy. Called the vet who agreed to see him right away. Put him on Tobradex 3x / day and Atropine 1 or 2x per day, depending on how dilated the lens looked. Metacam for pain. There was no ulceration and no scratches. We had a recheck this afternoon and his eye is definitely looking better. We are to start weaning down the drops, going to 2x per day for the Tobradex and 1x per day for the Atropine. We see the vet again on Thursday. Jeff already had the appointment today because it was meant to be his annual checkup, and he is due to be vaccinated for DHPP and lepto. I never allow more than one vaccine at a time, so my questions are: - is this Thursday too soon if the eye is continuing to improve (my vet didn't want to do it Saturday or today and I completely agreed) - is one generally easier on a dog than another (Jeff hasn't been vaccinated for lepto before, so this isn't just a booster) Regarding the uveitis, I have read that it's often idiopathic, but that there can be an underlying cause. Jeff is outwardly extremely healthy and he's only 4 years old. Given that the uveitis is clearing up, is it worth doing anything special to search for a cause? He will be having routine blood, urine, and fecal tests as part of his annual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KF_in_Georgia Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 I can't really help with your questions, but I wanted to let you know that I think the lepto will have to be two shots since this isn't a booster. I had skipped it for a couple of years for my dogs. When I went back to giving it, it was an initial shot, then a booster later. From what I remember, the old lepto formula had a high incidence of bad reactions, but apparently the current vaccine is a different formulation, with fewer bad reactions. Thought I'd mention that in case you run across bad comments on the vaccine. I'd be nervous enough that I'd ask the vet which vaccine he sees the most reactions to. Quote Kathy and Q (CRT Qadeer from Fuzzy's Cannon and CRT Bonnie) and Jane (WW's Aunt Jane from Trent Lee and Aunt M); photos to come. Missing Silver (5.19.2005-10.27.2016), Tigger (4.5.2007-3.18.2016), darling Sam (5.10.2000-8.8.2013), Jacey-Kasey (5.19.2003-8.22.2011), and Oreo (1997-3.30.2006) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 I'd wait on vaccines until you're sure his eye is completely cleared up. And with uveitis, I'd definitely do some additional testing to try to check for underlying causes. At a minimum, I'd do a basic blood panel (CBC, chemistry), urinalysis, and a tick-borne disease panel. A friend of mine has been dealing with uveitis in one of his greyhounds that ended up being secondary to chronic ehrlichia. Quote Jennifer & Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On), Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racindog Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 I'd wait on vaccines until you're sure his eye is completely cleared up. And with uveitis, I'd definitely do some additional testing to try to check for underlying causes. At a minimum, I'd do a basic blood panel (CBC, chemistry), urinalysis, and a tick-borne disease panel. A friend of mine has been dealing with uveitis in one of his greyhounds that ended up being secondary to chronic ehrlichia. IMO THIS is the way to go too. Greyt advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickiesmom Posted April 2, 2013 Author Share Posted April 2, 2013 Thank you JJNg and all - quick follow-on question. Is the snap test from the lab that does routine bloodwork (Antech) reliable enough for this purpose, or should the sample go to Protatek or North Carolina State? Also, is there anything in particular my vet should request when sending the sample? TBDs are very uncommon here so this won't be routine for this clinic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 I personally prefer NC State for TBD testing. They are currently offering a discounted rate on their new, comprehensive panel that includes all the major TBDs, as well as both titers and PCR. IMO, this is the best way to go if you want to be thorough. Here's a link to the NC State Vector Borne Disease Diagnostic Lab. Quote Jennifer & Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On), Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickiesmom Posted April 3, 2013 Author Share Posted April 3, 2013 That looks really interesting, not to mention a good deal, thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickiesmom Posted April 10, 2013 Author Share Posted April 10, 2013 Tick panel results are back. Of all things, Jeff tested positive for Babesia, which is apparently not one of the TBDs that can cause uveitis. He is completely asymptomatic, so I am hoping this just reflects an exposure at some stage. Vet will discuss the result with the lab tomorrow. In the meantime his eye is looking good - he's still getting Tobradex drops, but on a diminishing schedule, currently one drop per day for 2 weeks. Bloodwork all good. Continuing to hold off on the vaccinations for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.