Sunday, May 29, 2011

Pet Health Insurance Veterinary eye Concerns for Pet Dogs

By Judy Phan


Owners who are considering purchasing pet health insurance for their dogs should make sure that the eye health of their dogs covered by the insurance policy. Because many insurance companies will not insure the eyes of a dog whose breed is habitually diagnosed with chronic eye problems may want to consider purchasing their puppy from a CERF (Canine Eye Registration Foundation). Breeders who are recognized by the CERF have been publicly acknowledged as breeding puppies without known health problems. In some cases insurance companies might also require that the owners have genetic screening done on the puppies before they can be insured.

Glaucoma also affect dogs. So how does one know that the dog has glaucoma? When a dog has dilated pupils that do not respond well to light, has red cloudy eyes that appears to have poor vision, these show that a dog has the subtle symptoms of glaucoma. A known veterinarian in California observed that most pet owners do not even know that their pet dogs are afflicted with glaucoma, and thus are not able to bring the dog for proper treatment. This ignorance can result to the removal of the pet's eye if the glaucoma is not treated within 24 to 24 hours. Increased pressure in the eyes cause blindness to these poor dogs.

Dogs have been known to be squinting dogs if they have developed an eye irritation that causes them to square to produce extra tears. This squinting is a result of minor irritation such as minor scratch to the cornea or an in turned eyelash. Some cases of squinting dogs led to the onset of cancer and blastomyosis.

A benign corneal neoplasm is the dermoidis which is also known as the third eyelid. The eyes can be irritated if hair grows from the dermoidis which cause discharge and can sometimes cause eye ulcers.

People or animals with cataracts can easily be identified since cataracts show opacity of the lens. An eye that is affected with cataract looks as if dark tinted contact lens are placed over the lens. The pet will likely go blind if the cataracts become too thick.

An eye condition called Entropion can easily be caught by Shair Peis, Cocker Spaniels, Labradors,and Rottweilers. An eyelid fold inward toward the eye happens when there is entropio which causes the eyelashes to brush against the cornea. A squinty drippy appearance results from the irritation of the eyelashes rubbing the cornea. Cherry Eye is the eye condition that is usually diagnosed with Bulldogs, Poodles, and Cocker Spaniels.

When a dog does not produce enough tears, a dog has the condition called dry eyes. Dog breeds like Lhasa Apso, Pugs, and Shih Tzus are prone to this condition. Dog owners should be quick and alert to send their dogs to veterinarians if they notice that their dogs exhibit squinting, tearing, pawing at the eye, cloudiness, bloody eyes, a blind eye, constantly dilated pupils, and swollen eyelids. Dog owners should understand that prevention is better than cure for the betterment of their dog's health.




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