Eye Trauma, Jack Bitten In the Head At Dog Park

My friend Debby was walking Jack at Albany Beach in Berkeley, CA when he was attacked out of the blue by another dog.  Jack is a Yorkshire Terrier cross, and the other dog was so much bigger that one bite caught much of Jack’s head, fracturing two bones: the zygomatic arch, which supports the eye, and the maxilla, which forms the cheek and holds the upper teeth.



Jack received immediate emergency veterinary care, but his eye was so swollen that the eyelid was sewn shut to protect the globe. Debby is concerned about Jack’s long-term prognosis.

 Jack current and potential problems are

• Pain
• Infection
• Damage to the cornea with potential corneal ulcer
• Inflammation of the eye (uveitis) with potential for swollen globe (glaucoma), chronic pain, and blindness
• Retinal damage and blindness
• Optic or ophthalmic nerve damage leading to vision problems or blindness
• Tear duct damage leading to dry eye (keratoconjunctivitis sicca)
• Difficulty chewing, anorexia, weight loss

Four equally serious problems which are easily overlooked if we focus only on Jacks damaged eye are:

• Spinal trauma affecting cranial, thoracic, and brachial nerves
• Disruption of normal pulsed flow of cerebral spinal fluid
• Anxiety with post traumatic stress manifest around dogs or dog parks
• Anxiety caused by hypervigilance of human companions

The immediate veterinary medical plan should include

• Analgesics for 3-7 days.
• Antibiotics
• Ophthalmic medications to prevent uveitis, glaucoma, corneal damage
• Chiropractic consult
• Soft, easily digested meals

 

All the following can help reduce Jack’s anxiety:

• Traumeel, a homeopathic
• Rescue Remedy or Five Fowers, Bach Flower remedies
• Adaptil, a pheromone
• Tellington TTouch jacket
• short, relaxed walks in safe settings with normally behaved dogs

Debby is likely to experience anxiety associated with this event for several reasons, not the least of which is because she is caretaking Jack for Lynn and Robin.  I don’t know why, but there is more guilt when we’re looking after a pet and it is hurt than when our own pets are hurt.
 
Debby may also experience anxiety because she did not see the attack coming. When we can’t understand why an attack occurred, we can’t calm ourselves by developing plans and taking action to prevent similar events in future. One action Debby can take is to report the incident to the Humane Society and have the dog banned from dog parks.  I know she will be calling Robin and Lynn to describe what happened and get their input on his treatment. These steps will help because talking about events, requesting advice, and taking action work to reduce anxiety.

 Another action Debby will take is to follow-up with the veterinarian. Debby can put Jack’s health problems in the veterinarian’s hands.

 

The vet will want to evaluate Jack after the initial inflammatory period using the following:

• Ophthalmic exam of retina
• Fluorescein staining of cornea for scratches or ulcers
• Intraocular pressure (IOP) for glaucoma
• Schirmer Tear Test (STT) for dry eye
• X-rays to evaluate maxilla and zygomatic arch healing
• Complete blood count for white blood cells (WBC) to confirm no systemic infection

Even with a complete, thorough evaluation, it might be weeks before it is clear whether Jack will need an enucleation. If Jack starts to rub his eye, hang his head down, stop playing with toys, we will suspect his eye is painful. A chronically painful eye should be removed because eye pain is among the worst pain a mammal can experience. Dogs do much better with one eye or no eyes than with chronic eye pain.

Because Jack is a healthy dog, Debby is blessed with both medical and spiritual wisdom, and Robin and Lynn love him dearly, the odds are in Jack’s favor. We wish them all well.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

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