Common Eye Problems
The doctors at Mayfair Animal Hospital regularly see animals with eye problems. Animals experience many of the same eye problems that humans do, including trauma to the eye, inflammation, infection, increased pressure in the eye, dry eye, cataracts and blindness. Signs that your pet may need to be seen for an ocular problem include redness, watery or mucous-like discharge, bulging eye, squinting, pain, blue color to the eye, or loss of vision.
Common tests to determine what type of eye problem your pet may have include visual exam of the outer eye structures, magnified exam of the fundus (back of the eye), pressure testing for glaucoma or uveitis (inflammation), measurement of tear production, and staining for corneal ulcers or scratches. Many of these problems can be managed with medication, while a few may require surgical procedures performed by our veterinarians.
Occasionally, a problem is identified that requires referral to a specialist. We are fortunate to have local veterinary ophthalmologists in Cary and at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital to assist our clients when necessary.
Common Ear Problems
Ear infections are common in dogs and occasionally seen in cats as well. Signs that your pey mayhave an ear infection include shaking the head, scratching the ears, redness or swelling of the ear, discharge from the ear, and/or an odor from the ear. To help diagnose the cause of your pet's ear problem, we get a sample of the debris within the ears and look at it under the microscope. By identifying whether yeast, different types of bacteria, and/or mites are present, we can choose a medication to treat the cause of your pet's ear infection.
Most ear infections are treated with a combination of ear cleaners, topical antibiotics, topical anti-inflammatories and topical anti-fungals. If an infection is severe and extends into the middle ear canal, it may need to be treated with oral antibiotics, anti-inflammatories or anti-fungals as well. Ear infections can be a recurrent problem in dogs with long droopy ears, or in animals with allergies.
If an ear infection is not quickly resolving with initial therapy, we may recommend a deep ear flush and/or culture and sensitivity testing. If your pet is having recurrent ear infections, we may try to determine if there is an underlying problem such as allergies or other systemic problems that can decrease immunity and make an animal more susceptible to infections.
Although treating ear infections can at times be frustrating for both the veterinarian and pet owner, most infections are easily treated with topical medications, and can even be controlled with routine ear cleaning at home.
