Published: December 22, 2008 10:39 pm      

Cocker spaniels prone to dry eye

EDMOND — Q: “Smokey,” our 8-year-old cocker spaniel, is the second cocker we’ve owned and both have been diagnosed as having dry eye in one of their eyes. The first one occurred about 10 years ago and it never did improve. Our vet bills for “Smokey’s” eye are about to break our small budget, but we’d do “nearly” anything to save his eye. Can you suggest any measures to help him and to give us a better understanding of this problem? — Lance B.

A: I’ll give you a general description of “dry eye” in dogs, but I’m sure your veterinarian (hopefully an eye specialist) is doing all of the right things in treating a condition that sometimes doesn’t respond as well to therapy as we’d like.

One of the reasons that Lance’s two dogs have had more than their share of “dry eye” is that both of them, being cocker spaniels, were numerically predisposed to this condition — cockers, miniature schnauzers and West Highland White Terriers are the breeds with the highest incidence of this disease.

Dry eye, medically called keratoconjunctivitis sicca (we’ll refer to it as KCS here) initiates when inadequate tear production exists in one or both eyes. Tears are quite essential to the comfort of one’s eyes, but they do much more than just provide comforting lubrication. They contain anti-bacterial protein, salts, sugars and oxygen to nourish an area that has no blood supply. Tears further flush away irritants and infectious agents that constantly get into a dogs’ eyes.

Without a continuous and adequate supply of bactericidal tears, bacterial organisms soon overgrow on the eye introducing various degrees of local inflammation soon followed by a dominating gooey yellow discharge and signs of discomfort. Any dog showing these symptoms is in trouble and obviously in need of immediate veterinary attention. Left untreated, KCS will lead to chronic suffering and eventual loss of sight.

There are several known causes of the cessation of tear production, but the most common cause seems to be an immune-mediated destruction of the two major tear-producing glands. Aging is also a factor, and, as stated, certain breeds of dogs predominate.

The treatment of KCS dramatically improved in 1995 when the drug cyclosporine was FDA approved and marketed under the trade name of Optimune. It soon became the drug of choice for treating dry eye in dogs. Proponents of this topical product claim that, when applied judiciously, 80 percent of KCS patients will increase their normal tearing and exhibit a reduction in inflammation.  

A major determinant here, in the success or failure of topical cyclosporine, appears to be the stage of KCS when treatment with the drug is initiated. Even with early intervention, lifetime treatment is almost universally the norm, and interruptions in therapy can result in severe relapse. 

When tear production is at or near zero, and a canine KCS patient fails to show favorable response to cyclosporine therapy, there are several good lubricant drops and artificial tear products that your veterinarian or pharmacist can provide for multi-daily application to help keep a KCS victim as comfortable as possible.

When all else fails, there is a surgical option for KCS. Like most surgical procedures, this operation has it pluses and minuses. It is also somewhat expensive, and is a delicate procedure that should only be performed by a certified veterinary ophthalmologist.



DR. WILLIAM K. FAUKS is a retired Oklahoma City veterinarian. If you have any questions regarding the health of your pet, please write to “Ask a Vet,” at 3142 Venice Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73112, or e-mail bfauks1@aol.com.