English Bulldog Ectopic Cilia and Cryoepilation

Baxter Tiberius

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Apr 16, 2015
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baxter
Hi all -

So for the last year of baxters 2 years, he has had what I assumed was just a cute bully "squint". I noticed his right eye was always a little more closed, but everyone jokes that he's trying to look "smooth" in pictures :). I always thought he was just doing a "squishy face" squint that comes with all those rolls.

I noticed recently however that he was getting a lot more discharge out of that one eye, and when it caught the light at the park, it was glazed over with a white fog. Previously, vets (who do what doctors always do) just threw antibiotics at it, and assumed it was an infection. However doctors are never trained in finding the root cause of anything. So we went months thinking he just had some random eye infection, rather than exploring what truly was causing it.

Today I did what I do with my own health. I bypassed the pointless vets and went to an eye specialist. And it paid off.

After a thorough examination, they discovered that baxter has something called Ectopic Cilia. This is hairs that grow out of the glands around the eyelids and point inwards. This means Baxter has literally had something scraping his eyeball for over a year, and has been in extreme discomfort the entire time. Every time he blinks. Every day. All day. :( Upon hearing this I was absolutely crushed. I cant imagine having something stuck in your *EYE* every minute of every day for a *YEAR* :ashamed:

Apparently this is pretty common. He is scheduled for a surgery called "Cryoepilation". They freeze the follicle with liquid nitrogen and remove the hair. This prevents regrowth. She said all the infections would ultimately lead to ulcers and eventually blindness. See how doctors just treat symptoms and never bother trying to find the cause, and how that results in months/years of unnecessary discomfort? Glad I went to the specialist.

His surgery is on Friday, and we are finally going to neuter him that day as well. Here in San Diego hes literally not allowed anywhere public unless he's neutered. No dog parks. No dog beach. No doggy daycares. No interaction with other dogs at all. So we are stuck. But he's had prostate issues and he's well past 2 years now so I guess its okay.

I guess the bottom line is, if you notice clear discharge, a squinty red eye, and DEFINITELY if you notice fogging over of the eye - dont bother going to the vet. Google "dog eye specialists" with your city name, and bring your pup there. It may be this, and dear lord ... anyone who's had eye problems knows how horrible it is just to even function.

IMAGE_313.jpg
 

bullmama

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Poor Baxter! I feel bad for you as it seems you had some bad vets, my vet never prescribed antibiotics for eye problems. He also does a yellow dye test which would show distachia easily as I had a pup with that once.

Glad he is finally on the mend, and hopefully the hair is gone for good. However you should have his lids checked regularly to make sure he doesn't grow any others.



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brutus77

Skinny-Dippin' Smokin' Tidy Bowl Bionic Woman
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Prayers for Baxter! Feel better soon buddy.
 

TyTysmom

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Poor Baxter - happy you found the cause, and its getting corrected. He will feel so much better afterwards! Prayers for everything to go smoothly & perfectly!
 

2hillkids

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Love the Picture!! Glad Baxter is going to get some comfort. What a relief that must be to actually find the cause. Prayers sent your way for a speedy recovery.
 

ddnene

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Walter has this, and he is having his second round of surgery tomorrow. My vet is doing the surgery, and my vet is the one who did the dyes in her office… my other bully Winston died at an eye specialists clinic. You have to be careful with speciality clinics and make sure that have protocol in place in case of an emergency. Unfortunately the clinic that Winston had his surgery was NOT prepared to handle a true breathing emergency. This is why it is imperative to find a GOOD bully vet for our babies, when accidents and emergencies happen you need a vet that is familiar w/the particular needs of bulldogs.
 

Manydogs

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Best Wishes for Baxter.
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
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Baxter you handsome devil..... best of luck -- feel better soon, prayers all goes well. Please let us know how he makes out after surgery.
 
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Baxter Tiberius

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baxter
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[MENTION=12554]harveyspecter[/MENTION]

Went to this one: VCA Eye Clinic for Animals - Veterinarians - Kearny Mesa - San Diego, CA - Reviews - Photos - Yelp

They said they see english / french etc bulldogs on a nonstop basis because of all the eye issues. In fact when I was there for a grand total of an hour, the other 6 dogs in the waiting room were:

1) French Bulldog
2) Pug
3) English Bulldog
4) French Bulldog
5) Boston Terrier
6) French Bulldog

So im hopeful they're familiar with breathing emergencies.

Its pretty rare for any company to have 4.5 stars on Yelp in San Diego. Yelp is brutal here.
 

harveyspecter

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@harveyspecter

Went to this one: VCA Eye Clinic for Animals - Veterinarians - Kearny Mesa - San Diego, CA - Reviews - Photos - Yelp

They said they see english / french etc bulldogs on a nonstop basis because of all the eye issues. In fact when I was there for a grand total of an hour, the other 6 dogs in the waiting room were:

1) French Bulldog
2) Pug
3) English Bulldog
4) French Bulldog
5) Boston Terrier
6) French Bulldog

So im hopeful they're familiar with breathing emergencies.

Its pretty rare for any company to have 4.5 stars on Yelp in San Diego. Yelp is brutal here.

thx.
 

Mom of Tucker

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Baxter is beautiful! I'm sure your heart broke when you found out the poor boy has been dealing with this for a year and he couldn't tell you. I'm glad you have it figured out. Good luck with the surgery. Thank you for sharing.
 

g8erjackie

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Wow. Great decision to see the specialist. You're a good bully mom. Wishing Baxter a speedy recovery and a lot less eye irritation!
 

My Otis

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Baxter You are Beautiful, you will feel so much better, no more eye problem after your surgery. Positive Thoughts are coming your way Sweetie.
 

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