Question:
We have a spayed German shepherd that is 6 years old. We adopted her when she was a year old. For almost two years now, the whites of her eyes are red with pus in the corners, and it's driving us crazy.We have taken her to three different vets. One told us to give her two Benadryl allergy pills along with brewer's yeast. A friend told us that this worked for his Lab. Another vet gave us Terramycin, and yet a third gave us Optimmune. Nothing has worked.One of these vets said this condition is common to German shepherds, but we've had several since 1960 (some living to be 15 years old), and they never had this problem. Please advise.
J.D., Clever, Mo Jun 24, 2007
Answer:
If your dog does not have entropion (turned-in eyelids, which can injure the corneas), and if antibiotic treatments do not result in an improvement, transition your dog to a home-prepared diet like the recipe on my Web site (www.doctormwfox.org), and try herbal eyedrops called Eye Bright. If this doesn't improve your dog's eyes in two to three weeks, see a veterinary eye specialist.Your dog could well have a corneal disease (common in this breed) called pannus. Blood vessels and pigment invade the cornea, resulting in progressive vision loss. The cause of this malady has not yet been determined. Hereditary factors clearly play some role, and it might be a genetically linked autoimmune disease triggered by the body's own reaction to a mild bacterial infection of the eyes.
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