Eye Problems In Samoyeds

It’s said that eyes are the window to the soul. So it can be pretty disturbing if something is wrong with your Samoyed eyes.

If you are not a vet, it’s rather hard to determine if the problem your dog is facing is serious and potentially dangerous or it’s easy to fix (like small irritation).

Samoyed dogs are more prone to some eye problems due to their long coats and genes. It’s not uncommon to inherit eye issues such as Primary Glaucoma or Retinal Dysplasia.

They can also suffer from a variety of eye diseases caused by underlying issues such as diabetes, liver problems, and auto-immune illnesses. The aging process may also bring problems such as Cataract or Nuclear Sclerosis to your Samoyed but eye irritations can appear due to some minor injury or allergy as well.

Why Are The Most Common Eye Problems in Samoyed?

Samoyed dogs are pretty healthy animals. Like any other creature on earth, they have some health issues sometimes. Eye problems in Samoyed are rather serious, although not very common, which is good. Here you will find several eye issues Samoyed dogs are prone to.

Of course, there are other issues such as Cataracts or Tumors that can happen to any breed. Certain eye problems are related to the aging process and will affect any dog, no matter it’s Samoyed or some other breed.

Glaucoma in Samoyed

There is primary and secondary glaucoma. Samoyed dogs are prone to the first one. It’s a hereditary disease, that can affect one or both eyes.

The drainage system of the eye seems to be blocked so the fluid starts to build up inside the eyeball, making great pressure on the eye itself which can damage the optic nerve and retina.

In the case of Primary Glaucoma – the physical shape of the eye make it impossible for the fluid content to keep the normal balance while secondary glaucoma comes as a result of other condition or disease.

The most common symptoms are

  • excessive tearing
  • sensitivity to light
  • redness
  • eye blinking
  • bulging eye
  • watery eyes

This condition is very painful. Your Sammy cannot tell you but as the same disease affects humans as well, many people described how they have felt. It seems like ice pick ( or some other sharp thing ) is stabbing you right in the eye!

The type of treatment depends on early diagnosis. It can go from medications that should lower the pressure within the eye to the procedure of placing the implants which should help in draining the fluid from the eyeball but can also include surgery in which the vet will remove the entire eyeball replacing it with the prosthetic one.

As this condition is very painful, no matter what kind of treatment your Sammy gets, it will also include pain medications.

Consider Glaucoma as an emergency as this health problem may lead to blindness if left untreated. Sometimes it’s hard to detect the illness but if you notice any listed signs do rush to the vet.

Even if your Sammy lose their vision in one eye, don’t worry, dogs usually handle this situation pretty well. In any case, they rely on their senses of smell and hearing much more than we do so even if they cannot see very well, it won’t be a tragedy.

Of course, if you can prevent blindness in you Sammy, even a partial one, it would be great.

Distichiasis in Samoyed

According to the Samoyed Club of America, Distichiasis has been reported in 5.8% of the over 22,500 Samoyeds examined by American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (2015) in the years between 1991 and 2014

This problem occurs when extra eyelashes start to grow from the ducts within the eyelid that usually don’t produce any hairs. While in some cases this extra hair won’t make any problem, in some will cause cornea irritation.

Affected Samoyed dogs may suffer from chronic eye pain, corneal ulcers, and excessive tearing. As you may assume, this can be very uncomfortable for your Sammy.

The best way to solve this issue is to remove permanently those extra eyelashes. Do consult your vet.

Persistent Puppilary Membrane in Samoyed

This condition is seen in less than 4% of examined Samoyed dogs, according to the Samoyed Club of America. It occurs when the blood vessels that are normal for fetal puppy eyes don’t go away by 3 months of age.

Their main role is to supply nutrition to the lens of the eye in the first 6 months of fetal life.

These vessels may create sheets of tissue(instead of to disappear ), in the fluid-filled space between the iris ( the colored part of the eye ) and cornea ( the clear outer layer at the front of the eye ).

An affected puppy may have problems with vision so it’s highly recommended to take the puppy to the vet ophthalmologist so he can check it for this disorder before you adopt him.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy in Samoyed

Progressive Retinal Atrophy or PRA stands for several different illnesses in which the retina ( light-sensitive tissue that lines the back of the eye) is destroyed over time. This condition doesn’t have a cure and eventually leads to blindness.

The good thing about this is very rare. Only 1% of Samoyed have it while 2% of them are carriers. Another encouraging thing is that there is genetic screening that can be performed on breeding animals so breeders make sure they don’t breed dogs that could transmit this disorder to their offspring.

When you buy/adopt a Samoyed puppy make sure his /her parents have been tested and proven clear.

If Sammy suffers from this disease the first sign you’ll spot is night blindness. He will hesitate to walk down the dark stairs or go through the dark hallway.

As its name says, it will progress with further loss of vision and in the end, the dog will go totally blind.

Retinal Dysplasia in Samoyed

Retinal dysplasia can be seen in dogs which retina hasn’t developed normally. Since it’s present at birth, the vet ophthalmologist should check the puppy for this disorder before you take him to your home.

There is one form of Retinal Dysplasia, an inherited defect that affects front legs and eye development. Samoyed that suffers from this form of the disorder will be smaller in size with bandy -legs ( front legs) and eye problems such as cataracts, retinal dysplasia.

It’s good to know that there are genetic tests that can detect if a certain dog is a carrier of the disorder. This information is highly valuable for breeders.

There is no treatment for Retinal dysplasia. You will notice that something is wrong if your dog starts to bump into objects, if he appears to be shy and less active.

Corneal Ulcers in Samoyed

This condition comes as a result of some other eye problem such as dry eye syndrome, injury, infection, or physical abnormality.

There are two types of ulcers depend on how many layers of corneal tissues are involved. Superficial or shallow ulcers are easy to treat, especially in the case of early diagnosis. Deep ulcers are harder to treat, takes a longer time to heal and in some cases, they can even result in loss of eyesight.

They symptoms are :

  • sensitivity to light
  • redness/ inflammation
  • swelling
  • cloudy eyes
  • eye blinking
  • discharge

Indolent Corneal Ulcers is the term that describes the shallow ulcers that don’t heal properly or heal but reoccur.

This condition is characteristic for middle age or older dogs, spayed/neutered dogs.

Due to genetics Samoyed dogs are prone to Indolent Corneal Ulcers.

Shallow ulcers are usually treated with eye drops and ointments but deep ulcers need medication as well as surgery. If neither medication nor surgery gives results, the last resort is to remove the entire eyeball.

What is Pink Eye in Samoyed?

Pink or Red-eye are terms that describe Conjunctivitis – the inflammation of the inner eyelid tissue.

This condition may arise due to viral or bacterial infection, allergy, Dry eye syndrome, presence of the foreign body ( dirt or grit), injury, ulcers, tumors …

Your vet will do the full exam to determine the problem your Sammy has. He needs to test the discharge ( check if there are any bacteria there), then he will most probably check the eye pressure so he can rule out Glaucoma and he might use eye dye or stain to check if your dog has any ulcers.

The most common treatments for conjunctivitis are eye drops or creams ( anti-biotics and anti-inflammatory medications). Saline solution is also very beneficial the same as for humans, to wipe away excess tears or discharge.

Conclusion

Even though Samoyed dogs are relatively healthy canines, they are prone to some eye issues. Since almost all eye diseases have very similar signs, don’t try to determine by yourself if it’s something serious or just an infection that will pass. As soon as the first symptom occurs rush to the vet.

In the beginning, all Samoyed eye issues look like minor or mild problems but many of them may leave your Sammy blind.

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