in2adventure Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Anyone know anything about this? I took Grady on an emergency run to the vet today for his right eye (the blue one). The vet is stumped and has never seen an eye so discolored before. The opto. doc was out of office and they will call me tomarrow with some answers...I hope. In the meantime, Grady's iris has changed from blue to red and has "floaters" throughout the normally clear part. It started to look a bit funny on Sun or Mon and got really nasty looking during the day today. I found some stuff on uveitis while surfing the web and it sounds a lot like what Grady has. I'm not trying to self diagnose, just looking for some answers since the vet had never seen the look of Grady's eye before. She has him on Atropine drops once a day to keep his eye dialated and combo drop of a steroid and an antibiotic 3 times a day. The pressure in his eye was 6 and 8 when they tested it. Normal is 12-14. The vet is calling me tomarrow after she gets a hold of the specialist. If I have to see him, it's a 4 hour drive. He's the closest one. The look on the vet's face has me very concerned about the eye. Keep your fingers and paws crossed it will be OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aljones Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Oh, how scary for you and Grady. I don't have any experience with dog eye emergencies, but DH did have one of his own in December, so I have an appreciation for how stressful and worrisome they can be. I hope you get the best possible news as soon as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Ohhh, good luck Grady, the eyes are a scarry place to have an injury - I just went through a minor cornea scratch with Ouzo and I knew it wasn't a big deal but still freaked out. Good vibes coming your way from us in Denver. Let us know about his progress. Crossing my fingers for you and Grady! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stockdogranch Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 The only time I had one with uveitis was when Riddle had Ehrlichia. Prior to that, she also had the iris (brown) turn blue-ish in places. Ophthamologist found no injury, and never did find a reason. At some point a few months later, it turned back to brown, A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 my first thought was possible TBDs as well. they can cause bleeding in the eye, esp. ehrlichia. worth testing for, esp. as steroids might be contraindicated if TBDs are present. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
in2adventure Posted June 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Thanks for the all the good vibes The eye looks better today with the meds. Still not blue, but less red. The eye looks hazel from a distance, but when you get closer, you can see it's not right TBD is a concern, but I've never found a tick on him. This is not saying I missed one though. The web pages all say that TBD cause crazy things and uveitis is one of them. The vet should be calling in a few hours. I'm hoping I don't have to drive to Billings next week, but find it totally worth it if I have too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Well I think a tick panel would be a good first step before hopping in the car and heading for Billings. The ticks that carry TBDs can be very tiny and easily missed. With TBDs, timely treatment can prevent a host of chronic problems. Or just put him on a proper dose of doxycyline, and if his eye clears up, you can assume it was a TBD. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
in2adventure Posted June 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Well I think a tick panel would be a good first step before hopping in the car and heading for Billings. The ticks that carry TBDs can be very tiny and easily missed. With TBDs, timely treatment can prevent a host of chronic problems. Or just put him on a proper dose of doxycyline, and if his eye clears up, you can assume it was a TBD. J. Thanks Julie. I will definately suggest that. The drops have antibiotics in them, just in case. He just got neutered on Fri and I wonder if this may have something to do with it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcnewe2 Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 I was reading Wiki about uveitis and it mentioned Lyme as another related disease. Also Spondylosis which totaly has me baffeled, never dreamed of linking those 2 together. Good luck with Grady. I sure would be seeking a tbd panel to rule out tbd's as an issue or like Julie suggested, putting him on a round of Doxy and see if that doesn't clear it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 The drops have antibiotics in them, just in case. When dealing with TBD's "any" antibiotic won't do, it really needs to be Doxy and for a more prolonged period of time than most vets prescribe. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stockdogranch Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 it really needs to be Doxy and for a more prolonged period of time than most vets prescribe. AND in a heftier dose than most recommend, as well, a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Courtesy of the regulars on Tick-L: The dosage we recommend on Tick List is an aggressive one: 5 mg. of doxy per pound of body weight given every 12 hours for 8 weeks. For those who prefer to figure body weight in kilograms, this is approximately the same as 10 mg per kg, the difference being not enough to mention. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
in2adventure Posted June 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Just heard back from the vet and the optho. vet confirmed anterior uveitis. My vet took pics and sent them to him. He said what we are doing is fine except to up the # of drops per day to 5 or 6 and cut out the atropine after 3 or 4 days. Grady goes back next week to get checked again and I will have them draw blood then to check for TBD just in case. She also said they would give him Doxy is he wasn't starting to look better after a week. I'm not too concerned about TBD because we don't have fleas and ticks where I live and it's been a really long time since I've been anywhere that had them. I would take him back today, but it's two hours one way and the vets said one week won't be an issue with the results. The optho doc said he'll be on the drops for a long time because it's a steroid. Even after getting better, the dose needs to be lowered VERY slowly or the uveitis will relapse. They gave me a ton of things to look for if it gets worse, too. It can cause glaucoma or blindness if left untreated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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