Veterinary Viewpoint

Eye Ulcers

by Walker G. Miller, MRCVS, BVMS, DBR (Walkon Boxers)

I have had a lot of phone calls recently regarding undescended testicles. The take home message is, if you cannot feel the testicle by 12 weeks it is 99% sure not to descend from the abdomen into the scrotum. If, at 6-9 months, you decide along with your veterinary surgeon, to have the dog operated on, then only the testicle in the abdomen needs to be removed, to prevent the small chance of it becoming cancerous. The testicle in the scrotum can remain as normal but if you want your dog to run with bitches, then remove both, as it unwise to breed from such males, as the condition could be hereditary.

On the subject of cheyletiella, there is a product called 'Frontline^TM' which is a spray to prevent fleas on dogs and cats. I have also found it excellent for clearing up the cheyletiella mite. It prevents it returning if used as a two monthly cycle. As Alugan and Quellada are now off the market, I think this is the best prevention available, but beware, it is inflammable, so keep your dog away from the fire until the product is dried properly.

I thought this time I would talk about eye ulcers. This is a common problem in the boxer and seems to reoccur for no apparent reason. The initial signs are a very sore eye with the lid partially or totally closed. There is also excess tear production and the white of the eye is very inflamed with lots of blood vessels to be seen. If you look carefully at the front or cornea of the eye you can sometimes see the ulcer, as there is an edge of cells missing from part of the eye, causing a step down effect on the cornea which is usually bright and shiny, but as there is an excess collection of fluid or oedema at the ulcer site this is seen as a greyish spot or area.

If the ulcer is seen early enough and is not too deep then a week of antibiotic treatment to the affected area will sometimes clear it up. The eye ointment should not contain steroid or cortisone as this will only make the ulcer worse. It should be applied at least four times a day because the extra production of tears washes it out quicker than normal. If there is no improvement after this then the best answer is to get your vet to place some local anaesthetic in the dog's eye. When this has worked touch the edges of the ulcer with liquid phenol which will start the healing process very quickly. Antibiotic eye ointment still needs to be applied four times a day until the ulcer has totally healed. If your vet is unsure if there is an ulcer in the dog's eye then he/she should place fluorescent drops in the eye. If there is an ulcer present it will immediately stain green. This is also a good way to find the edges of the ulcer before the vet cauterises it with phenol. As the ulcer in the boxer's eye is not usually very deep, there is no need to sew the eye shut or stitch over the third eyelid as this should only be used in very deep ulcers. The disadvantage of sewing the eyelid cross is that the ulcer is out of sight for one to three weeks and could be getting worse without you knowing it. Another disadvantage of stitching the eye is that the dog needs a general anaesthetic for this, which always has its dangers and is more costly.

The reason why some boxers have reoccurring ulcers is not obvious unless they have extra or ingrown eyelashes or badly shaped eyelids causing entropion or extropian i.e. out turning or inturning eyelids. If none of the above are present or no other abnormality of the eyes or eyelids can be seen then you, as the owner, must watch out closely for reoccurrence of the condition and treat ot as soon as symptoms occur.

This article reproduced from Newslink Issue 28 - Summer 2004