I have to blast the air conditioning on long car rides. Junior needs the air blowing to keep him from panting in the car. We bundle up and freeze, so he can breathe.


I don't rescue animals because I want to feel better about myself, or morally superior to anyone. The best part of my life with animals is the humility they teach and the humanity the foster.
Jon Katz "Soul of a Dog"

Every bone in your body is screaming "NO! Don't do it!" And I agree. If his eyes are fine right now, then there is absolutely no need to do anything and your vet should not be pushing you into it. No ACE. No nothing other than simple lubricant you are using if that is working. Unless he has ulcers or infection, I would do nothing, and frankly, I wouldn't go back to that vet.

Even if you like and trust your vet, your dog is afraid of him. Bedside manner is important. If your dog is terrified of the vet, it makes it very difficult to examine him.

In a few days, put the dog in the car and just drive down the street. Park and go for a short walk and load back into the car and go home. Go a little further to a park the next day, or McDonald's drive through for a burger. The idea is to take some short trips in the car to fun places. Then go visit a new vet and only go into the waiting room for a cookie and then leave. Then go back and see if they will let you go into a waiting room and then leave. You can turn this fear around and make vet visits happy with a little time and patience.



I don't rescue animals because I want to feel better about myself, or morally superior to anyone. The best part of my life with animals is the humility they teach and the humanity the foster.
Jon Katz "Soul of a Dog"

ever since simon was hospitalized with severe pnemonia 18 months ago he has been afraid of the vet. he is also far more sensitive than any dog I have known. i will try to get him slowly used to longer car rides and maybe some friendly vet visits when he is not a patient. my vet called me again today and said the opthamologist said it was not an emergency and we could continue to watch his eyes and use the ointment at home. thank you again for the great advice

I spoke with his primary vet who is in the same office as the opthamologist. The vet's phamacist dropped off at my house last night some seatives for me to administer at home by mouth - Ace & hydrocodone/homatr. I explained all of the reasons I did not want to use ace, yet he insisted orally it is quite safe as a sedative. The bottom line question was is it worth putting him through all of this for a few small lashes?? His eyes seem great now (of course he has been getting neopolydex and cyclosporine drops for a couple of weeks). The vet seemed to think NO, it may not be worth it right now, but he will talk to the opthamologist to get his input on the severity. My instinct is to try and watch/pluck the lashes at home and hold off on any procedures that are not dire and completely necessary. The vet thought he may need his pallette re-evaluated because he is getting SO overworked and having such bad episodes but he ONLY gets worked up like then when we go to the vet or on a very long car ride.

the feelings from sedation seem to cause panic in some dogs. If you are a hands on mom who is always checking teeth, ears, nooks and crannies, you could pluck the lashes yourself. They are easy to see in good sunlight.


I don't rescue animals because I want to feel better about myself, or morally superior to anyone. The best part of my life with animals is the humility they teach and the humanity the foster.
Jon Katz "Soul of a Dog"

I've been able to do it myself. Don't want you to poke the dog's eye out though!

How about taking him in the car to someplace fun like the park for a walk or to McDonalds drive through for a burger. If you do fun trips mixed in with vet visits, it might ease his anxiety about going in the car.



I don't rescue animals because I want to feel better about myself, or morally superior to anyone. The best part of my life with animals is the humility they teach and the humanity the foster.
Jon Katz "Soul of a Dog"

For both my dogs and my cat and it definitely does help them relax, although I wouldn't think it is anywhere near as powerful as a prescription tranquilizer/stress-reliever.

Giving it to Miss Kitty though has saved a few vet techs fingers!

But, I don't understand why they want to pluck the lashes. The lashes will just grow back and you'll have to keep getting them plucked constantly. I would want them froze or lasered. It seems like a lot to put him through just to pluck them.

My girl had Distichia and it took two procedures to permanantly get rid of the lashes.

ask your vet for some valium....and then start working on getting him to car ride....their was a person on this board who lost a bulldog becasue they had to evucate and they could not calm the dog down,,,,and he died...
so this is something you really need to work on....

I don't think Stella would let me flip her eyelid over (although maybe she would) but hers have always been accessible just by pulling up or down on her upper or lower lid a bit. They are pretty easy to see, especially if they are white. In some cases, I don't even need the tweezers but run run my finger along the edge of the lid - they can be quite loose.

If he's used to having you paw at him, I'll bet you can solve this problem by yourself. If your hubby can help by holding the flashlight, even better. I have to hold it in my mouth, which means it sometimes gets kind of slobbery.

Good luck, and don't hesitate to ask me for advice if you need it. I'm mostly on the general board so you'd be more likely to find me there.

did that work? I am never sure about homeopathics, but I have heard a few good things about it. Funny you should mention ACE, I called the receptionist and left a message about ACE, I had the anesthesologist paged AND told my husband to repeat NO ACE. Funny how some insist it is perfectly safe.

n/m

I have never seen the stray lashes with a naked eye, I believe they are inside. To me it looks like he has some entropian in the outer edges of his lower lids, but the opthamologist said he did not (thankfully). I would be comfortable plucking if I could see the lashes, that is a really good idea. I nit-pick over poor Simon every day (tail, ears, wrinkles, paws, etc) he is quite used to it...and it always ends in a nice massage so he lets me do what I want for the most part

Are the eyelashes far inside or just on the outer inside lids.

I have always plucked Stella's "rogue" eyelashes myself. I wait until she is good and passed out and just pluck them with my tweezers using a flashlight to catch them all. If she gets at all annoyed or starts to move, and stop and try again later.

Maybe it's being at the vet that is so stessful to your Simon. Do you think he'd let mummy or daddy do them?

That Valium is better for relaxation and Xanax is better for anxiety. I belive the effects of Valium lasts longer than Xanax. Not all dogs are the same so what works best for one dog may not work for another. Good luck! I sure hope you can find something that works. I know how terrible eye issues are with our dogs. Morgan hasn't had any more lash problems since the second procedure. But, I am battling dry eye with two of my others.

she would stress with thunderstorms, but it may not be strong enough. Whatever else happens, do NOT let them use ACE on your guy, it can be lethal for bulldogs and smooshy nosed breeds.

Kathy, Ollie and Chester

I do wonder if they would grow back after plucking. The vet said that there were only a "few" or a "couple" of stray lashes. My other bulldog, Maybull, had hers frozen (twice as well) but she had hundreds of stubborn distichia. The vet said you never know, sometimes they do grow back and sometimes they don't. You are right, I can't keep bringing him in for plucking. I will ask about Valium, maybe it is stronger than Zanax?

We take a short car ride almost every day (5 minutes to a park) and he does great. Maybe we should do a few longer car rides every week or two. You are right, it is very serious and I can actually see how someone could lose a dog this way. Very scary. It seems to be geting worse with age, he is almost 4.