eye cosmetic surgery

[raingirl]

Ok..not exactly cosmetic surgery, but I wanted to know if there is a surgery they could do to tighten up the eye lids on a dog. Odin is going for his Cherry eye removal after his obedience school is done, and I was wondering what they could do for him at the same time.

You see, he has dry eye. He is on drops for it, and doing really well. However, because he has so much extra skin on the bottom eye lids, his eyes dry out faster, and we are applying lubrication to it several times a day. I don't mind doing the lube, that's ok. I was just thinking for his own health, if his lid didn't droop so much, he would feel better, less chance of infection, etc. Also, removing the cherry eye means that he will be making less tears, and we will have to do more drops.

Has anyone heard of this? If so, what is it called when they do this? I think the term for the droopy eye is Ectropian. I also heard that the drooping will get worse as he gets older, so I figured why not get it fixed now, since he will be under for surgery on the eye at the same time.

Here is a pic where you can see how much extra eye lid he has. You can almost put another eye in there, and there would still be extra!!

[Karin]

That's an "eye tack" for atropianated eyes. (sp?) The eye lids curl inward causing irratation. Very common in Rotti' & Shar pei's.
Can be done. Becareful to choose a vet with experience, I have seen some that pretend to know what they are doing to gain experince. (example:my former employer) My new vet is a whiz at this procedure, I have sent many a friend to her and all are pleased with the outcome.

[raingirl]

Entropian means the eyelashes curl inwards and irritate the eye. Odin doesn't have that. He has Ectropian which is the opposite, where the eyelid is loose and hangs outwards.

I found one website ref it by saying they can take a wedge of skin out and sew the eyelid tighter. Maybe I should ask about it.

Thankgoodness he doesn't have entropian eyelashes. That would be painfull! And they have to take a whole thin layer off the eyelid for that one!

[Beetlecat]

'Ectropion is an outrolling of the lower eyelid, usually at the middle or outer portion. While this does not cause direct irritation of the cornea, it can cause chronic exposure of the lower part of the cornea. This can lead to scarring of the cornea. Ectropion also contributes to chronic conjunctivitis, which is messy, and can be uncomfortable for the dog. '


'Ectropian, unless very pronounced, does not lead to severe diseases of the eye itself. However, the droopy eyelid may collect debris such as dust, pollen and plant material from the environment. This can cause ocular irritation that leads to watering and a red eye. Dogs that have ectropion must be watched carefully by their owners for possible foreign bodies in their eyes, and the dogs' eyes must be cleaned and often medicated on a regular basis. Ectropian is also surgically correctable for the health of the dog. '


lol, these two website, don't agree on the correct spelling, but appareently this is treatable with surgury. I'd look around for a vet that has experience with this problem 'cause (though it's not difficult) there is a degree of artisty involved, trying to cut just the right amount of tissue in the right spot. Not something I'd let the novices do to my dog. At best it'd have to be redone. At worst the lid would start rolling inward (much worse).