Entropion Surgery

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Aidan
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Entropion Surgery

Post by Aidan »

Hello, everyone. My name is Aidan. I’m new to the ChowChow.org community. I recently adopted a three-month-old black, male Chow puppy (who I’ve named Oliver) through a Minnesota rescue. His eyes were draining badly when I brought him home. Our vet confirmed my suspicion this week that Oliver has entropion. Oliver is now taking vet-issued eye drops to reduce irritation. However, my vet recommends surgery in two weeks.

My question is, at what age is it safe/recommended for Oliver to have entropion surgery? The rescue that I adopted him from suggested waiting until he’s “grown,” but they didn’t give a specific age. My vet seems intent on doing the surgery within two weeks. However, I’m worried that Oliver is too young. Also, is there anything else that can be done for him (aside from eye drops) in the meantime? One of the rescue-workers suggested a procedure called "tacking." I'm rather worried about this, as I understand that entropion surgery can lead to cornea damage if not done correctly.

I’d be really appreciative if anyone could give some advice/support, or point me to some helpful links.
Thank you!
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Auddymay
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Re: Entropion Surgery

Post by Auddymay »

He is the correct age for tacking, and I think waiting for a full lid trim is advisable. If you do it too early, there is a higher chance of recurrance in adulthood.
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Re: Entropion Surgery

Post by chowpups »

I ended up with a eye specialist only because my other chow had eye cancer and I knew him.. Nikkis eyes were not weeping badly, but I was concerned ..If you're not comfortable with your vets opinion get a second one.. but do it soon you don't want your pups eyes to get worse. Hopefully the drops are helping. Watch too for them rubbing their eyes with their paws they can scratch the eye.. And ask all the questions you need to feel comfortable with the dr..
Good luck,
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kiwani
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Re: Entropion Surgery

Post by kiwani »

Aidan wrote:I recently adopted a three-month-old black, maleChow puppy (who I’ve named Oliver) through a Minnesota rescue. His eyes were draining badly when I brought him home. Our vet confirmed my suspicion this week that Oliver has entropion.
In addition to getting a second opinion, you might also research the various causes of entropion, which can start rolling the lids inwards, such as vaccine reactions, bacterial/viral infections, inflammation, etc. The temporary eyelid tacking helps hold the lid in proper position, can help avoid lid surgery, and the area around the eyes changes as dogs mature and develope muscle anyway.

You might also consider supplementing the diet with omega-3 fish oils, which are important for eye development and helping to lower inflammation.
summer_rose03
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Re: Entropion Surgery

Post by summer_rose03 »

While we were waiting for Carter's surgery, they said drops wouldn't really do anything. He was prescribed an ointment 3x a day. Drops only help for a few minutes, ointment lasts longer. I would get a second opinion.
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lola chow
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Re: Entropion Surgery

Post by lola chow »

hi lola was 7 months when she had her surgery they said age 1 would be better but her eyes where so sore i decided not to wait she fine now xxx
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Aidan
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Re: Entropion Surgery

Post by Aidan »

Thanks for all the advice, everyone. I took Oliver into the vet earlier this week. My vet said that his eyes are looking much better, and that the eyedrops are helping. I discussed the possibility of tacking. However, we're waiting until Oliver's next appointment (on the 13th) to make a decision. I'm hoping that Oliver may be able to grow out of entropion if we do decide to tack his eyes. If not, we'll take him to an eye specialist in the cities for entropion surgery when he's older.
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Zilla
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Re: Entropion Surgery

Post by Zilla »

I went through 7 vets and they all said lets do surgery right away. But my rescue person said that all vets say that ( it comes down to $$) and then they will have to do this again t re-correct because your chow needs time to grow into their faces. I finally found a vet who said the same thing. She told me not to touch their eyes until at least 15 months to even 2 years old. Also, explore to make sure its not allergies. I wash their eyes out and wash their faces once a day. I also heard to try to give then Benedryl 1 tablet in the mornings it sometimes helps :) My vet also offered to just do little stiches on their eyes to open them a bit...its not a full surgery and just helps while they are young. He said that this approach seems to help dogs grow out of it also. DO this while they are young...mine where too big by the time I found this vet :(
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Re: Entropion Surgery

Post by Mia »

My little Chutters needed his eyes tacked at 8 weeks, because it was too early to do entropion surgery. It really does help.
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mojosmom
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Re: Entropion Surgery

Post by mojosmom »

Mojo is one year and a month and he just had his entropian surgery. The vet said any time after one year is okay. He has come through the surgery amazingly. He's banging in to everything with his collar but he's happy as can be.
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Re: Entropion Surgery

Post by bellachow »

Bella had her eyes tacked at 8 weeks and had surgery at about 8 months. It was a little earlier than the vet wanted but after regular visits it appeared that the rolling was getting worse. It came down to the decision to risk having to do the surgery twice or risk damage to her eyes. You can guess our choice. Luckily, we didn't have that problem with Chumley.
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Re: Entropion Surgery

Post by Lou_2010 »

Awww.. Just been reading ur post's Jed had his lower eye lids done when he was 6 months old his eye op went very well the vet said it was risky doing the op as he had pyroderma (skin infection) but he had to do it as his eyes was getting damaged by the lid rubbing n scratching his eye which caused a ulcer in each eye the he was very lucky as this could of blinded him, he's been back to the vets today as the vet wanted to see him after 5 months he said he's doing ok but possibly may need a facelift as he has a lot of saggy skin on his head n round his eyes but he's going to wait another 4mths to see if he grows out of it so fingers crossed he does, so bit of advice just watch for him blinking and more importantly if his eyes look like they have a film over them take him to the vets as thats when they could be a serious problem. Regards Louise n Jed :)
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Re: Entropion Surgery

Post by jesn »

Hi I'm sorry to hijack this post like that but I'm in a similar situation. My pup was diagnosed with entropion at about 2.5months and my vet said that we should wait until about 6 months old and do the surgery together with the neuter. He did not prescribe any ointment or eye drops or even suggest tacking! I'm pretty worried now that I've read that all these things are standard in entropion treatments. All my vet said was to use a warm cloth and clean his eyes daily. Which I have been doing but all it does is get rid of the gunk and wetness that has built up from the tearing of his eyes. It really doesn't provide any relief. I've also checked with some eye specialist clinics but they are at least twice the price of my regular vet and I just don't know if its necessary... so my questions are:

1. should i wait until he's a year old for the surgery? eg. tacking etc for temporary relief or should i just go straight for the surgery? he only has it on one eye, lower eyelid.
2. is entropion something that requires eye specialist treatment or will my regular vet do?
3. will they really "grow" out of it like my breeder says he would? he's at 40lbs now and his eye isn't any better so I'm really skeptical about how much more head growth he will develop that might eliminate the eye problem...
4. if given the choice, would you go for the entropion surgery + neuter together so that he only goes under once or would you think its better to do entropion surgery with the eye specialists and then neuter with the regular vet? because the eye specialists refuse to do neuter procedures....

sorry for the barrage of questions! any help is appreciated. thanks!
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Re: Entropion Surgery

Post by Merlin »

1. should i wait until he's a year old for the surgery? eg. tacking etc for temporary relief or should i just go straight for the surgery? he only has it on one eye, lower eyelid.
Not without some kind of medication. Leaving the entropian be can cause permanent and blinding uclers/scars on the eye. Often steriods are prescribed to get you through the waiting period. and also, depending on the dog, maturity can make a difference as some dogs grow into their skin, while others grow too much skin, so that is why vets often want people to wait.

2. is entropion something that requires eye specialist treatment or will my regular vet do?
It doesn't take a specialist to do entropian surgery, however, your vet has to be comfortable and experienced in the actual procedure. Lots of other breeds of dogs get entropian. \it's not all that uncommon.

3. will they really "grow" out of it like my breeder says he would? he's at 40lbs now and his eye isn't any better so I'm really skeptical about how much more head growth he will develop that might eliminate the eye problem...
Yes, they sure can outgrow it. It is possible.

4. if given the choice, would you go for the entropion surgery + neuter together so that he only goes under once or would you think its better to do entropion surgery with the eye specialists and then neuter with the regular vet?
When we do new arrivals we have the entropian done at the same time of the sterilization. Nothing abnormal about that.
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12waltersj
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Re: Entropion Surgery

Post by 12waltersj »

My puppy is 22 weeks and 4 days and just had his entropion surgery. And I'm nervous I had it done to early. Please help
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Re: Entropion Surgery

Post by Brisco »

We went to a very highly regarded eye specialist with our Brisco when he was 6 months old and he said that he needed the surgery. We didn't think his eyes were normal but not really that bad either. We told the Vet that we were going on a 2 week vacation and would have to wait to get the operation until we got back. He basically said that if we didn't care about our dogs vision to go ahead and wait but he could go blind if we didn't cancel our plans and do it now. We felt very bullied and pushed into a quick decision that just seemed like a quick money grab for him so we got some ointment from him and went on our vacation anyway. Long story short, we gat a refill on the ointment 2 times and Brisco's eyes cleared up as he grew out of it . He never had the operation and never had another eye problem. There is no way I would ever get a puppy an entropion operation. If an 8 week old puppy has eyes that bad then the breeder should pay for what ever is required for a healthy puppy and should really reconsider their breeding program. Just my opinion on that.
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Re: Entropion Surgery

Post by Lotuschow »

We just visited a reputable breeder to check out her kennel. The pregnant female’s eye had a lot of discharge in them. When questioned, the breeder said that it is a sure sign that a dog is in heat or pregnant.
I don’t see how, but wanted to ask all of you experienced people if there is any truth to that statement.
Thank you kindly
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