Scratched Cornea + Infection!

[Momma2Bullies]

Hi Friends! I know I haven't been around for a while (we are moving AND I started a new job LOL!!!) but I hope everyone is doing well!

I want to share this with you - talk about a freak accident.

Sunday, Wilbur was being his usual goofy self, jumping and snorting at us to play with him. I keep their toys and bones in a basket(a pricey sea-grass one of course) by the kitchen island (well, I try to at least! Layla and Wilbur think it is hilarious to take each one out, one by one, and re-distribute them around the house). Anyway, as he was snorting and jumping, OF COURSE he had to precisely hit the edge of the toy basket, causing every sharp chewed end of every nylabone to fly up and hit him right in the face.

Naturally, I freaked out and screamed that he had lost his eye (I am always the model of calm and control). Well, his eye swelled shut and he was instantly terrified of the toy basket (I was already setting it on fire and basically shredding it out of existence). I was convinced that he had 25 fragments of nylabone crumbs that were slowly making their way under his eye and into his brain.

Within about half an hour, the swelling was gone but he was totally blinking like there was something in his eye... I looked 70 times and couldn't see a thing. He was acting normal so I tried to relax.

Monday, his eye seemed red and he was still blinking. I thought it was weird that it was still like that if he didn't have something in it, but I was trying not to be a lunatic.

Tuesday, I went to work obsessing over it and made a vet appt that afternoon. I felt like there was something wrong, even though my BF said to relax....

AT THE VET: Clearly an issue, she dyed his eye with a stain and then with the lights off it fluoresced under a spotlight. TOTALLY a scratch right down the centre of his poor eye, on his cornea. I guess in people, something like this will heal on its own, but with EBs, infection is imminent. In fact, Wilbur was already getting an infection. Untreated, this leads to an ulcerated eye.

I have antibiotic eye gel for him now, twice a day. We are back at the vet this aft to make sure it is healing (it is still very red, dischargey, and looks sore) or we will have to go to a more hardcore antibiotic. MY POOR BABY!!!!

Moral of the story: beware of toy baskets, and as always, TRUST YOUR GUT WHEN IT COMES TO OUR EBS!!!!!!!

Love,
Bree, Layla and Wilbur xo

 

[ddnene]

UGH I'm so sorry... Winston has gotten an eye ulcer several times, but NOT because of a freak accident!!! He needs Entropion surgery... so he keeps scratching at his eyes, we are trying to wait till he's at least a year old. It's so crazy... I hope Wilbur's eye heals us soon!!! :D

 

[brutus77]

Oh I see you handle situations with your babies like I do, Calm, Cool, and Collected!! I am serious when I say I have three children that two of them has had major surgery and the third has a benign kidney tumor. Each situation was handled with the grace of a seasoned mother. NOW when Brutus decides to lets say eat a sock or limp for no apparent reason or just be lazy for a couple of days, I am IMMEDIATELY in full blown crisis mode. I am literally a raving lunatic. I don't know what it is with these babies that turns us into crazy people, but you are not alone in you insanity. I hope Wilburs eye continues to heal and the bad basket has met with a slow painful demise.

 

[2BullyMama]

OUCH!!!

I can 100% related... i did that to myself (not a toy basket) from a tree branch - cut cornea and I had to wear a pathc for three days. Hurt like a bitch and the oitment was not easy to put in.

Good luck with the move, new job and give the kids a hugs form us

 

[Lokismom]

Poor Wilbur! Good thing you trusted your gut! I too have scratched my eye... several times... drops and drugs good to go in a few days.

 

[Vikinggirl]

Aww poor Wilbur, I hope his eye heals soon, and he feels better soon. I can totally relate with your craziness, I think we all get that way when something happens to our bullies. I also know what it feels like to scratch your eye, and the irritation and stinging that you feel. I gave myself a paper cut two years ago in my eye. I know what you're thinking, How do you get a paper cut in your eye? Lol. I work as a Dental Assistant, and I was making up instrument trays, and we put a tray cover on the trays before setting up the instruments, and I went to pull down one of the papers, I was working quickly, and I caught my eye with the edge of the paper, as the shelf where we get the paper from is at eye level. It stung so bad, and my eye was watering like crazy. I got antibiotic eye drops, and it healed. Good luck with his eye, it will heal soon.

 

[Momma2Bullies]

UPDATE: Scratched Cornea + Infection!

Hi again all,

I wanted to update you on the rollercoaster this has been. I was back at the vet on Thursday for a re-check of Wilbur's eye; two hours later I was at the emergency animal hospital in the city (Ottawa) with the opthamologist. It appears that the injury was more than a scratched cornea, it went through the cornea to the next layer (stroma) and this means eye contents can spill out (loss of the eye). Initial choices were to leave him in the hospital for 2 days while techs administered various meds every two hours, with a recheck to determine if emergency surgery (graft) would be done. I opted to take him home where I religiously administered the meds. Two different anitbiotics, lubricating eye drops, and a suspension of his own blood serum (for the antibodies) every two hours for 2 days, plus metacam daily for the pain.

At the recheck on Saturday, it hasn't improved but it hasn't worsened. The meds have been continued status quo, and I go back to the vet this afternoon (Monday).

Doing everything I can to save my baby's eye.... just wanted to share how unbelievably serious this became so quickly.

I don't even care that we are in the middle of moving; I hate that my boy is in pain and suffering like this.

 

[2BullyMama]

Re: UPDATE: Scratched Cornea + Infection!

Hi again all,

I wanted to update you on the rollercoaster this has been. I was back at the vet on Thursday for a re-check of Wilbur's eye; two hours later I was at the emergency animal hospital in the city (Ottawa) with the opthamologist. It appears that the injury was more than a scratched cornea, it went through the cornea to the next layer (stroma) and this means eye contents can spill out (loss of the eye). Initial choices were to leave him in the hospital for 2 days while techs administered various meds every two hours, with a recheck to determine if emergency surgery (graft) would be done. I opted to take him home where I religiously administered the meds. Two different anitbiotics, lubricating eye drops, and a suspension of his own blood serum (for the antibodies) every two hours for 2 days, plus metacam daily for the pain.

At the recheck on Saturday, it hasn't improved but it hasn't worsened. The meds have been continued status quo, and I go back to the vet this afternoon (Monday).

Doing everything I can to save my baby's eye.... just wanted to share how unbelievably serious this became so quickly.

I don't even care that we are in the middle of moving; I hate that my boy is in pain and suffering like this.

OMG!!! This is so incredibly scary.... so glad you got him in to the vet when you did. Prayers to you and Wilbur that all you are doing works.

 

[Texas Carol]

Oh poor Bree & Wilbur, so sorry this happened and I'm immediately
praying for his eye to heal w/no damage. Please don't blame yourself,
accidents happen to us all. I missed this thread the 1st time and glad
you updated as now I can pray...GOD bless all, please keep us informed.

 

[bullmama]

Wow how scary and how fast it turned, I am so glad you trusted your instincts and got him in when you did.

 

[brutus77]

Oh wow. I am praying for a full recovery for Wilbur. Keep up the good work you are doing with him. Not getting worse is good right? I hope there is improvement at the next visit.