Poor Little Roy, the 12 year old Jack Russell Terrier X, was suffering for a couple of months from a cloudy right eye that was getting progressively worse and that he was having trouble keeping
open. The owners brought him in to the Narre Warren Veterinary Clinic to be assessed originally by Dr. Dawn and work out how best to treat it. After careful examination using an otoscope and some basic testing performed, a cataract with most likely secondary uveitis (a form of eye inflammation) was diagnosed. This can be very painful for an animal and they are often extremely irritated by this, pawing at their face or rubbing it along the ground. Medical management was started straight away at home with the owners placing drops in Roy’s irritated eye.
After a week of treatment at home, Dr. Susi saw Roy again for his revisit and was gravely concerned that not only was there no improvement, but his eye now appeared to be cloudier and more swollen than before. Dr. Susi was also suspicious of an anterior lens luxation. This is where the support ligaments of the lens weaken or break, causing it to dislocate from its normal position and when anteriorly displaced, falls forward into the eye, a condition most common in Terrier breeds. This meant that Roy was not only in a severe amount of pain, but he was also completely blind in that eye. Unfortunately, the only way forward for Roy to be comfortable again with these multiple issues was an eye enucleation (removal), which his owners agreed was the best course of action.
Eye conditions and abnormalities are critically important to be examined and treated by a veterinarian as soon as they appear. Eye issues that are left untreated or have improper medications applied to them, can have severely adverse effects and can cause a lot of damage and pain to your pet.
For an elderly guy, Roy progressed through his surgery like a superstar and has been recovering beautifully at home, though he’s not too sure about having to keep his plastic party hat on! He is so grateful to his owners, Dr. Susi, Dr Dawn and the rest of team, to finally be pain free. He has already started auditioning to be the next one-eyed doggy pirate! 