Eye care for Shih Tzu. Possible problems

Different breeds of dogs, especially decorative ones, which were bred through complex selection, are prone to various diseases. Therefore, when choosing small pets, you need to know which dogs have eye loss so that you can recognize the disease in time and provide first aid to the animal with further treatment.

Many owners have seen how dogs' eyes fall out, but not everyone knows the etiology of this phenomenon.

General information about the disease

When hearing the phrase “the dog’s eye fell out,” many imagine the following picture: the organ of vision literally fell out onto the floor. But this is not true at all. A disease characterized by eye loss is called proptosis. This is a strong forward displacement of the apple, which leads to the fact that it begins to roll out of its orbit. The eye cannot return to its anatomical position on its own due to spasms of the muscles of the eyelid.

The cornea dries out, is constantly damaged, and the blood circulation process in it is disrupted.

Attention! The disease not only leads to aesthetic problems. A dog whose eyes are bulging out may soon lose his sight.

Why is this happening?

Eye loss in Shih Tzus or some other breeds is not a myth, but not every owner may encounter this problem. If the animal does not have congenital pathologies, it eats well and does not participate in excessively active physical contact (animal sports, fights with other dogs). However, dogs cannot take care of themselves and tell the owner in a timely manner when troubles arise, so they have to be learned about them after the fact. You should understand the causes of eye loss in your Shih Tzu so that you can take precautions and not be surprised if it happens.

Tighten the collar tightly. Any sudden movement of the leash for a dog is already stressful, and if you tighten it too much, the Shih Tzu’s eyes will begin to become bloodshot and then fall out. Pets often become prisoners of their own behavior when they become entangled in a collar, not understanding what this can lead to. If trouble has happened, you should not lose composure and provide first aid.
Anatomical congenital features. In dog breeds such as Pekingese and Shih Tzu, the eyeball is protected only by the eyelid. The cranium does not provide for the presence of a closed bony orbit, so the eyes do not have the opportunity to go deeper into it. For this reason, they are always convex, which provides dogs with an interesting, endearing look. Dogs whose eyes become more protruding from birth than their relatives are at risk of losing them even with minimal external trauma.
A strong blow to the head. The dog should not be hit in any case, but if the hit was not your fault, the Shih Tzu is not immune to eye loss. This can happen immediately, or sometimes after a certain period of time. It is not uncommon for Shih Tzus to be injured after playing or fighting with other dogs. It is important to capture this moment so that the eye does not get lost in the turmoil.

Causes of eyeball loss in dogs, symptoms

Dogs whose eyes fall out have a special skull structure - a small skull, with a flat shape on top, a shortened muzzle. Because of this structure, the eyeballs are not set deep enough, and under the influence of provoking factors the dog can stare them out.

Causes and provoking factors for the development of proptosis:

frequent carrying of the pet by the withers;
the dog making a sharp jump from a great height;
insect bites to the skull area;
wearing a tightly tightened collar, which puts pressure on the neck, increasing intracranial pressure;
frequent stress;
the owner’s habit of sharply or strongly pulling the animal’s leash;
injuries to the head, face or neck;
frequent and prolonged stay outside in very hot weather;
severe fear of the animal.

Pathology can occur suddenly, for example, during an active walk, when playing with other animals or household members. The disease can also be provoked by the fact that the decorative dog climbed the high stairs too quickly, making jerky jumps.

Additional Information! The eye may pop out partially or completely out of the orbit.

Any, even minor loads can lead to vision pathologies.

Symptomatic picture

Immediately at the very moment of injury, when the eye flies out of the orbit, the rectus muscles are torn. The animal feels pain, fear and severe discomfort.

Proptosis is accompanied by the formation of a hematoma. You can understand that a pet has developed a pathology by its changed behavior and a number of visible signs:

blinking too often;
bloody discharge from the eyeball;
proptosis is visible and so - the dog will bulge its eye to a considerable distance;
swelling of the conjunctiva;
drying and discoloration of the cornea, it becomes dull and faded;
the dog becomes passive and depressed.

The animal cannot be exposed to bright light, which causes pain.

Proptosis is impossible to miss

Dog breeds with eye loss causes and symptoms

What breeds of dogs have eyes that fall out? This problem often occurs in small dogs whose eyes are bulging from birth. Loss can occur as a result of trauma and mechanical damage to the head area. This is due to the structural features of their bony orbit - only the eyelids fix the eyes.

Before considering dog breeds with prolapsed eyes, it is worth paying attention to the possible consequences of eyeball prolapse:

rupture or overstretching of the optic nerve may occur. This can lead to disruption of the innervation of the eye, and visual function can also be completely lost;
rupture of the central retina of the eye. During this process, subatrophy of the eyeball occurs, which leads to a decrease in the size of the eye organ. Ultimately, this can lead to complete blindness;
a damaged cornea may rupture;
Sometimes there is a rupture of the muscle tissue of the eyeball. This causes the development of strabismus.

It is worth noting! Eye loss in dogs can be accompanied by various symptoms, the most obvious being a protruding eyeball.

Breeds Prone to Eye Loss

When purchasing small decorative pets, you need to know which dogs have protruding eyes in order to prevent the development of pathology and preserve vision.

Pugs

The sad look of the pug is known to everyone; this is its highlight, which is also its Achilles heel. Pugs are the most famous dogs with protruding eyes.

The predisposition to proptosis is genetic, and all due to the fact that there is no protrusion on the muzzle near the nose, the function of which is to protect the organs of vision from mechanical damage.

Attention! During walks, pugs' eyes are often damaged by grains of dirt, sand, or grass. Due to such damage, eye inflammation and other ophthalmological diseases develop, and proptosis is their consequence.

Pekingese

The deformed structure of the skull and muzzle, coupled with wide eye sockets, are factors that greatly increase the risk of proptosis. The peculiarity of Pekingese is that they are more susceptible to eye pathology, because their eye muscles are weak and do not provide reliable attachment. Provoking factors:

difficult bowel movements, in which internal pressure rises;
jumping;
climbing stairs, especially several floors;
squeezing the neck with a collar.

It is difficult to prevent proptosis in Pekingese dogs; even careful adherence to preventive measures does not greatly reduce the risk of pathology in old age.

Shar Pei

In Shar Peis, the risk of proptosis is associated with two factors - the characteristics of the skin and improper care of the animal. The presence of numerous folds of different sizes is caused by low skin tone. Because of this, strabismus often occurs; the eyelids may roll up, which provokes disturbances in the location of the eyes in the apple.

Attention! Proptosis can be caused by actions of the owner such as frequently carrying the Shar Pei by the withers, spanking the neck or face.

Although the Shar Pei is a fairly large animal, it must be handled very carefully.

Shih Tzu

Congenital pathology of the organs of vision, which is manifested by incomplete closure of the bony orbit due to the special structure of the skull, leads to systematic stretching of the muscle fibers of the eye.

As a consequence, there is a predisposition to ophthalmological diseases, in particular to proptosis. Since the Shitzu often gets sick in the eyes, it is necessary to carefully carry out preventive measures.

Additional Information! Two other species that are susceptible to proptosis are Spitz dogs and Chihuahuas. The fact that the Chihuahua's eye has fallen out is due to frequent injuries to the organs of vision due to the shortened muzzle. A strong blow or jump are provoking factors.

Reviews

Viktor Adolfovich, 37 years old, Ekaterinburg

As soon as I bought my daughter a Shih Tzu for her birthday, she felt like a truly happy child. The dog, whom we named Kurt, doesn't give us any trouble. I can’t explain why there is a myth that a dog’s eyes can fall out, but we haven’t encountered this problem. I myself am not a doctor by training, but if I see that the dog’s eyes have begun to redden, I provide rest for our pet - I see that Kurt is overtired.

Rules and recommendations for eye care in dogs

Animals with a predisposition to proptosis require regular and careful care for their visual organs. Recommendations for hygiene procedures:

At least once a week, the corners of the eyes are wiped to remove accumulated secretions. The procedure is carried out using a piece of gauze or a sterile napkin soaked in boiled, clean water or a special eye care product. A separate napkin is used to treat each eye.
Carrying out a thorough eye examination for possible damage after a walk.
If dust or other particles are found in the eyes, they must be removed immediately using special drops that increase lacrimation and wash the eyeball.
If the animal has folds on its face, they need to be wiped off after a walk and every meal so that dust does not accumulate there and inflammatory processes do not occur.

If any abnormal discharge or injury to the apple is detected, you should immediately contact a veterinarian.

Eye care is the most important preventive measure

Maltese eye care (article)

Did you know that the search query “Shih Tzu's eyes are falling out” is one of the most common on the Internet. Look for yourself and don’t listen to other people’s nonsense anymore.” He apologized and admitted that he didn’t see anything similar in the dog. Arriving home, I decided to clarify where this rumor “legs grow” came from. As I already wrote in the section about typical diseases of Shih Tzu, their eyes really do not sit as deep in the skull as, say, shepherd dogs.

The Shih Tzu is one of the oldest dog breeds of Chinese origin, once the favorite of Chinese emperors and the temple dog of Tibetan monks. It is clear that everything was exaggerated there. Any dog, and even cats, can have similar problems with the eyes... The reason for this can be anything. But you shouldn’t dwell on this. There are even worse problems! Otherwise, irreversible necrotic lesions of the conjunctiva and cornea occur.

Publications on “baby.ru” and advice in the weekly child development calendar should not be considered as medical recommendations for pregnancy management, diagnosis and treatment. I hate it when they snore and slurp. But there is one creature in the world whose snoring and slurping I listen to like music... Alfiya, it’s very difficult to say something in absentia without knowing her age or how and where you got your baby. There can be many reasons for discharge from the eyes, from allergies to worms!

Egor, can you send a few links with information that a Shih Tzu’s eyes fell out for no reason and that they were put back in by hand? The state of the owner who sees his Shih Tzu's eyes falling out for the first time is usually close to shock.

First aid

The further course of the disease and the prognosis for the future depend on how correctly and quickly the owner reacts to proptosis in the pet. First aid measures:

Protect the eye from further damage, from touching and possible contact with various objects. To do this, a special collar is put on the animal’s neck, or you will have to hold its paws for a while so that the pet does not harm itself while trying to relieve the pain.
Using a clean piece of cloth or sterile gauze soaked in saline solution or clean cool water, gently wipe the skin around the eyes, removing blood particles and other contaminants.
Lubricate the cornea with ophthalmic ointment.
To reduce pain and prevent severe swelling, you can apply an ice cube wrapped in a cloth to the skin under the eye. Keep cold for no more than 15 minutes.

After providing first aid, the animal must be taken to the veterinarian as quickly as possible so that the eye can be put back in place.
The operation requires anesthesia, so you cannot feed the pet before visiting the veterinary clinic.

After the operation, the animal will recover in 2 weeks - 1 month. During the rehabilitation period, it is necessary to provide the pet with complete rest and proper, careful care. Antibiotics are given to prevent infections.

Attention! The recurrence of proptosis in most cases leads to the need to remove the damaged organ.

What to do is strictly prohibited

It is prohibited to use products containing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or other antiseptics with aggressive compounds to process apples. There are no attempts to insert the eye into place on your own or touch it with your hands.

It is strictly forbidden to use cotton pads or pieces of cotton wool to wipe the eyes, as their particles can stick to the cornea, only aggravating the condition of the organ of vision.

Do not wipe with cotton wool or alcohol

Preventive actions

If a dog has been adopted with drooping eyelids and a genetic predisposition to proptosis, the owner of such a pet should regularly take preventive measures to prevent the disease. These are simple measures that will help significantly reduce the likelihood of pathology:

Neither puppies, nor adults, nor even small pets should be picked up by the scruff of the neck, much less carried in this state.
Animals with a distinctive structure of the skull and muzzle, when the eyes are too close or there is weakness in the muscle fibers, are not recommended to be allowed to play with other animals or small children.
Regular eye hygiene procedures.
It is necessary to remove household items or toys with sharp edges from the room in which the pet is located. These can cause damage to the animal's eyes.
Pekingese, which have a very high predisposition to proptosis, are best carried from high floors by hand. Frequently climbing stairs increases the risk of developing ophthalmological diseases.

Walking on the street is carried out on a leash so that it is possible to control the pet’s behavior.
One of the radical methods of prevention is canthoplasty. This is a surgical intervention, the essence of which is to reduce the ocular incision, due to which the organ of vision is better protected from the occurrence of proptosis.

Proptosis is a common disease; many animals have a genetic predisposition. Due to the commonality of provoking factors for the appearance of pathology, it is necessary to carry out preventive work to prevent the disease, often resorting to a drastic measure - surgery. Otherwise, there is a risk that the pet will lose an eye.