Dr. McKenzie recently attended a lecture at the Ontario Veterinary College on cat and dog eye disease. The lecture was given by Dr. Pinard, a board certified veterinary opthalmologist who works at the Ontario Veterinary College teaching hospital. She also offered some “tips and tricks” on performing various procedures involving the eyes and eyelids. She discussed proper surgical preparation for various procedures and appropriate pain management techniques before, during and after these procedures. As you can imagine, preventing our pets from rubbing their eyes is a critical part of the healing process. She discussed ways to make sure that the trusted Elizabethan collar stays in place and doesn’t get pulled off! Common surgical procedures that may be needed include correcting entropion (a rolling in of the eyelid), cherry eye (where the gland of the 3rd eyelid sticks out) and removing masses on the eyelids. Some dogs can also get corneal ulcers (scratches on the surface of the eye) that can take a long time to heal. These are called indolent ulcers. Dr. Pinard discussed several procedures to help speed the healing process along. Overall we learned a lot and thank you to Dr. Pinard for such a wonderful talk!
