Eye condition on westie
 

Hello,

We have a 1 year old Westie, named Henri. His health is great, but we have been puzzled by a strange thing he does with his eyes.

Sometimes he'll squint to the point you can hardly see his eyes. (for about 20 minutes, it's almos as if he doesn't like the brightness, but that doesn't see to be it)

We asked our 2 local vets, but they could not decifer why he's doing it.

The vets asked us whether Henri's eyes oozed, but they doesn't, whether the eyes get all swollen, but they don't, and whether they get red or seem irritated. But they really don't.

So there was not much they could guess.

Sometimes, Henri will go through periods without doing it, but he just did it tonight. We have discounted perfumes, onions, hot pepper or anything like that as the cause. We are baffled.

We worry that he might have something not diagnosed that could be corrected.
He first did this about 5 months ago, on and off.

Any help as he really looks pitiful and helpless when he does that.:confused:

Maybe he doesn't like the brightness

Dogs can get headaches as well, could be like sensitivity to light because of headache.

Allergy is another issue, don't use harmful chemicals in your home especially on your floors. That includes carpet deodorizers, sprays, cleaning solvents, etc....

Is he behaving otherwise fine when he does this?

More info
 

Thank you for replying quickly.

Well, the chemicals was the first thing we thought about. Expecially since he tends to do this when one of us enters the house.

Today, for instance, my husband came back from the store with groceries, and when he came in, Henri started doing the squinting. You can tell it bothers him, but is only in the eyes.
I mean, he doesn't seem to be in pain.

What we really worry about is some kind of serious condition such as light sensitivity or even glaucoma. We, of course don't know whether these are real symptoms of those diseaces, but we worry anyway.

When he squints he lowers his head, when he looks up at you he squints so bad, like you are blowing in his eyes.

The condition will go away in a few minutes. Again, tonight, my husband says he didn't squint when he took him out to pee.

So we looked for chemicals in the groceries, but nothing really just food in this batch.

Again this condition doesn't happen all the time; about 2 or 3 times in February and none in Dec or Jan.

We are really puzzled and would love to know how to get to the bottom of this.

Just a wild guess, but I wonder if it could actually be something with his teeth and gums, or even his sinuses or ears?

Sinuses are right under the eyes...maybe he's squinting because of pain or pressure someplace [I]near[/I] his eye on that side of his head.

Sensitive Eyes
 

Hi,

I have a 4 yr old westie who has started doing the same thing with his eyes. Can you tell me what helped you. I have also had him to the vet and he has a clear bill of health. I just don't know what to do. My westie is doing the same thing as yours.

Thanks,

ARCHIE123, this is an old thread. But since your dog is experiencing the same thing, maybe it is genetic? If so, there's not much you can do except ask the vet to check regularly for any other problems in that area.

Sensitive Eyes
 

I Knew That This Was An Old Thread But I Was Hoping That Imisskelly Would See This And Respond Or Someone Else That Has A Dog With The Same Problem. I Don't Think This Is A Genetic Thing Because I Am Having Trouble Finding Someone Else With This Same Problem. Thanks For Your Response And Have A Nice Day