Q: Our old dog, Freddy, has been diagnosed with glaucoma. The
vet says he is blind in his right eye and his left eye is only
partly working. What is glaucoma? How did he get this
condition?
Q: Our old dog, Freddy, has been diagnosed with glaucoma. The vet says he is blind in his right eye and his left eye is only partly working. What is glaucoma? How did he get this condition?
A: Glaucoma is an increase in pressure within the eye. In dogs, it’s often an acute problem, but sometimes it can sneak up over a prolonged period of time. Increased eye pressure is problematic because it can injure or even destroy the retinal nerves which pick up and process visual images. Damage to these nerves leads to blindness.
Most patients with glaucoma show early signs of discomfort when it first starts. Outwardly, an affected eye is red and a little runny. It might actually look slightly swollen. Some dogs rub their eyes on the carpet or scratch their face with their front feet. And some patients also show photosensitivity … they squint when light is too bright.
There are different causes for glaucoma. It can occur as a result of trauma to the eye, but some animals have a genetic predisposition to getting this condition. Whatever the case, early diagnosis and treatment are important to prevent permanent visual impairment.
Several different medications are used, all of which lower the pressure within the eye. They are usually effective, but Freddy may have to take medication for the remainder of his life. At least he’ll be free of any pain, and he’ll be happy to be with you, even if his vision is somewhat compromised.
Q: Our kitty, Morey, holds his right ear off to the side. He does this on some days, then on other days he seems fine. What can cause this? Should we worry about it?
A: There are several different potential problems here. One is ear mites, a common parasite in kitty-cats. These bugs can cause enough discomfort to make Morey hold his ear at half-staff.
Ear mites live only in the ear and feed on the waxy material that is produced in the ear canal. Typically, a cat with ear mites has a dark waxy buildup of debris that is visible around the opening to his ear canal. You should be able to easily see this stuff if it is there.
But there are other possible causes for Morey’s discomfort. An injury, a foreign body (such as a small piece of plant material), or even a low-grade ear infection could cause enough irritation to make him hold his ear down. And while kitties are usually fastidiously clean, some cats are prone to chronic ear infections.
Morey’s ears should be examined with an otoscope, an instrument that allows his vet to see down in the ear canal. After determining the cause of his problem, his doctor can tell you how to treat him properly and get his ears back up where they belong.
Q: Dogs and cats really depend on their noses. My puppy, Willy, loves to follow his nose anywhere. He also checks me over whenever I come home from work or a friend’s house. All this makes me wonder. Your job exposes you to a lot of different odors. When you go home from work at the end of the day, do your pets spend a lot of time examining you?
A: Interesting, you are the second person to ask me this intriguing question. I’ve always wondered what goes through Rumpy the Cat’s mind when he gives me the olfactory third degree. And there are times when he and Wayne (our other kitty) really gives me a good going-over. I often wonder just how much their noses really tell them. Funny thing is, on some days they completely ignore me. Maybe they figure they’ve seen (or smelled) it all.
Our two dogs, Holly and Joe Joe, are very different. Both are too busy to worry about what I’ve been doing all day. All they want to do when I get home is get out and play. No time to talk with me or see and smell where I’ve been.
But it really is amazing how most animals use their nose. And what a different world this would be if we had as good a sense of smell as our pets.
Pete Keesling is a veterinarian at San Martin Veterinary Hospital and co-hosts Petpourri, a weekly show about pet health on KTEH in San Jose and a bi-weekly column for The Times. If you have any questions about pet care, please mail them to The Times, Attn: Vets, 30 E. Third St., Morgan Hill, CA 95037.
