Cockers are
known for their large, soulful eyes. Their adoring expression is one of
the many qualities that endears them to us all. However, these lovely eyes
can require a little extra care to keep them healthy, bright and full of the
love of life we expect to see in our sweet Cocker faces! This
article is a basic eye care reference for owners. I have addressed other,
specific eye issues on other pages, so will concentrate on day-to-day care here.
The first
subject to address here is probably who you should see if you have a concern
about your dog's eyes. Most regular veterinarians are good for general health advice
and can effectively deal with run-of-the-mill issues - mild infections,
irritations, minor injury. However, there are certified eye specialists
available in most large cities and if you believe your dog has a serious eye
condition, you should seek expert advice.
A word of warning here -
specialists can be good or bad just like any other service provider. In
our area, we have one person in particular that is well-known for his abrasive,
breed-bashing, unpleasant demeanor. If you should need to see a
specialist, I would recommend checking with your breeder and/or other local
breeders {people who know and deal with these specialists regularly} for their
advice on which practitioner is the best to see.
Eye problems are common enough
in Cockers that responsible breeders should have their breeding dogs' eyes certified
defect-free yearly, so your breeder should be able to give you advice on
selecting a specialist.
Probably one
of the most important things to remember about your dog's eyes is that, like
people, some dogs see better than others. Dogs with no genetic defect may
have less than perfect sight and this can be difficult if not impossible to
recognize. Some dogs are also better than others at compensating for
changes in vision or loss of vision, so owners may not immediately realize their
dog actually has an on-going vision problem. Along these same lines,
puppies may exhibit behavior that could be assumed to indicate a vision problem,
but which is actually normal behavior - i.e. running into things, not following
a ball, falling off of a step/porch.
An important part of caring for your dog's eyes
will be knowing what is normal for him/her. In other words, if your dog
normally ignores strange objects around the house, but suddenly begins to bark
at the vacuum cleaner, grocery bags or other items that appear in or around the
house semi-routinely, then there may be a problem with your dog's vision and you
might need to investigate the issue. Other symptoms that can
indicate an eye problem are excessive tearing, rubbing the eye, a blue or cloudy
appearance to the eye or sensitivity to handling of the head/eye area or general
head shyness (suddenly jerking back as if startled).
Most Cockers have some
amount of discharge from the eyes. Normal eye discharge is usually
clear and runny (watery) or may be slightly cloudy and thick enough to get
caught in the hair at the corner of the eye. This type of discharge is
considered normal for Cockers and, in general, is due to their large,
prominent eyes. Droopy eyelids (those that are not tight all the way
around the eyeball) may contribute to some Cockers having more eye drainage
than others. This is because foreign matter can become trapped in these
"pockets" and can irritate the eyes, which then produce more tears to flush
away the irritating material.
Another factor that can
contribute to excessive tearing in Cocker Spaniels is unclipped facial hair.
Many Cockers have thick coats all around the face. Some of this hair can
grow or lay in such a way that it is rubbing one or both eyes. This will
cause eye irritation and, in turn, excessive tearing. Doing a regular
Cocker cut every 4-6 weeks is generally adequate to control facial hair that
might contact the eyes and cause irritation. Regular facial
grooming (clipping) will also help prevent eye and skin infections by allowing
the eye area to stay cleaner and drier. Short hair is easier to keep
clean and will dry quicker than longer hair, so bacteria will have a harder
time getting a foothold.
In light
colored Cockers, ASCOBS and Partis specifically, tearing will often cause a
reddish colored stain from the inside corners of the eyes down the sides of
the nose. This staining will generally be worse in dogs whose eye
areas are not cleaned regularly. Allowing your dog's eye discharge to
accumulated for any length of time can also result in skin and eye infections.
The skin at the inside corner of the dog's eye can become irritated, inflamed
and/or infected from bacteria that grows in the constantly moist and warm eye
drainage area. If this bacteria is allowed to build-up for any length of
time, it can subsequently infect
the eye itself.
Your dog's eye drainage
(often referred to as "'eye boogers" - yuck!) should be wiped away daily with
a damp cloth. It's also a good idea to use a mild anti-bacterial soap
during the dog's weekly bath to thoroughly clean this area and to kill any
existing bacteria in the area. There are a number of specially made
eye-wipes and eye cleaning products available to help clean your dog's eye
area and to help remove any eye "gunk". Keeping the eye area clean is
the best way to avoid problems with bacterial skin infections or eye
infections from excessive tearing.
Signs that your dog has
abnormal eye discharge can include a green or yellowish color to the eye
discharge, thick and lumpy/gunky discharge, a foul odor in the eye area,
continuous matting-up of the eyelid edges and/or obvious signs of irritation.
If you are seeing any of the issues mentioned above or if your dog seems to be
having eyeball pain or irritation, you should ask your vet to check the dog's
eyes for infection or injury.
Signs of an eye injury,
infection or of another type of eye problem can include those listed above as
well as increased blinking,
squinting, swelling, redness, soreness or pawing/scratching/rubbing the eyes.
Most eye irritations will
end up being minor infections or scratches, but sometimes there can be serious
eye defects or injuries that need attention. Unfortunately, the
difference between minor irritations and major injuries can be hard for an
owner to determine. If your dog appears to have an eye problem, it's
always best to check with your vet to be sure that there is not a major
problem.
Additionally, minor problems can quickly become major concerns
if a dog will not leave an infected or injured eye alone. Many dogs will
further injure their eyes by rubbing and scratching if a small eye problem is
left unattended. To avoid this possibility, eye problems should be
addressed immediately and a preventive collar (called an Elizabethan collar)
should be used if the dog won't leave the eyes alone. Prompt
treatment can help prevent your dog from inflicting further trauma to an
existing injury or infected eye. Treating eye problems immediately may
also significantly shorten treatment times and may
save your dog from serious eye damage.
A word of warning is
called for here. Owners should never use human or animal eye drops or
ointments without their veterinarian's approval and without knowing EXACTLY
what is wrong with their dog's eye(s). Many eye medications
contain cortisone or other steroids and this type of product can severely
damage the eye if used when there is damage to the surface of the eye.
Products containing steroids can cause additional ulceration or even
perforation of the eye if used incorrectly. So please don't treat your
dog's sore or injured eye without having the dog examined by your veterinarian.
