Sudden onset conjunctival swelling

RE: Sudden onset conjunctival swelling

Martin Atkinson — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 09:21:21 GMT

[quote user="Stephen Courtney"]one JRT that had 3 grass seeds crammed up the same nostril. How?[/quote]I can see a good sniff on a grass plant could do that but I once got 6 grass awns out of one interdigital sinus. Considering the feeling of satisfaction one gets from retrieving one blind from a tiny hole when often its a dry run, how do we know there's not more and indeed how did I know there wasn't a seventh?!

RE: Sudden onset conjunctival swelling

Rob Loxley — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 23:01:34 GMT

[quote user="Stephen Courtney"]To be honest i think the seed season is pretty much over now[/quote]

the acute grass seed season maybe; is the chronic grass seed season ever over...?

RE: Sudden onset conjunctival swelling

Stephen Courtney — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 22:28:10 GMT

At least you looked! I've seen several grass seeds in dogs' eyes, one in a cat's eye, and one JRT that had 3 grass seeds crammed up the same nostril. How?

To be honest i think the seed season is pretty much over now, but it did seem to start late this year.

RE: Sudden onset conjunctival swelling

Catriona MacIntyre — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:38:08 GMT

I've seen one or two grass seeds and some other bits of vegetation, but thought the TICK that our locum removed from the conjunctiva of a Cavalier this summer really took the biscuit!

RE: Sudden onset conjunctival swelling

Martin Atkinson — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 18:59:31 GMT

I've never seen a grass seed in a dog's eye, lots in cats but they only go into ears and paws and occasionally other random areas of skin like the scrotum in dogs in my neck of the woods and one that tracked up a salivary duct - beat that!

If this has occurred acutely twice with the same signalment you've got to consider it is some acute irritant from the garden and dog has just stuck its had in the same place twice. Suggest the owner follows it next time and see where it goes.

RE: Sudden onset conjunctival swelling

Busybee — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 18:24:47 GMT

[quote user="Anthony Dennison"]

No grass seed! Just spent 5 minutes lifting up the 3rd eyelid and looking under it, also ran a cotton bud around the globe, nothing out.

Will see how the dog goes over the next couple of days.

[/quote]

Bugger, well at least you looked :) Other possibility for an acute onset could be a bee/wasp sting but odd that it resolved then recurred.

RE: Sudden onset conjunctival swelling

Anthony Dennison — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 16:54:22 GMT

No grass seed! Just spent 5 minutes lifting up the 3rd eyelid and looking under it, also ran a cotton bud around the globe, nothing out.

Will see how the dog goes over the next couple of days.

RE: Sudden onset conjunctival swelling

Busybee — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 15:35:14 GMT

[quote user="Anthony Dennison"]No I didn't, hadn't thought of that! Just seemed too swollen to do anything with. Would you wait until the swelling goes down or try now?[/quote]

Now! :) I use the Minims Proxymetacaine drops - 1-2 in the eye, wait a few mins (up to 10 if you can!) then I use a pair of clean/sterile fine dressing forceps to lift up the third eyelid and get a nurse to shine a light down there. I have pulled out many a grass seed from there! Also check under any other swollen tissues ie. conjunctiva and both upper and lower eyelids. If the dog won't permit you going near the eye safely with dressing forceps, try a cotton bud as has already been mentioned or just briefly sedate the dog.

I saw one that had been on-going for over a week and no-one had though to look - one inch long grass seed later and within 30mins the swelling had nearly gone.

RE: Sudden onset conjunctival swelling

Stephen Courtney — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 12:54:08 GMT

I would also use some sort of ocular lubricant and insist on an E collar to prevent any rubbing.

RE: Sudden onset conjunctival swelling

Anthony Dennison — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 12:48:39 GMT

Booked in for this afternoon when I'm back at that branch, will see what I find! Otherwise it's an ultrasound.

RE: Sudden onset conjunctival swelling

Stephen Courtney — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 12:47:15 GMT

Try now!

The longer a grass seed sits in the conjunctiva the stronger the reaction and swelling and the harder they come to find. That can lead to loss of the eye as a worst case.

Having said that there is usually some abrasion on the cornea suggestive of a possible FB.

I always use proxymetacaine and a cotton bud to try and look under the lids but the very swollen chemosis eyes don't lend themselves to this. Ultrasound of the globe is surprisingly easy and you need to try and rule out retrobulbar issues like ocular muscle myositis and neoplasia. And abscesses.

RE: Sudden onset conjunctival swelling

Anthony Dennison — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 12:38:51 GMT

No I didn't, hadn't thought of that! Just seemed too swollen to do anything with. Would you wait until the swelling goes down or try now?

RE: Sudden onset conjunctival swelling

Busybee — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 12:28:19 GMT

Did you check under the third eyelid for a grass seed?