Eye Care of Chinese Shar-Pei

In past years, eye problems in the Chinese Shar-Pei were much more common than they are today. With careful breeding of those animals with no eye problems, some of the hereditary problems such as entropion are becoming much less prevalent. However, it is still important to be aware of the conditions that can occur in your dog’s eyes.

Watch for excess tearing or any matter exuding from your dog’s eyes. This can occur during pollen season and is usually transitory, but it can be an early symptom of entropion, which is a weakness of the eye muscles that allows the eyelids to turn inward, causing the eyelashes to rub against the cornea. This eventually causes corneal scratching and if not corrected can cause corneal ulcers and even blindness.
To alleviate the abrasion of the cornea temporarily, an over-the-counter ointment used by contact lens wearers may be used in the dog’s eyes. This simply sets up a barrier to help protect the eyes until you can see a veterinarian. If there is a minor infection present, your veterinarian may want to prescribe a triple antibiotic ointment. To administer ointment or drops, hold the dog firmly, pull the eyelid down, and drop the solution in behind the eyelid. This should be done quickly and firmly.
This may be all that is needed, but if entropion occurs during the puppy stage (up to eight months of age), the usual recommended treatment is eye-tacking. The veterinarian will anesthetize the dog, evert the lids and tack them open with sutures. This allows the eye to heal and, hopefully, return to normal. The tissues of the eyelids are very tender, and you must watch for eye tacks that may pull out after a few days or sutures that are turning into the cornea. Veterinary ophthalmologists recommend using silk for sutures, but some veterinarians use stiff plastic material, which if trimmed too short can turn into the eye and rupture the cornea. This will cause blindness, and the eye may have to be removed. The sutures are removed after ten days to two weeks.
As the puppy’s face develops, the need for eyetacking may not be necessary. If after repeated eyetackings, however, the eyelids continue to turn in, entropion surgery will be necessary. This is accomplished by the veterinarian everting the eyelid, removing an eliptical section of skin with underlying muscle to correct alignment, and suturing the incision.
While rare, adult onset of entropion can happen. Stress and weight loss can be factors leading to adult entropion. A one-time eyetacking may correct the condition, but adult cases usually require entropion surgery.
The older dog may eventually develop cataracts, a partial or total opacity (cloudiness) of the lens within the eye. While this most commonly occurs in older dogs, cataracts can occur at any age as the result of trauma to the eye, and are sometimes even present at birth. Surgery can usually correct the condition.
Source:thechinesesharpe.com