the reason I am doing the meds so much is because at her last visit she still wasnt at the tear production level where she should be . He will reduce her drops once she is there . What meds are you using for Mason ? He might change Layla from Optimunne to Tacrolimus .


Roxanne & Layla

Thanks !!

She is on Optimunne and has been since the beginning . Her vet opthamologist called me yesterday and did mention that he may switch her to Tacrolimus. Her appt is on the 17th . He also said that on her prior visits there were no eyelashes to worry about but that he definitely wants to check for that also when she comes in . He does look with all of the correct equipment as he is a eye specialist and does nothing but eyes in his practice. He did put her on the neo/poly/vac ointment on her last visit but I stopped it on my own because for some reason I thought I was only supposed to do that for a couple of weeks ? But maybe I misunderstood and should still be using it . I do wait at least 30 minutes between drops and ointments . Usually I do something different every hour or so . I know that I dont need to wait that long in between but it gives her eye more lubrication in between . I will try the compresses

My main question was wondering if when you get to the right level of tear production with the right combo of meds ..... will the eye be normal ?

thanks again , you guys are great !


Roxanne & Layla

Mason has dry eye in both eyes and eye surgery in one. Well you ever have a normal , non squinty non red eye??? NO

The drops and gel is to keep the eye from getting worse and an ulcer forming. If you dont have that then your great. The eye will never be as good as new but the important thing is that the dog can see and is not itchy or in pain because of his/her eyes.

In my opinion your over killing the drops. Mason gets a drop in each eye twice a day and gel twice a day, thats it. and he tears like a champ. His eyes without the meds tear almost nothing. A normal eye tears at 15. Mason's one eye doesn't tear at all and the other tears at 2. After medication (surgery was in August) his eyes are great now and tear higher than 15. He to is a lifer for eye medication.

Good luck with it. You a lucky one that didn`t have to have the costly surgery. Anything I can help with, please let me know. I am glad to help.

my 2 year old bulldog has dry eye from her cherry eye surg. i have her on vision mediated drops 2x a day and when it is really dry and red a use this antibotic that i get at the feed store and the eye clears up so as far as your ? it will clear up but you have to just stay on top of it.

When we first started using Tacrolimus, we used the oil. I wasted a lot of it trying to get it into Bella's eyes. I found the drops to be easier to apply and I ended up using less.

a eye specialist , not just a regular vet . I wish her appt was sooner than the 17th She's not squinting all the time , so I dont think its a scratch or ulcer . I have had dogs with that and know what that looks like ! Maybe its the hairs .


Roxanne & Layla

it the eye is being properly lubricated then their should be no squintitng....their should be no irraery daytion going on....and unless your vet really deals with eyes on a reg basis...those nasty little hairs are a pain....and you cant always see them with the naked eye....
plus their could be a scratch or small ulcer going on...and this is casuing the problems your seeing....dogs with dry eye do have ulcer problems....more often...
untill your appt i would alternate between hot and cold packing.....hot packing helps loosen te boogies...and cold packing brings down any swelling....

I've used both cyclosporine and tacrolimus...the latter one most recently for dry-eye and one product worked best for one dog while the other one responded better to the second medication. With all I did also supplement with some lubricant, using either artificial tears or a (tube) lubrication ointment which seems to work best at night because it dissolves more slowly, but that probably temporary blurriness would be annoying during the daytime (and might make dog want to rub the eye). I too had some redness with my late Dale and would put some combo antibiotic/steroid medication in her eye 1-2x day, like others here who have used Neo-Poly-Bac or Neo-Poly-Dex. Otis did better on the tacrolimus! This is not a double dose of medication as its treating a separate condition than those meds to increase tear production...I would just suggest that you wait at least 5-10 mins apart to dose so the eye structure can have time to absorb the first med before you add more.

One part of the eye that emits oils (one of the components of tears)is the eyelids near the eyelash outgrowth and if you can do warm (not hot, but definitely warm) compresses for few minutes over the closed lids, that may encourage more oil secretion from those tiny spots.

I agree with the others who have suggested that you get the ophthalmologist to examine the eyelids for distichia (using the ophthalmoscope, not just the naked eye).

Are you giving any type of fish oil supplement to this dog? That is reportedly a boost to the system in overall oil production of the eye structures (within the eye as well as the lids)...as well as being a good source of Omega 3 for overall good nutrition.

Lastly, I'd try to find out what type of oil the tacrolimus has been diluted with. In the case of cyclosporine, you are probably using Optimune which is produced by a pharmaceutical company under presumably sterile conditions. Often the tacrolimus is made up to order either by a vet office or a local pharmacy, in either case its possible that the oil used does not agree with the dog (food allergy-related) or it has become rancid from improper storage; these products should be stored in a cool, dry, away-from-sunlight spot (like inside a cupboard away from the stove). Review how you are handling your meds.

I just made her appy and the soonest I could get is the 17th . I will definitely mention lashes again . I know he checks for that . But I know something aint right


Roxanne & Layla

all three of mine that had dry eye never squinted....did he check to make sure no extra eye lashes??? or entropian??? i bet their are lashes under the upper eye he is not seeing....
i also had better luck with cod liver oil in the eye...one drop several times a day...it seemed to keep the eyes moist longer....

I forgot about Bella thx for the info ! I hope we both get it fixed ! Layla doesnt have any cornea trauma or vision loss thank god !


Roxanne & Layla

will the eye ever not squint or look red with the correct meds ? If your dog has dry eye and is on meds ...... is there eye wide open and fine ?


Roxanne & Layla

She has dry eye that was untreated for probably years and so she has a lot of damage to her corneas and some vision loss. I use cyclosporin or Tacrolimus twice a day, neo poly bac once or twice a day, eye lube and eye wash as needed. Her eyes do look really red at times and at times they look almost normal. Her eyes itch a lot because they are healng and I will catch her rubbing her face some times too.

I had one who had dry eyes. He was first diagnosed with a scratch on his eye that the regular vet couldn't clear up.He did squint a bit with that. The Opthamoligist had us treat the scratch/ulcer with two medicines(drops)plus the dry eye drops. Then we kept up with the dry eye meds as his scratched eye healed. His tear production increased and we were able to cut back on his eye drops to every other day. The squinting went away.

who has dry eye ....Trace ? Does his eye look normal now ? what is your eye med regimen( how many x's a day and which drugs )


Roxanne & Layla

I'm dealing with it for the first time myself. My Ophthamologist recommends Tacrolimus instead of cyclosporin. He also prescribed neo poly bac drops and that really helps with the redness. We also use a surgical eye lube as needed. You may want to have her lashes checked and make sure none are rubbing against her eyes.

the dog does not squint though. write me if you have any questions.

surgical drops your using but i find the cod liver oil stays longer and keeps the eye from drying out....i use a brand called full cirlcle i buy at the grocery store....i puncture the soft gel and put one drop in...if more gets in its not big deal...
i dont use an antibotic cream its a waste since mine dont have any infections to treat....
i have been really happy just using the cod liver....

What brand do you use, how often and do you use anything else like cyclosporin for the eye? This is my first time dealing with dry eye so I am interested in other ways to help Bella.