Pugs are adorable puppies with a big personality and even bigger eyes. But those big, characteristic eyes can develop a number of problems. While not everyone develops these problems, they are prone to cataracts, cherry eyes, dry eye syndrome, and others. Since the symptoms for many eye diseases are similar, remember that it is very important to take your dog to the vet for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Steps
Part 1 of 6: Recognizing and Treating Cataracts
Step 1. Watch out for milky eyes
Your pug's lenses may appear cloudy or gray. Eventually, the cataract will cover them completely, potentially causing vision loss. The appearance of the eyes may look cracked or resemble a sliver of ice.
Cataracts can be caused by genetic predisposition, trauma, diabetes or other illnesses
Step 2. Pay attention to your dog's behavior
If he has cataracts, he may have trouble seeing, and he may be more clumsy and less sure of his surroundings. You can also see it:
- Running into things.
- Not recognizing people.
- No sense of depth.
Step 3. Take your dog to the vet
Make an appointment as soon as you notice symptoms. He can diagnose cataracts just by looking, and a veterinary surgeon can confirm the diagnosis.
If your pug is older, your lens may just be getting older, but that shouldn't affect your eyesight as much. The veterinarian will also pay attention to this detail
Step 4. Have surgery
Cataracts in the early stages cause blurred vision, but in more advanced cases it can lead to blindness, so it is usually better to treat it surgically. During the procedure, a specialist surgeon will remove the lens, replacing it with an artificial one. Cataracts can also be destroyed with a laser in a procedure known as phacoemulsification.
If you would prefer to have your dog undergo surgery, it is important to have it done before his eyesight deteriorates further
Part 2 of 6: Recognizing and treating eyelid entropion
Step 1. Check your pug's eyelids
If he finds himself facing inward, he probably has a condition called entropion. In it, the eyelid comes into direct contact with the eyeball, which can scratch or irritate the cornea. If the dog has had entropion for a long time without any treatment, his eyes may turn milky or blue from the scars that have developed there.
The affected eye may also swell if the eyelashes are in direct contact with the eyeball
Step 2. Watch for signs of irritation
The dog may look uncomfortable with something in his eye. You'll likely see him rubbing his eyes or squinting a lot. Also, with the lashes rubbing against the cornea, it can also tear more. The dog will blink more often and try to keep its eyes closed.
Entropion is a painful condition. If you suspect your pug is experiencing pain caused by something in his eyes, take him to the vet
Step 3. Look for a diagnosis
The vet will examine his eyes very carefully to see if they are symmetrical. He will also check the inside to see if the lashes are in contact with the cornea. Also, another technique that can be used is to apply pressure to the dog's eyes. If they return to normal during the process and then immediately turn inward again, the dog has eyelid entropion.
It may be necessary for a veterinarian ophthalmologist to examine his eyes as well
Step 4. Seek surgical treatment
A veterinary surgeon will remove some of the tissue under the pug's eyes. The procedure can help keep the eyelid in the right place, avoiding contact with the cornea. If your dog is young, your doctor may recommend that your eyelid be realigned so that it develops correctly as your dog grows.
Surgery for entropion is usually quite expensive
Part 3 of 6: Recognizing and treating cherry eyes
Step 1. Watch for redness and swelling
The pug is one of the dog breeds that has a third eyelid, which is inside the eyes and slid over the cornea to protect it. The eyeballs are lubricated by tear fluids that flow from a gland in this third eyelid. If one of these glands pops out, you'll see a big red bump covering part of his eye.
This bulge usually looks like a cherry
Step 2. Take him to the vet
Most pugs aren't bothered by cherry eyes, which are usually just a cosmetic issue. But if he seems bothered by it or doesn't think it's the condition, take him to the vet for an accurate diagnosis. If the dog is in pain, it is likely that he is suffering from some other illness.
Although veterinarians aren't sure what causes cherry eyes, the glands are more likely to pop out from the weakening of the connecting tissues around them
Step 3. Use surgical treatment
Cherry eyes can be removed or not. If you want to remove them, the veterinarian surgeon will put the gland back in place and give it a few stitches so it doesn't come out again. The procedure is done with the help of anesthetics.
If you don't want to have the dog undergo surgery, just ignore the problem (unless the pug is bothered by it) or try treating it with steroid ointments
Part 4 of 6: Recognizing and Treating Dry Eye Syndrome
Step 1. Make sure his eyes are dry
They may look tired, irritated and reddened. If your dog has Keratoconjunctivitis sicca, also known as dry eye syndrome, his eyes will not be producing enough tear fluid. You may also notice the presence of a thick, sticky discharge.
Like older dogs, pugs are also more likely to develop this syndrome
Step 2. Pay attention to your dog's behavior
It will try to clean the eyes by lubricating them when blinking. However, if he has this syndrome, this will not happen. You will see it blinking more than usual, squinting or keeping your eyes closed.
Bruises or infections can be the cause of the syndrome
Step 3. Take him to the vet
Since dry eyes can cause infections, medical care is needed. During the visit, the veterinarian will examine the dog's eyes, testing for tear production. For this, a special paper will be inserted in the corners of his eyes, showing how much tear is produced in one minute. The result will help in diagnosis.
Other factors may be causing inflammation, such as glaucoma or corneal ulcers, so your veterinarian must also do tests to diagnose them
Step 4. Use eye drops or prescription drugs
The dog will need over-the-counter drops or prescription medications to lubricate his eyes. Always follow the indicated dosage. In addition, you may also have to apply artificial tears every hour, or four to six times a day if you are using thicker drops. Some types of medication need to be taken a few times a day.
Once your pug's eyes begin to produce tears again, the vet will likely cut off the medication. But as this is a chronic syndrome, it may always be necessary to use lubricants
Part 5 of 6: Recognizing and dealing with progressive retinal atrophy
Step 1. Monitor the dog's night vision
Pay attention to how it works in low-light environments. If you notice that the animal is insecure or bumping into things, it may be that it is having difficulty seeing in the dark, and night blindness is a sign of progressive retinal atrophy.
APR is painless, so the pug won't rub its eyes, squint, or water. Instead, you will notice a gradual loss of daytime vision that can lead to complete blindness
Step 2. See if there are any changes in his eyes
Some pug owners say they have noticed their puppies' eyes brighter because of the APR. Another sign of the disease is the dilation and abnormal reaction of the pupils, which may always appear to be dilated, as the eyes try to compensate for the lack of vision with increased light input.
You can try putting a light in his eyes to see how they react. The pupils should get smaller when light hits them, and bigger when it moves away
Step 3. Take him to the vet
The veterinarian will need the dog's entire genealogical history. As the disease is hereditary, it is important to know if he is genetically predisposed to its development. The doctor will also examine the inside of the eyes using an eye biomicroscope, looking for changes in the retina..
The veterinarian will also perform blood and urine tests to rule out other possibilities
Step 4. Help your dog deal with APR
Unfortunately, there are no drugs or surgeries to treat it, but you can help slow it down by improving the pug's diet (if the disease is caused by metabolic problems). Otherwise, you will need to keep an eye on him to avoid accidents or attacks. Take him to the vet regularly for tests that may detect possible cataracts or glaucoma. Remember that your dog will not feel pain.
- Offer the pug a low-fat omnivorous diet that includes meat.
- If your dog has APR, avoid breeding him as it is a genetic disease.
Part 6 of 6: Recognizing and Treating Other Eye Problems
Step 1. Treat the corneal ulcer
See if the dog's eyes are reddened, watery, spewing out a thick secretion, or if he's been squeezing them too tightly. It is possible that he acts as if he is in pain. This is because the pug's cornea is large and can be easily scratched or bruised. Trauma like this can cause ulcers that can later become infected.
To treat them, the veterinarian will examine the dog's eyes for infections. Depending on the cause of the ulcer, he may need surgery, topical medication, or contact lenses (avoiding a surgical procedure)
Step 2. Watch out for Bullous Keratopathy (CB)
CB symptoms are very similar to corneal ulcers. The dog will also show pain and may rub his eyes with his paws, in addition to tearing a lot and reddening in the eyes. If he does have this disease, he will not be able to close his eyes completely (even while sleeping), which can damage the cornea from lack of lubrication.
To treat CB, your veterinarian will likely recommend eyelid correction surgery. Until then, use drops to prevent damage to the cornea
Step 3. See if your dog has distichiasis
Again, his eyes may be red, itchy, watery, or have a thick discharge. The Pug might be bothered by something in your eyes. The cause of these symptoms can be dysqituiasis, a condition in which eyelashes grow out of place in the ducts of some glands, which can scratch and irritate the eyeball.
The veterinarian can treat dystikiasis by surgically destroying the follicles so that the lashes don't grow back there. If it's just a mild irritation, he may recommend using ointments to keep your eyes lubricated
Step 4. Watch for keratitis
If you find brown spots in his eyes, or if they're covered in some sort of grayish tissue, it could be a case of keratitis. Eye trauma can cause pigmentary keratitis that causes brown spots to appear. On the other hand, chronic superficial keratitis, or pannus, leaves the eyes gray due to the growth of blood vessels and other tissues on its surface. This condition is an immune response that causes inflammation of the eyes.
Since keratitis can lead to vision loss, medical treatment is very important. To treat it, the pug will likely need topical steroids or anti-inflammatory drops for life
Step 5. Be careful with the displacement of the eyeball (proptosis)
When your pug suffers some kind of trauma to the head area or gets a lot of pressure in the neck, his eyes can literally pop out. Because it causes a lot of pain, seek veterinary care urgently if this occurs. With the dog anesthetized, the veterinarian will try to lubricate the dog's eyes, gently putting them in place. In some cases, surgical removal of the affected eye is recommended.
Never hold a pug by the neck as this can cause proptosis. Wear a pectoral collar instead of a choke chain when taking him for walks
Step 6. Examine your dog
Inspect it daily to see if all is well with your eyes. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, or are in doubt about a potential problem, contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. Early treatment can prevent serious eye problems.