Hi there, We have had our yellow Lab Dexter for 3 months ( we imported him from Scotland to Dubai)He is 8 months old now. Shortly after we got him I came down to him one morning to find he had a yellowy discharge coming from both eyes.I took him straight to the vet and when she examined him she showed me his 3rd eyelid which was a really angry red colour with lots of raised bumps like little goosebumps.She said it was common ,that hopefully it was a reaction to the change in his environment and that a course of eyedrops would probably cure it.I'm now on my 3rd lot of drops........A course is 2 weeks,he gets about a clear week and a half and then I see them going red again in the corners and then when he starts rubbing his face I go back to the vet.Last visit she said she can't continue prescribing the drops as they are a steroid and long term use isn't good for him,she says he will probably grow out of it by the time he is 2 ( I can't bear to think of his eyes irritating him for that period of time) or that there is what sounds like a horrible operation he can have where she will shave away a thin layer of the 3rd eyelid to reduce the potential of the irritation..... It sounds horrible and I really don't want to put him through it.Please has anybody experienced similar problems?Your advice would be so appreciated.Likewise if anybody has had gone through with this op would you mind dropping me a quick reply to tell me how you found it.?It doesn't seem to be a 'dry' eye problem,I tried doing them very gently with a syringe,just dropping some cool boiled water into them but the vet says this might makes things worse as I could wash away the natural lubrication. Many thanks,I do worry over him
Re: Dexter's Eyes I'm sure it's a distressing situation! Poor you and poor Dexter. Could it be an infection like conjunctivitis? That would involve antibacterial eye drops as treatment. Has the vet talked about that possibility? My dog Obi (15 months) gets mucky, yellow discharge-y eyes from time to time (usually just one eye) but we just wash it out with a saline solution and it resolves itself in a day or so. It happens when it is really dry and dusty at his day care - it's probably just a reaction to irritants in the air. Your boy's eye problem sounds more persistant though. Does the vet think it is an allergic reaction (e.g. to pollen) or maybe a reaction to some kind of airborne irritant? Is that what the vet meant by 'change in his environment'? I'm sorry that I'm not much help..... I'm sure you would just like it to be fixed so your boy can get on with his life in comfort.
Re: Dexter's Eyes Ah thankyou so much, Dubai is hot and dusty and Dexter arrived from the snow of the highlands of Scotland ,so big changes for him and she thought the dust might be the irritant......which to be fair could well be the cause,pollen is also something to consider..Something is causing inflammation (the bumps) which are rubbing and causing more irritation when he closes his eyes.she seemed to think that by operating she would increase the space in his eyes so that the bumps wont rub.They do reduce when he is taking the steroid drops.I'll read up on allergies this afternoon and see if I can find something less invasive,an op is the really,really last resort for him!
Re: Dexter's Eyes Hi and welcome to the forum! You could ask your vet if she would recommend an eye gel like Lubrithal for Dexter which would help to moisturise the eye. A couple of years ago one of my springers suffered a serious eye injury which required several operations to save the eye. Ever since then I have been using Lubrithal for Alice and also all of my other spaniels to give their eyes a bit more protection during a day's working in heavy cover. From what I understand and what my vet has told me Lubrithal is one of those ointments that will not exacerbate any eye condition, like steroids or antibiotics might do. Might be worth asking your vet about? Hope Dexter gets better soon!
Re: Dexter's Eyes Hi there and welcome. My Poppy (15 months) had a persistent eye infection, that like your lad required quite strong eye ointment. She also had the bumps on the third eyelid. The vet explained to me that in dogs these work in a similar way to tonsils in humans - they trap bacteria etc and stop them getting into other parts of the body. However, in some dogs, especially young ones, these bumps become constantly irritated - it is like a kind of allergy, and most dogs do apparently grow out of it. But sometimes it becomes chronic, and it is necessary to scrape the bumps off the third eyelid. My vet also suggested homeopathic remedies, which I was going to try had the ointment not worked. Good luck and I hope dexter's eyes are better soon. I'd also be very interested to hear what it is like, owning a lab in the Middle East.
Re: Dexter's Eyes Thankyou both heidrun and Karen,I will mention the ointments you have suggested,you just know yourself if your eyes are irritated you feel right out of sorts! Karen don't encourage me,I could talk about Dexter and his life in Dubai all day! My Husband and I have been out here for 17 years,he has never had a dog whilst we had cocker spaniels at my parents house,round about the time I was leaving home,so between us we had zero and minimal dog experience!it has taken my Hubby over 10years to get me to agree to allowing his dream ie owning a yellow lab!although I don't know much I knew enough to know the rudiments of dog ownership and how a dog,particularly a young lab needs a lot of time,company and stimulation and our life wasn't suited to looking after one responsibly.roll on to now,no kids and I have been able to give up work so suddenly it seemed a possibility. friends of ours have imported 2 dogs from Dexters breeder,a gun dog breeder,a black lab( same grandfather as Dex )and a springer spaniel.Dexter settled in really well when we got him at 5 months,I have read and read and read and used friends ,strangers on the street, and websites( LOVE this one) so I felt prepared.he had had some training when he arrived and came with a glowing report which also stated that he had the intelligence and personality to have become an excellent gun dog....whilst I was very proud it was also a double edged sword as I am wracked with guilt that living with us he is a much loved,in fact adored pet but has been taken away from his heritage and fundamentally what he was born to do! His life here is very different and is going to be a challenge to him.Dubai's public spaces are totally dog unfriendly,there are very few places you can exercise them off lead.He's only young so we are careful with the amount of excercise he gets but to be honest we are restricted with where we live.we live on a gated community with communal parks which allow dogs on leads.........ok so my husband does the evening/bedtime walk which involves him 'illegally' off the lead and having a really good run around retrieving his ball for about 20 minutes,if the park is empty,he always comes back and is rewarded sometimes with food so it keeps him on his toes anticipating a treat!he's not a guarantee ,if another dog ,person,bird,tissue,sweet paper takes his interest he's off,which makes me a scaredy cat for our morning walk!ive read all about proofing and I'm working on 'bombproofing'his recall but it's slow progress with my lack of experience!anyway I will persevere but it makes me lack confidence in letting him off and have the joyous run around I love to see him do!his walks with me are all about manners! My friend is going to take me out into the desert with The black lab he is related too,she has loads of experience and is going to hand hold me through the terror of letting him go ....together with the unease I get around other dogs,which I really do my best not to pass onto Dex,he is never anything other than friendly and if he doesn't get the go ahead from the other dog,he just seems to shrug and take himself off!the desert run will also throw up the issue of his eyes,if it is dust that is causing the inflammation then he's going to be bad after that...but I guess I won't know until I try.... Next challenge......temperature.Today is 42 degrees.......it will get up to 50 through the summer months and the high temperatures and humidity will last until the end of October,so during the day he is going to be pretty much housebound....he's dosed by my feet all day today so doesn't seem too perturbed today,but yesterday he was restless and prowling,looking for mischief!hopefully I can overcome this by early walks....we go at 7am now but my friends tell me 5-5.30 is the norm in the summer.....I'm going to work on hiding things this week and teaching him to find them so if he is acting bored I can occupy him with that for a while in the house!I've started freezing his toys in ice blocks of chicken stock too so once the garden gets in shade I can take him out and have a play and he has got something cold that he keeps going back to which will hopefully help to stop him overheating.can you see now why it has taken me 10 years to agree having a dog,they have such a different life to the one I would ideally want for them. Another exercise option come the summer may be our swimming pool.so far he hasn't been in !people who know labs are amazed by that but it's because we have policed him so far and he really is a very good boy and generally does what he is told!I have been reluctant to let him in for a few reasons.He had Gardia early on when he came to us.....the vet said the pool could have been a potential source.....I disagree as we have never had any previous problems and he had literally only had a few licks of the water but it took a while to get rid of it and he had it while we were dealing with an already dicky tummy,we think really just due to the climate,lifestyle change,that is better now although he is on a special gastro diet.Also I can't think that chlorine can be good for his tum ,skin or eyes?although so many other dogs here enjoy a great swimming program with no ill effects!we have also just finished our usual run of guests while the weather is good and I didn't feel it was hygienic or appealing to have our Dex doing laps with our visitors when they were here on holiday.Sorry to say though if it becomes clear that the pool is a viable option for exercise and entertainment Dexter will get priority over anyone else! The beach is probably going to be an option as we get warmer too,if we take him down at sunrise then it's the coolest part of the day,will have to do that with Chris my husband until I get over this irrational fear of him running away! So that's a snapshot of how life is,any suggestions on how to occupy a housebound adolescent working lab through the long months of summer will be much appreciated!please don't think us irresponsible choosing such a dog in our circumstances,we did think it through clearly and are committed to managing it?He seems really happy,contented and settled in his life with us.He couldn't be loved or admired more ,after all he is very handsome! Thanks again for the he advice,I have read and read the forums on this site they are so helpful with people like you replying to novices like me! Best wishes Angela
Re: Dexter's Eyes Hi Angela, so interesting to hear about Dexter's life in such a different environment to here. I think my spaniels would love a pool in the back garden!! I can imagine that the heat is probably problematic when caring for a dog. One of my springers is extremely sensitive to warmer temperatures and overheats very quickly. I have a couple of things to keep her cool like a swamp jacket and a special collar tht has to be soaked in cold water before putting on the dog. These things help a little bit but during the summer months I just exercise her very early in the morning and last thing at night before it gets dark. Can I ask who bred Dexter? A couple of years ago I met a breeder of labradors and spaniels. He was from the Borders in Scotland and exported some of his dogs all over the world. Would be lovely to see some photos of Dexter.
Re: Dexter's Eyes Hi Angela , when my boy Sam was about the age of Dexter, he was always getting eye infections . One day, a locum at our Vets suggested an op for entropian ( the proceedure you mention ) but we werent happy to go ahead . When our regular Vet returned from holiday we asked his advice, he said to watch and wait because most times , they grow into the skin and the spare skin gets taken up so it tightens , this happened with Sam at around 12 months of age and he stopped having infections immediately , no trouble at all now . As Heidrun says, it is very interesting to read about yours and Dexters life and wow, that is hot ! I lived in France for some years, so can relate to the early walks, in fact my dogs became almost nocturnal
Re: Dexter's Eyes Thankyou Heidi and Kate for your helpful advice and info about the cooling accessories.im so glad Sam free out of his eye condition,I'm hoping that Will be the case for Dex,I just want to manage it in the least irritating manner for him until that happens. Heidi,Dexter came from Charlie Thorburn at Mordor Gundogs in Perthshire,they were known to us through friends who imported the black lab and springer I mentioned earlier.All dogs are amazing and we were dealt with so well.is that who you met?I would love to get up there sometime and see the farm,my friend has been and said the dogs are so well looked after and the training was superb x
Re: Dexter's Eyes Hi Angela, a very warm welcome to you and Dexter from me Helen, Hattie 5/12 and Charlie 2 1/2 years. Good luck with your new puppy and I hope his eye condition clears up quickly. Helen x
Re: Dexter's Eyes Thankyou Helen,everyone has been so helpful today, I love this site I'm on it reading all the time !such a wealth of info g'nite from Dubai ;D
Re: Dexter's Eyes It was so interesting reading about the particular circumstances you have to manage in Dubai. It sounds like you have thought about it extent carefully and are considering Dexter's needs at every turn. In fact I'd say that you are showing an extremely high level of dedication and care. What a Lab really wants is to be a loved part of the family - and it's vey clear that Dexter is exactly that. When you get round to letting Dexter in the pool, put something by the pool steps that is visible to a dog low down in the water. Maybe a plastic road cone or something. Train him to recognise and swim to this point so he knows that it is the way out. Would love to see some pics of your desert run when you do it!
Re: Dexter's Eyes Thankyou Rachael ,that's a really sensible idea about the cone,will let you know about it if we start and also will get to grips with getting photos on here,can't even get my profile photo on straight!i have got one of those little lights to put on his collar as duh!Dexter is the same color as sand and I'm already anxious about losing him!think the high vis dog vest my friend has might be going a bit far especially with the heat but it reassures me that I'm not alone in this fear.......especially as her dog is black!everyone have a great day and thanks for the well wishes to Dexter
Re: Dexter's Eyes Gosh yes, that will be quite a challenge, bringing up a working line gun dog in Dubai... but you are clearly determined to do the best for Dexter and to make this work for both of you. I have friends with dogs in Oman, and other friends are moving out to Abu Dhabi with their two-year old labrador soon. It clearly is possible to keep dogs out there happily, but it is more difficult than here in the West - the main problem of course being the heat. Your Dexter will soon be wanting LOTS of exercise - but I have heard that even when it cools down a bit it can still be dangerous to let them run as much as they want to, because they can overheat and get heat stroke. So you need to make sure he has lots of access to water. The beach in the early morning will probably really be the best place to exercise him. Once he grows up, he will need at least an hour's exercise each day to keep fit and healthy - and that does not mean an hour on the lead, but time to run around and retrieve. And as you say, the pool is bound to become his favourite place! You can give a labrador lots of exercise by letting him retrieve in the water. Luckily at the moment he doesn't need that much exercise, but mental stimulation will be very important, so carry on with the hiding and memory games for him. I know people who exercise their dogs on a running machine during the hottest months (obviously this is NOT appropriate for a puppy!). And some friends of ours keep a hosepipe trickling on a sandy, shady spot in the garden - the dog loves it, as she can dig herself a cool hole in the sand. Only drawback is her fur is then covered in sand... but it does mean she can spend more time out in the yard. Good luck!!! Keep us posted on your desert adventure!
Re: Dexter's Eyes Good morning, Angela and Dexter...and greetings to you from a rather cold and wet Norfolk! I have very little knowledge about eyes, so I don't suppose for one moment, this is helpful. A friend of mine has a St. Bernard pup, who developed a third eye problem, referred to as cherry eye. The beautiful girl has now had 9 ops on her eyes, with no real improvement, and my friend feels the problem has been made worse by all the surgery, which she deeply regrets. The only advice I can offer is to have a second opinion by a vet that specialises in eyes. I hope all goes well for you
Re: Dexter's Eyes How's Dexter now? Any improvement? We lived in Oman through the 70's and 80's and several people there had dogs including Labs. They took them wadi bashing in the winter and the dogs loved it. There are lots of wadis in Oman with permanent flowing water in them so lots of swimming and splashing. Might be good for a few winter trips but can you take a dog across the border? I bet it's dust that's causing it. He doesn't wear contact lenses does he? They are murder in the middle east. ;D
Re: Dexter's Eyes Ha ha ha! David,very funny!Thanks as well Katie,I'll move heaven and earth before he has to have an op,there must be an alternative. Eyes are ok at the moment ( although we are nearing the end of the last course of drops) I feel the dust has to be a factor,but I do get a window in between each flare up,he seems to get a clear 10-14 days after his course of drops finish before they start again.....I am thinking that is the time it takes for the dust/unknown element to cause the irritation that then creates the inflammation.I have an appointment this week with a holistic vet for a second opinion and who will hopefully be able to explore a more alternative,less invasive approach so I will let you know .....I've been reading up a lot on allergies this week . New this week in Dexter's life are his aspirations to join the PGA tour.....think I forgot to mention that our house backs onto a golf course!Nature won over nurture this week as he took his first flying leap over the wall and onto the driving range!I knew the day would come!So far he's been able to deny himself the fun of running after those little white balls although he has peered over the wall with a very healthy curiosity! Not to worry,fencing isn't an option so we will just have to police him very carefully,he was more bothered about kicking up his heels and running free than choking on a golf ball but I will be watching him for that now under a microscope!
Re: Dexter's Eyes Thanks Karen,I wrote you a proper reply to Thankyou for your advice the other day but it was the day the website was a bit sticky.....some great advice ,we have got a treadmill that is the absolutely cliche of a treadmill.....ie clothes hanging over it and more use as a dumping ground so it may well come into its own for a bit of novelty for the energetic one!
Re: Dexter's Eyes Ha Ha - like your style with the treadmill Angela ;D Just chucking in my twopence worth - she is not quite so bad now, but Lilly always had red eyes after a trip to the beach (the windy sandy St Andrews variety) - with a bit of green/yellow discharge. After the first vet trip, we always just bathed her eyes rather than reaching for the antibiotics. In people, 90%+ of conjunctivitis is viral, and although antibiotics seem to work, its not "evidence-based" to use them, and most cases settle with lubricant drops on their own (which is probably why the antibiotic drops/oint work too!). I have minimal doggy knowledge, so not entirely sure if this is helpful, but hey ho! jac
