How Common is Glaucoma in Dogs?

How Common is Glaucoma in Dogs?
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Sara_Le]Sara Le

Although glaucoma in dogs is a serous illness, it is fortunately not terribly common. On occasion you may meet someone who has a pet dog, and they will tell you that the dog, which appears otherwise quite normal, is blind. Unless the blindness is the result of an accident, chances are the underlying cause is glaucoma. Since most dogs you will see are not blind, it is obvious that only a small percentage are affected by glaucoma.

The truth is, dogs can contract glaucoma just as humans can. Cats, for some reason, rarely get the disease. As in humans, glaucoma can result from genetic defects, and indeed glaucoma in dogs has a tendency to affect some breeds much more than others. Glaucoma which is the result of genetics, or otherwise inherited, is referred to as primary glaucoma. When glaucoma results from another eye disease, such as eye cancer, cataracts, or eye inflammation, it is called secondary glaucoma.

The front part eye, in both the human and the dog, is filled with a fluid called the aqueous humor. This fluid, which is totally transparent, is continuously being produced, and at the same time is being drained from the eye by canals, such that a constant pressure is maintained. Glaucoma is the condition where for some reason, usually blockage of the drainage canals, adequate fluid is not being drained away, and the pressure inside the eye begins to increase. If not treated, this pressure will have an adverse effect on the retina and the optic nerve, and can quickly lead to blindness.

Dogs who contract glaucoma often get it on one eye first. Even when blindness occurs in that eye, we seldom take notice, as the dog is able to adjust and get along with vision in one eye only. The internal pressure, called the intraocular pressure, can often become twice that experienced by a human with the disease, and may cause the dog some pain. Unfortunately, our pet dogs have no way of telling us that they have lost sight in an eye, or that they are experiencing pain in one or both eyes.

When glaucoma in dogs is detected, it is more difficult to treat than is the case with humans. Dogs of course will not take medications such as eye drops on their own, and while surgery to open a drainage canal seems to be an obvious solution, keeping the canal open is not always so simple. The approach to treatment in dogs therefore is usually to attempt to find some way to decrease the eye's fluid production. This approach is usually only temporary, especially on the case of primary, or genetically induced, glaucoma. Eventually surgery will be necessary to treat the affected eye or eyes. Lifetime treatment is usually required to prevent a recurrence of glaucoma and even so, about one-third of dogs having had the surgery will have to undergo surgery at least one additional time.

Glaucoma in dogs, while difficult to treat, is also more difficult to detect than is the case with humans. It is a fortunate this disease is a seldom thing and is unlikely to affect most pets.

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