If we welcome a pet in our home we must be aware that our responsibility as guardians is to ensure that it enjoys a complete state of he alth and well-being, but for this it is very important that its body can perform their duties properly. For example, did you know that smell is the last sense to deteriorate in the dog? Undoubtedly, smell is essential for the dog to properly relate to the environment, but this does not diminish the importance of other senses such as sight.
Surely you have heard someone say that "my dog is cross-eyed" more than once, and in this AnimalWised article we talk about strabismus in dogs, its causes and treatment, a disorder that affects your pet's vision and that a large part of the population recognizes as a cross-eyed dog.
What is strabismus?
There are very few diseases that are exclusive to humans, therefore strabismus is one of those pathologies that we can not only observe in ourselves, but also strabismus in dogs.
Strabismus is defined as a coordination disorder of the eyeball and is characterized by the fact that the eyes do not turn towards the eyeball simultaneously objective. It should be noted that, although it is a disorder, this ocular trait that is characterized as a "cross-eyed dog" is expressly sought in some breeds of dogs and cats, there are even human cultures that also seek it.
Types of strabismus in dogs
Why is my dog's eye bulging? Speaking colloquially and as the majority of the population thinks, cross-eyed dogs, or dogs with canine strabismus can suffer from different types:
- Divergent strabismus: the eyes deviate outwards.
- Convergent strabismus: the eyes turn inward.
- Backstrabismus: the eyes deviate upwards. If until now you were wondering why my dog's eyes roll back, now you have the answer.
- Ventral strabismus: the eyes deviate downward.
In the case of convergent and divergent strabismus both eyes are affected, however, in the case of dorsal or ventral strabismus, a single globe may be affected eyepiece or both.
Causes of strabismus in dogs
Now that we know the types of strabismus in dogs, we can mainly distinguish two causes responsible for said canine strabismus. These are:
- Congenital causes: in this case the dog is born with the disorder due to an alteration produced in the extraocular muscles, the pug is a breed predisposed to congenital strabismus.
- Acquired Causes: Strabismus occurs throughout the dog's life. In this case, the strabismus may be due to trauma, tumors, nerve diseases that affect the extraocular muscles, or disorders of the vestibular system.
Now that you know why dogs roll their eyes, let's see what are the symptoms of strabismus in dogs.
Symptoms of strabismus in dogs
The symptoms of strabismus in dogs are few, but the main one that we can observe in a dog with strabismus is that when you look at the eyes they are not directed in the same direction, therefore, it is an easily perceptible pathology.
Sometimes and when strabismus is caused by another disease, we can also observe:
- Lethargy
- Weakness
- Difficulty moving around
- Decreased appetite
Now that you know the symptoms of canine strabismus, you no longer have to wonder "why does my dog roll his eyes up?" Once we have seen this section, next we will learn how to diagnose strabismus in dogs.
Diagnosis of strabismus in dogs
As we mentioned in the previous section, the symptoms of strabismus are few but evident. The most prominent of them is when we see that our dog cannot direct both eyes towards a specific point. In this way, when we can recognize that our dog's view is not direct
Even so, we will have to be attentive to the physical state of our dog, since if the canine strabismus is caused by another secondary pathology, we will not only see this symptom in him.
Strabismus treatment in dogs
How to cure strabismus in dogs? To know the type of treatment for strabismus in dogs that we need, we first have to know if it is due to another pathology. In addition, it is worth mentioning that canine strabismus does not harm or complicate the life of our furry friend.
Even so, we can say that:
- When strabismus is the secondary cause of another disease: treatment should focus on eliminating that underlying alteration, in the remaining cases not no type of treatment is usually needed because the patient can lead a completely normal life.
- When the visual disturbancel is severe or when the strabismus has been acquired: the best option will be to perform a surgical intervention.
Now that you know what strabismus in dogs consists of, we leave you this other article on our site about Eye Diseases in Dogs.
