Third Eyelid Problem---Pannus Related?---Any Help Appreciated

[Guest Mr_Owski]

So unfortunately one of our boys, Whompus, was diagnosed with Pannus at the start of November. We've been giving him an immunosuppressive drop (Tacrolimus) twice a day and an antibiotic/steroid drop (Neomycin Sulfate with Dexamethasone) three times a day per the doggy ophthalmologist's orders. Over the past 3 weeks we've been very happy to see his eyes gradually become a bit less red and more clear. Our follow-up appointment is in 1 week to gauge his condition.

 

We come home from our thanksgiving shopping tonight to find him like this:

 

 

We thought his eye may have been 'gunky' and stuck after sleeping, so we gently massaged it with our palms and a bit of warm water. His left eye remains with the third eyelid halfway shut, and there were times he was doing it with his right eye too. Immediately we called our vet's office and spoke with the on-call emergency room doctor. They noted that as long as there wasn't any immediate swelling or inflammation that we should give him his drops now as well as at bedtime. If the condition worsens then we'll call back tonight and call our primary doctor in the morning.

 

Whompus's temperament is still the same, and he's not showing signs of discomfort with his eyes. I'm just shocked to see him like this so suddenly after weeks of ocular improvement and normal activity today. Nothing I read about Pannus said anything about that eyelid being affected, and if it were a reaction to the medication I feel like it would've manifested weeks ago.

 

If anyone has had a greyhound with Pannus or similar eye complications, I'm just hoping to hear of any similar experiences or insights into how/why this third eyelid problem happened all of a sudden.

 

Thank you,

Paul

Edited November 25, 2015 by Mr_Owski

[tbhounds]

Stop the drops containing the steroid ASAP! Your hound looks as though he may have a corneal ulcer/scratch. The steroid drops will make it worse. No more steroid drops until you see your vet.

[krissy]

Could be any number of things. Could be an ulcer as mentioned up. Also looks like it could possibly be Horner Syndrome - typically third eyelid is up due to retraction of the globe (eye is sunken back), and pupil is often constricted (smaller than the other eye), drooping of the upper eyelid - I can't tell from the photo if he's just squinting and painful, or if the eye is actually retracted. Horner syndrome is a symptom, not a diagnosis, and is caused by anything that interrupts normal innervation of the eye. There are plenty of causes: head trauma, inner ear infection, trauma to the shoulder/neck region (brachial plexus), cancer, disc disease, idiopathic (no identifiable cause). Treatment is by treating the underlying cause, or in the case of idiopathic just waiting it out and keeping the eye well lubricated. You should take a trip to your vet to have it checked out to confirm that's what it is, and to try to figure out what might have caused it.

Edited November 25, 2015 by krissy

[Guest Mr_Owski]

Thank you both for replying. To err on the side of caution we did not administer the steroid drops last night until speaking with our vet today who wanted us to resume them.

 

Much to our surprise, Whompus woke up with seemingly no physical signs of anything that happened last night. We've been monitoring him all day, and his eyes have been open and alert.

Our vet told us to still be vigilant in checking him over the next few days, and whatever happened was hopefully a coincidence and is not likely a direct result of his Pannus or medication.

 

Regardless, it was still very disconcerting to see something like that happen so quickly, last for 4 hours, and then disappear by morning.

I'll post updates if anything else occurs.

[tbhounds]

Weird but, I'm glad whatever it was it seems to be resolved :-)