Pannus - What To Expect?

[macoduck]

A couple of weeks ago Percy's eye looked bad. I never caught him pawing at it. The third eyelid was stuck partway over although not so much now. There was a lot of redness around the edge of the eye all around. He had a yellow discharge from one eye.

 

Vet did a stain and said it looked like there was a small scratch. Percy has been on 10 days of 2 kinds of eyedrops for that. Yellow discharge stopped

 

Since starting those drops he did begin pawing at his eye and rubbing his head on his bed. There would be times when he wouldn't keep his eye fully open.

 

Near the end of those 10 days the eye would sometimes look better yet not quite right and a bit cloudier too.

 

Vet checked him today, said, "hmmmmm", and returned to the room with the copy of Care of the Retired and Racing Greyhound that I'd given him years ago.

 

Just as I asked, "Could this be pannus?" he said, "I think it's pannus." He further commented that although the redness and irritation looked better, it was much cloudier across the eye and it was thicker too.

 

Percy's been given a prescription for 0.1% dexamethasone ophthalmic drops. Vet wants us to also treat the other eye just in case it develops pannus too.

 

If a dog gets pannus in one eye are they liable to develop it in the other eye eventually?

 

Although Percy has typical old dog cloudy eyes, this is new so hopefully he will respond well to the drops. He's 12.5 years old, has laryngeal paralysis, is a bleeder, has only 2 teeth and has had cutaneous hermangiosarcoma. He's a tough old boy and he's only been with us for less than a year so prior medical history is unknown.

 

Have any stories of pannus in your greyound?

[rascalsmom]

Buddy had a similar story. He scratched his cornea not once, but twice, and the end result was pannus in that eye. He was put on drops and ointment, and never developed it in the other eye.

 

Good luck with your old fellow. He is so adorable.

[claudiav]

when i went to the kennel to find my next houndie, i looked into Reese' eyes and knew immediately he had pannus. I asked the kennel/adoption manager if he has pannus, and she said "oh no, it's just sand" Bulchit! I knew it was pannus, and adopted him anyway. He spent 6 months in the kennel and had turned 4 yrs old there. I got him insured immediately, but waited 3 weeks to vet him b/c of the 2 week wait time when insurance won't cover anything, especially if it becomes a lifelong issue. When i brought him to the vet i asked right away if he has pannus, and she confirmed it. Opthamologist specialist put him on Tacrolimus 0.02% Ophthalmic solution twice a day, and NeoPolyDex Ophthalmic solution once a day, for the rest of his life. Pannus in both eyes, developed at the adoption kennel, or possibly before that. The constant drops have stained his fur by his eyes, and he must wear doggles if he's going to be outside in the sun. Otherwise, no problems. Both eyes are cloudy, vet says it is scar tissue that would grow back if it was removed, so it makes his iris look blue... everyone who meets him says he has beautiful eyes, but i have to tell them it's a disease, he does not have blue eyes... and when they look closer, they can tell it's clouds... he only itches when i put the eye drops in.... otherwise, no significant problems...

[racindog]

Slim had pannus. Put cyclosporine drops andmild steroid drops in his eyes twice a day and he had NO problems. I did make him wear his doggles a lot when we were out in the sun.

[greytpups]

Brooke was diagnosed with Pannus when we adopted her and gets a drop in both eyes everyday. She's never had any issues with her eyes for the last 6 years and the drops keep the pannus under contrtol. Bailey had pannus too and we found the drops kept it under control. I'm not sure of the name of the drops though. And we've never been told to keep Brooke out of the sun, nor has her conditioned worsened over the years.

[Fiona3]

Callie was diagnosed with Pannus when she was 3 years old. In the beginning, she was on two separate types of drops 3 times a day. After a couple of months, she was reduced to Tacrolimus eye drops, once a day in both eyes. It has kept the Pannus under control. She'll be 10 in July and will get her yearly checkup to monitor the Pannus. She doesn't seem to mind getting the drops at bedtime.

[cleptogrey]

i found that the 0.1% dexamethasone ointment seems to work much better. i order it from allivet and one order i received the drops(my error? theirs?) so i used it to try it out since it's the same med.

1. it didn't last as long

2. didn't seem to work as well

3. drops didn't stay on eye(one needs only 1/4" of ointment)

 

annie's pannus has gone into remission and then she had a small flare up. the ophthalmologist who i used for her abscessed ulceration and ulceration of both corneas did some major research on pannus when he lived in alaska. he took her off of all meds for the pannus when he was working on the ulcers, steroids prevent healing. then he watched the healed corneas and the pannus. basically at the end of her cornea treatment he noted that the pannus was on the scalara and felt it shouldn't be treated until it was affecting the cornea. so, at her 6 month check up she showed one or two veins starting to affect the cornea and she went on the dex. ointment for 1 week, 2xs daily and then 2 weeks - 1x daily and she's looking good.

 

it's something that can go into remission, finding the right drug/form is easy and the dogs get used to treatment very quickly. i just say "ANNIE EYES" and she's ready.

altitude and sunlight both affect pannus. but she was in texas all summer and it didn't seem to really affect it at all. it's easy to deal with and fortunately the meds are not expensive.

[Guest IrskasMom]

Ducky, you know what I went through with Morty's Eye's . I don't want to bore you with that . All I want to say , that poor Boy . Getting old is not easy for them and not for us . Give this sweet Boy some Hugs from me .

 

Wanted to add . When I had to get all the Meds for Morty's Eyes , I went on goodrx.com to get Coupons and they also tell you where you can the Meds cheaper .

Edited April 4, 2016 by IrskasMom

[macoduck]

Ducky, you know what I went through with Morty's Eye's . I don't want to bore you with that . All I want to say , that poor Boy . Getting old is not easy for them and not for us . Give this sweet Boy some Hugs from me .

 

Wanted to add . When I had to get all the Meds for Morty's Eyes , I went on goodrx.com to get Coupons and they also tell you where you can the Meds cheaper .

I couldn't find the drops on GoodRx. Fortunately the pharmacist found a way to get the $62 price down to $30-ish.

[cleptogrey]

check this out:http://www.allivet.com/p-1295-neo-poly-dex-ophthalmic-ointment.aspx

 

http://çhttp://www.allivet.com/p-1306-dexamethasone-sodium-phosphate-ophthalmic-solution-01-5-ml.aspx

 

i would ask your vet about the ointment vs. solution and as you see allivet is having one of their frequent 10% off discounts. auto refill saves $$$ as well.

[macoduck]

This is what we got http://www.allivet.com/p-1306-dexamethasone-sodium-phosphate-ophthalmic-solution-01-5-ml.aspx

 

Is the ointment easier to use than the drops? I feel like I waste some since Percy doesn't like me prying his eye open.

[Feisty49]

My girl Annie has nodular granulomatous episcleritis in her left eye, which her ophthalmologist says is a cousin of pannus. She too is on Tacrolimus 0.02%, one drop in each eye twice a day. Though her right eye is disease free (except for an atrophied optic nerve), drops are administered in both eyes to prevent the disease spreading. She was diagnosed two years ago when she was just over 6 years old.

 

Annie doesn't have to wear doggles and the drops have not stained her fur. Her vision doesn't seem to be affected, though how can one really tell. On our walks, she often stops and stares off in the distance, ears up, as if seeing something interesting, something I can't see. Her up-close vision is fine, from what I can tell. The disease was diagnosed and she was on meds within 3 weeks of me noticing the bloodshot look in the eye. Thankfully my vet recognized that the condition of Annie's eye needed a specialist and referred us immediately.

Edited April 4, 2016 by Feisty49

[Houndtime]

I have had two dogs with pannus and both had it only in one eye. They both went to remission, but, must stay on the drops life long. It does burn, as I had to take the drops once for an infection, myself. They were on the neo poly dex. Ask for a prescription and get it at Walmart. It is much less expensive, there. It is far from the worse thing that your dog could have. Good luck.

[macoduck]

I have had two dogs with pannus and both had it only in one eye. They both went to remission, but, must stay on the drops life long. It does burn, as I had to take the drops once for an infection, myself. They were on the neo poly dex. Ask for a prescription and get it at Walmart. It is much less expensive, there. It is far from the worse thing that your dog could have. Good luck.

Irene, I think the drops you mentioned are what the vet told me he had to use once for his eye. He didn't like it and that's why he suggested what he did for Percy.

 

Poor Percy. He's such a very good boy who has been through so much. Homeless, running the streets in Florida. With mystery scarring under his neck, duct tape residue on his muzzle, and 8 nasty teeth too. Hopefully he sees life here as better. Although with 2 teeth left after nearly bleeding out and coding, dermal hemangiosarcoma and now pannus, he certainly deserves a happier remaining senior life.

[Guest IrskasMom]

Please , Please Ducky give that Boy some more Hugs from me .

[cleptogrey]

always remember to give ducky a very special treat after you medicate him. doing the treat thing he too will come running to you when you say "EYES". it sounds like you have some pretty solid comments to start. try a month of each type of suspension to figure out which one you find easier. best of luck and the meds do wonders!!! you should see a big change within a month.

[a_daerr]

He's a tough old boy

 

 

Sending good thoughts for Percy.

[Guest LazyBlaze]

Poor Percy. He's such a very good boy who has been through so much. Homeless, running the streets in Florida. With mystery scarring under his neck, duct tape residue on his muzzle, and 8 nasty teeth too. Hopefully he sees life here as better. Although with 2 teeth left after nearly bleeding out and coding, dermal hemangiosarcoma and now pannus, he certainly deserves a happier remaining senior life.

 

I can feel the love you have for this boy all the way from here, so there's no doubt he will be feeling it too. His health may not be quite 100%, but he's a lucky pup in other ways.

[Feisty49]

Yes, a good treat and the use of consistent words to get his attention. I tell Annie, "Time for your meds," and she always gets up from her bed and stands in a certain place, looking at my hand to see what treat I'm giving her this time. I also taught her, "Head up," and about 90% of the time, she'll raise her head to the height needed to do the drops.

[EllenEveBaz]

Percy loves his people and they love and care for him. He is a lucky dog, even with his health problems.

[MSTmom]

We just found out our boy Steven has Pannus. It seems like we may have caught it early enough and are doing the drops and ointment combo that are vet prescribed.

 

I was wondering if anyone else sees this in their greys though..

 

Steven is fine with us putting the drops and ointment in, couldn't care less. He does the classic rubbing face on the bed or couch or my thigh, whatever he can get it on. Last night through I noticed he'd been doing this like slow blink, like maybe his eyes are dry or something. He'll slowly blink but then just stand there with his eyes closed for a minute.

 

Anyone have a similar reaction? Is he just getting used to the drop?

[macoduck]

Percy only gets the drops. Never really did much rubbing once we started them.

[cleptogrey]

I noticed a much faster response with the ointment vs. The drops. THE Opthomoligist that we use did extensive research in pannus on huskies. It's not difficult to control.

[philospher77]

First off, I would recommend getting a consult with a vet eye specialist. My Katie has panes in one eye, and I treated it with drops for a while, but after some discussion with her specialist, I am taking a "wait and watch" approach. According to the specialist, it is only affecting the third eyelid, and is very mild, and until starts to actually cause problems, there's no harm in not treating it. So I go in once a year to have it looked at to be sure that things are still under control, and watch the eye between visits. We've been doing this for 3 years now, with out it seeming to change, so it's not always a big deal. But I wouldn't do that without being under a vet's orders.

[cleptogrey]

From my experience the specialist seem to use far less medication than a general vet.