"The eyes are the window to the soul." Sure, you can sometimes understand a person's emotions and thoughts by looking into his or her eyes. But did you know that you can also prevent serious medical issues by taking a good, long look at your dog's eyes? According to polls conducted by canine eye experts, more than a third of pet owners wouldn't be able to tell if their furry pal was suffering from an eye disease. And most of them weren't aware of the potentially serious impacts of leaving an eye issue untreated. We're talking some pretty nasty stuff, too, from permanent corneal scarring to total or partial blindness. Yikes! So let's have a frank discussion about your dog's eyes, shall we? Anatomy of a Dog's Eye The anatomy of a dog's eye is very similar to that of a human's. They have a sclera, the tough, fibrous layer often referred to as the "white" of the eye. Then there's the cornea, the easily injured thin, clear layer at the front of the eye. The conjunctiva is the lining of the eyelids that can become inflamed and turn pink when the dog gets excited, is experiencing allergies, or develops an eye infection. The iris is the colored part of the eye that controls the size of the pupil and regulates how much light enters the eye. The pupil is the black area in the center of the iris that gets smaller in bright light and larger in dim lighting. They also have a lens and a retina. But here's something you might not know: dogs have three eyelids! They blink with two just like us but their third lid, called a nictating membrane, moves horizontally across the eye from the inside corner. And here's something really cool—you know that pink bump on the insides of our eyes? It's actually the remnant of a third eyelid that we used to have! Scientists think that since we no longer have to capture prey by biting or find food by rooting through vegetation, we just evolved out of it. Wild, right? Anyway, the nictating membrane, also referred to as the haw, serves a couple of purposes: it protects the eye from dust and other physical contaminants that can scratch the cornea, it keeps the eye moist, and it contributes to immune function. Owners of hounds, spaniels, and other droopy-eyed breeds have probably noticed this third eyelid since it's pretty prominent in them, but with most dogs you can only see a small portion of it in the inner corner of the eye. You can sometimes see it start to pull across the eye as the dog falls asleep, making it look a little bit like an alien. Problem Breeds Unfortunately, there are some dog breeds that are more prone to developing eye problems. Is yours on the list?
Welp, we have two of them in our house. That increases our odds of having to deal with a problem. Sigh. So now what? What should you do if you have a dog on the list or, really, just have a dog? Every owner can take some pretty easy eye-specific steps to keep their pets healthy and happy. Find a baseline. Take some close-up photos of your dog's eyes. Create an easily accessible folder on your computer or print the images and put them with the rest of your dog's medical records so that you can compare them if and when symptoms develop down the road. Check their pupils. They should both be dark and the same size. Look for issues. Your dog's eyes should be bright and shiny with no excessive squinting or tears. You're looking to establish a "normal" for them. Visit your vet annually. I know it's expensive and you don't want to hear any bad news, but many preventable issues can be detected during a good physical exam. If your dog does have an issue, it doesn't mean you're a bad pet parent and no one is going to judge you. Establish a good rapport with your vet so that you feel comfortable enough to ask any questions about your pet's overall health or about any eye issues. Keep their eyes clean. While pets can usually clean their eyes with their own tears, sometimes they need a little help from us. It's not unusual for pets to develop a little bit of dried gunk on the inside corner of their eye, especially on windy or dusty days. If you do need to give them a little assistance, the same ophthalmic saline solution you would use in your own eyes is fine to use on them, but you should make sure you avoid any direct contact with the cornea. Common Issues Many people use vision loss as a marker for determining when their dog is having problems. The trouble with that is that dogs need to lose as least 80% of their vision before they start displaying signs like running into objects. Normal eyes should be crystal clear, with the white part of the eye appearing bright and not discolored in any way. The outer corners should be a healthy pink color. Keep an eye out (ha! see what I did there?) for these common issues:
If you notice any eye symptoms, contact your vet right away. It's hard for the every day dog owner to know if a problem is mild, moderate, or severe but your vet can help you make sense of things. OK, so we've done a quick overview of the eye, discussed problem-prone breeds, outlined some initial steps to take, and addressed some common eye issues. In part two of this series, coming later this week, we'll take a deeper dive into the eight most common eye problems and what to do about them. Also, a very special thank you to Josuee, the National Outreach Specialist from NVISION, who inspired this series, and who provided some helpful resource information. You can find it on our Resources page or by visiting this link. Until next time, WOOF! Associated song: Eyes of the World by Grateful Dead
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