QUESTION

Our dog has a dint above her right eye which appeared from nowhere. She has been checked by the vets but tests showed nothing. She now has a weepy right eye and her keeps walking into things and generally pacing as though she doesn't want to sit down. Her appetite is as usual and although she still wants exercise she doesn't move as quickly.

Alison

ANSWER

Dear Alison,
I am making an assumption that the dint above the eye is where the muscles have wasted and caused a cavity to form. This is usually due to something that affects the nerves that control the muscle in this region. When this occurs the eyeball will sink back into the head further than it used to and commonly the dog will end up with irritation due to the eyelids no longer rubbing in the correct position in relation to the eyeball. The dog can also in more severe cases have paralysis in the eyelid so that they can not blink. The use of topical lubricants in the eye like viscotear swill help tremendously in controlling the amount of soreness in the eye. The severity of what is going on will depend on the cause. The main cause will be a small bleed in the brain that damages the nerve centrally. You can also get problems associated with infection, trauma and cancer that causes this to occur. The only cause that is serious if cancer and this will usually start to show further signs as time goes on and the signs will affect 1 side of the head and the opposite side in the body. Cancer is not the most likely cause and can only be diagnosed via an MRI or CT scan. Monitor her other signs and see if the start to get worse particularily if she starts tripping or knuckling on the left side. Most dogs will not have progression of clinical signs and just require lubrication of the cornea to prevent it drying out. I hope this has not worried you too much as it is a common problem and usually controlable. Vivitonin can help if you are dealing with brain haemorrhage and may improve the dogs overall alertness.

Paul Wilson