Distichiasis

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Ania

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Do any of you have any experience with this? It is eyelashes that are growing on her inside eyelid, irritating her eye. Maia has this in her right eye. Her eye will water and become irritated. There is no infection, but her eye will water so much that she looks awful, and will keep her eye half closed. Any advice? From what I've read, the treatments are: to pluck (ouch!!! and good luck getting close to her eye with tweezers as she does not even like me looking at it), surgery or to freeze the follicles, both of which are very $$. Any other treatment options that you know of that could work? I'm going to the vet today with Chinook, so will also ask about this.
 
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Ouch! I could not see plucking. But to help him I know Terramycin will certainly help. Your vet may give you a tube of it. It is available at any good pet supply or farm supply.I have it here as part of our pet first aid kit.
 
I'm sure that this is not what you want to hear, but I would pay the money and get it done - if the vet tells you that it won't fall out on its own eventually.

You all know what it's like to have an eyelash fall in your eye! It's enough to drive you bonkers. I can't imagine what Maia is going through. Poor baby!
 
Darn that looks like it could really hurt.Has she always been this way? Or is it something that has just come about.

Years ago living in NY,I had a sharpei/rottie mix,He really favored the sharpei as far as face wrinkles,but over his left eye,he had so many wrinlkes that his eye could not open fully,and the lashes were growing inwards,because of the profuse wrinkles.So he underwent a bit of eye cosmetic surgery.The vet,did a small incision in his eye lid,and did a tuck to bring the eye lid tighter,thus opening his eye wider.Worked like a charm.And he was definately more comfortable.
 
Ania

Unfortunately I believe the only permanent cure for this is the surgical procedure. It's more expensive put the only real fix. Please keep us updated on poor Maia.:cry: This is very irritating to their eye and can scratch their cornea from the dog getting irritated from the eye lashes rubbing against the eye.:eek2:
 
Another surgical procedure is electroepilation, where instead of cutting the follicles out, they electro-shock them to kill them. Also, there are lubricant you can put on the eye to make it less painful. That was for a person, though. He ended up plucking it a few times and it stopped growing back. You have several cycles of hair growth and I assume Shelties are the same. That means it will likely come back within 2 months. Also, the surgeries sometimes have to be repeated to be effective. I'm sorry your baby has to go through this!
 
Well the vet said she has them in both eyes! The left eye only has one that we saw on her upper lid, the right eye has many on both upper and lower lids. The upper ones are the ones causing all the problems. He said that he uses a laser to kill the follicles. She will have to be put under for the procedure. As to the cost, that depends on how many they have to do and how long it will take. I am going to call another vet tomorrow and see how much it would cost there. And then I will have to schedule the procedure. I cannot let her be irritated by it, and I don't want to leave it just in case it does scratch her cornea. Poor girl.
 
I'm so sorry to hear about Maia. I believe though that laser surgery is less invasive and usually less expensive than other avenues. At least I hope that's the case for yours and Maia's sake. I can't imagine plucking...ouch. Please keep us posted and good luck!
 
ow, sounds painful. Poor girl, it must be driving her nuts, i just imagine an eyelash in my eye all the time. I wonder how long it takes for an eyelash to fall out naturally, or will it grow back?
 
Owww, this sounds miserable for Maia, but at least you have a permanent solution, even if it's expen$ive.
 
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