Lab with an eye problem

[buggirl19]

Friday night Rolo (2 year old lab) went out on his run to potty. He played outside for a little bit and then I let him back in. My lab pup Lua (7 months) jumped on him when he came back in. Then I noticed that one side of his face looked swollen. I looked and the right side of his face was swollen a little and his eye was bloodshot plus the pupil didn't seem to be as big as the other side. He didn't mind me pushing on his face or looking in his eye so it doesn't appear to cause him pain. So I decided to wait to see if it got better.

The swelling in his face went down by Saturday morning but his eye still looked funny. He can see out of it fine but it's still bloodshot and the pupil doesn't react to the light the same as the other one. It still reacts but the pupils are not the same on both sides. Sunday morning the same thing.

I called the vet this morning and she said that I could bring him in this afternoon. I really don't have the money to take him in since we are paying for our own wedding but I'll do what I have to do. I don't know if he hit it on a bush outside, smacked himself with a stick or toys while playing, or if Lua got him in the face when he came in.

Does anyone have any ideas what it may be? Or what the vet will do? I'm thinking it might be a scratch on his eye or something like that.

[Dena]

A dog came in to the shelter that had been hit by a car. It wasn't that bad though she had a big bump and a bloodshot eye. The vets looked at her and said she was fine. The swelling went down in a matter of hours and the bloodshot went away in 2 days.

It could have been a bug bite or a scratch or something but you should have it looked at to make sure the eye isn't ulcerated or something like that.

[Scarlette]

The first thing I thought of was that the eye is scratched. I would be concerned about the pupil not dilating. Did you tell the vet about the pupil?

[Chrisanne]

I would say its probably a scratch, but a hard bump can knock the pupil out of whack.

When I was in High school my step dad and mom were goofing around and he threw a tennis ball at her. Well, to show you what a good shot he isn't.... the ball hit our dog who was on the other side of the room square in the eye.

He had to be on anitbiotics for 10 days, he got an ointment to fix the pupil so it would properly function, and another ointment for something else. I don't quite remember that was a long time ago. LOL

I would have him checked for sure though. Fingers crossed for just a simple fix for him.

[Exotica]

I see a lot of dog injuries that sound similar, We are not allowed to give out medical advice, but I've had people tell me later they found out their dog had run into something...sounds sort of like a black eye.

[buggirl19]

Yes I told the vet about the pupil not dilating right. She just said to bring him for a look. So I will leave work a little early today and take him in. I have the money for the visit but I'm worried about the meds cost. But he's my baby so I'll find a way.

I think he hit it on something too. I hope it's something that can be cured by drops or something. He looks rather strange in our dark house. The side that's not hurt has a huge pupil and the hurt one is about half the size. Kinda like a Marilyn Manson look!

[Chrisanne]

bless his heart. I"m sure he appreciates your love and dedication though.

The enlarged pupil is probably trying to compensate for the hurt eye.

We'll be thinking of him and you.

[buggirl19]

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers. I'll update this tomorrow after I find out what it is.

[Deja]

I hope everything worked out ok at the Vet. I think you did the right thing by having him checked -

Let us know how it turned out - and what the vet said

[buggirl19]

Rolo has different sized pupils which is called anisocoria plus nerve damage to his face. Apparently it was caused by him pulling on his run cable. He pulled hard enough to cause trama to the nerves in his neck. They also said it could be a brain lesion but they think it's only a pinched nerve.

He can still see out of his eye when he is alert but when he gets sleepy his face droops on that side which covers his eye. I don't know if I just didn't notice the drooping over the weekend or what but he looked so pitiful last night. The doc gave me some ointment to keep his eye from drying out when it droops like that. He can't even close his eye all the way b/c the lower lid is hanging so far down. They said it should get better but it's possible it won't too.

I feel so guilty!!!! He outgrew the run a while ago but I was trying to make do until we move. My grandmother passed away 3 weeks ago and I was planning on buying her house. We were going to build a privacy fence around the property. So with the wedding plans, my Grandma, loan approval for her house, car problems, and now my Rolo, I can't believe that I'm still pulling thru. This is quite possibly the most stressful time of my life. Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers. We need all the help from above we can get.

[Chrisanne]

Oh I am so sorry!! You and Rolo will be in our thoughts and prayers for sure.

We are here for you to lean on if you need us.

[buggirl19]

Thanks to everyone for prayers and good vibes!

Rolo is getting better! His face has stopped drooping and I don't have to put that yucky ointment in his eye anymore. He didn't really like that much at all. He turned into a squirmy worm all of a sudden. I would lie him on his side and kinda hold him down with my body weight. And then try to put the ointment in his eye before he flipped over on his back. We rolled around the living room a few times!

His pupils still do not react the same so he's not out of the woods yet. But the improvement gives me hope.

I now go outside with him when he goes potty to make sure he doesn't pull on his run too hard (like when a cat walks through the neighbors yard). We should be in our new house in about a month and we are building a privacy fence around the entire 1.5 acre backyard. Then both dogs can run to their hearts content.