Why Does My Dog Suddenly Have A Lazy Eye?

If you own a dog, you will often feel a little nervous whenever you notice even the slightest change in your dog. One of these changes you might notice is a lazy eye. But what is a lazy eye and can it even be treated?

Why Does My Dog Suddenly Have A Lazy Eye?

 

If you notice that your dog suddenly has a lazy eye, this can be a high cause of concern for you. In most cases, it’s nothing at all to worry about and can be easily solved. However, this doesn’t mean you can get away with not taking a trip to the vets.

 

How Do I Know If My Dog Has A Lazy Eye?

You will be able to tell if your dog has a lazy eye because both of their eyes will be looking in different directions at the exact same time. This is because one eye will take longer than the other to look in the direction they are trying to look in.

Is Lazy Eye A Life Threatening Disease For A Dog?

In the vast majority of cases, your dog having a lazy eye isn’t life threatening for them. After all, there are some breeds of dogs that are likely to inherit having a lazy eye and they can still live as long as other breeds. However, there may be an underlying cause, such as a tumor, that could be life threatening.

What Causes Lazy Eye In Dogs?

Inherited Genetic Issues

There are some breeds of dogs, such as Pugs and Boston Terriers, who are likely to inherit having a lazy eye. It’s in cases like this that your dog won’t need any assistance for having a lazy eye as it’s completely normal for them.

Tumors 

Tumors are one of the more serious causes behind a lazy eye. The types of tumor that are likely to cause a lazy eye in your dog includes eye tumors, brainstem tumors, and orbital tumors. The last one affects your eyeballs and can cause them to protrude outwards.

Nervous System Or Neurological Conditions

This is likely to be the reason behind your dog’s lazy eye if it has come on all of a sudden. This neurological condition is likely to affect your dog’s balance, so if you notice they have a lazy eye and are having issues with their balance, take them to the vet immediately.

Injury 

Injury can be one of the main causes behind a sudden lazy eye. These are likely to be trauma to the head or eyes and are likely to have happened either from a fall or a car accident. It can also be caused due to the zygomatic bone being fractured, which is the bone that connects the cranium and jaw bone.

Hydrocephalus 

Hydrocephalus is more likely to affect puppies and is caused by a buildup of fluid within the brain. This causes lazy eye in dogs as the excess fluid puts pressure on the eyes. Some of the breeds this is most likely to occur in includes Chihuahuas, English Bulldogs, and Toy Poodles.

Myositis 

This is the inflammation in your dog’s muscles. This can happen due to parasites, drugs, and cancer. However, the most likely cause is immune-mediated myositis, which causes the skeletal muscles become inflamed and damaged and some of these cause lazy eye syndrome.

Problems With The Inner Ear (Vestibular Diseases)

This is most likely to occur in older dogs. All dogs have a vestibular system, and this works by sensors detecting balance, so the positioning of the dog can be kept upright. If these sensors aren’t working, this can cause your dog to lose their balance.

Inflammation Of Eye Muscle

Inflammation of the eye muscle is also one of the causes of your dog developing a lazy eye. It can either be this or a previous trauma that can cause the eye muscle to have restricted mobility from scar tissue.

Abnormalities In The Retina, Optic Nerves, Optic Chiasm, Optic Tracts, Lateral Geniculate Bodies, Optic Radiations, And Visual Cortex

All of these are possible other causes behind your dog having a lazy eye and may require either surgery or therapy dependent upon the severity of the abnormality.

Do Thyroid Issues Cause A Lazy Eye? 

There is the possibility for thyroid issues to give the appearance of your dog having a lazy eye. This causes the eyes to become inflamed and bulge, which can make either one or both of the eyes look lazy. This can also lead to vision problems if the issue continues.

Do Puppies Outgrow A Lazy Eye?

It’s possible for puppies to outgrow a lazy eye. This is because it’s relatively normal for them to look a little cross-eyed as if they have a lazy eye when they are first born. However, if this is due to genetic reasons, it is unlikely that they will grow out of it.

How Long Does It Take For A Puppy’s Eyes To Straighten?

This depends on a variety of factors. If your puppy has a lazy eye, it’s quite rare that the issue will resolve itself on its own without any form of intervention. It may only require some therapy, but in the worst case scenario, they may need surgery.

Is It Abnormal For A Dog To Have A Lazy Eye?

It’s relatively abnormal for dogs to have a lazy eye. Having said this, there are some breeds, such as Pugs, who are likely to have a lazy eye due to their genetics. However, most breeds are unlikely to have a lazy eye and if this suddenly comes on, this could be serious.

Can A Grown Up Dog’s Lazy Eye Be Fixed?

If the lazy eye is caused by an underlying condition, there’s every possibility of it being fixed. As long as you take them to the vet really early on when you first notice they have a lazy eye alongside any other symptoms, to make the treatment easier.

What Happens If Lazy Eye Goes Untreated?

It’s not the issue of the lazy eye going untreated, but it will be an issue if there is an underlying condition that’s causing the lazy eye that goes untreated. It can cause damage to the eye muscles and this may lead to blindness.

Can Lazy Eye Lead To Blindness?

If your dog has a lazy eye that is not inherited and is cause by an underlying disease or illness, if this goes untreated, this could potentially lead to illness. This is why it’s important to get your dog to the vets if you notice a sudden lazy eye to avoid this from happening.

Does Lazy Eye Affect The Brain?

It’s not that a lazy eye can affect the brain, but is more that there may be something affecting the brain that then causes your dog to develop a lazy eye. This, in particular, is with vestibular issues, as these can be caused by a manner of brain conditions.

Can A Stroke Cause Lazy Eye?

A lazy eye is one of the signs that your dog is having a stroke. If you notice that your dog suddenly has one eye wandering whilst the other stays still or both eyes are focusing on different spots, you need to ring the vets immediately.

When Should I Worry About My Dog’s Lazy Eye?

You should worry about your dog having a lazy eye if it has come on all of a sudden. Some breeds of dogs, such as Pugs, will inherit a lazy eye, so it’s nothing to worry about. However, if your dog doesn’t normally have a lazy eye, this is when it might be time to worry about it.

How To Fix A Dog’s Lazy Eye?

There are a number of ways a dog’s lazy eye can be fixed. This includes exercising the eye muscle, providing treatment for the underlying cause of the lazy eye, cleaning the ears, monitoring them, surgery, therapy, or just updating their home so they are less likely to bump into things.

What Is A Natural Remedy For Lazy Eye?

One of the natural remedies for a lazy eye in your dog is to exercise their eye muscles. One of the exercises you can do with your dog is to hold your finger in front of your dog’s face and then slowly move it towards their nose. This helps strengthen their weak eye muscles.

What Should You Do About Your Dog’s Lazy Eye?

Consult Your Vet

The best thing you can possibly do when you first notice your dog has developed a lazy eye is to take them to the vet. The vet will be able to examin your dog and look for any potential causes for this lazy eye to have developed and provide them with the relevant treatment.

Surgery 

Surgery may be required if your dog isn’t responding to any of the treatments they have been given to help with the underlying cause behind the lazy eye. This may be used if your dog has hydrocephalus, otitis media-interna, or tumors.

Muscle Therapy

Muscle therapy is an easy way to solve your dog’s lazy eye problem and it’s something you can do from without having to spend any money. You can do this by getting an object or your finger, holding it in front of their face, and moving it slowly towards their nose, back again, and repeat.

Clean Your Dog’s Ears

Regularly cleaning your dog’s ears in a gentle manner can help to avoid them developing a lazy eye. This helps decrease the chances of infection. It’s also advised not to go too deep into their ears and also not to use a Q-tip as these will only push the dirt further into your dogs’ ears.

Anti Inflammatory Medication 

Anti-inflammatory medication might be given to your dog if they have a lazy eye and this is caused by some vestibular issues. This type of medication won’t work for all of the causes behind the lazy eye, however, this is certainly one of the easier treatments for a lazy eye.

Limit Exercises

Exercises can be done on your dog’s eyes if they have a lazy eye. However, these can only be done if the lazy eye is inherited or there are no underlying conditions behind the cause of this lazy eye. If you are unsure of exercises you can do, your vet can give you some recommendations.

What Is Horner’s Syndrome In Dogs?

Horner’s syndrome is a lack of nerve distribution to the eye and may also be a loss in the supply of nerves. With horner’s syndrome, it can either be a combination of a lack of nerve distribution or a loss in supply, or it can be one of the two on their own.

What Are The Signs Of Horner’s Syndrome In Dogs?

Some of the most common signs of horner’s syndrom in dogs includes drooping of the upper eyelid on the affected side, the pupil on the affected side is constricted, the eye on the affected side is sunken, and the third eyelid on the affected side may appear red and raised.

What Causes Horner’s Syndrome?

Horner’s syndrome is classified as being idiopathic, which means that it doesn’t have a known cause. However, it is known to be due to a dysfunction of the sympathetic nerves of the eyes and the surrounding facial muscles. It can be due to damage or a tumor, but the exact cause is unknown.

Does Horner’s Syndrome Affect Particular Breeds Or Dogs Of A Certain Age?

Dogs can develop horner’s syndrome at any age and it also isn’t limited to any breeds in particular. However, it is known that Golden Retrievers and Collies have a higher chance of developing it as opposed to other breeds.

How Is Horner’s Syndrome Treated?

In a lot of cases of horner’s syndrome, it just resolves itself spontaneously. However, some diagnostic tests can still be performed, such as eye and ear exams, skull and chest X-Rays, CT scans, and MRIs. Pharamacologic tests can also be included to localise the source of the problem.

What Is The Recovery Rate For Horner’s Syndrome?

The recovery rate is quite good for dogs with horner’s syndrome. As long as it isn’t due to a pathological cause, the recovery can last from several weeks to four months. This all depends on the severity of it, so the more severe it is, the longer the recovery time will be.

What Is Strabismus In Dogs?

Strabismus is essentially the medical term for having a lazy eye. This is the term your vet might use if you notice there is something wrong with your dogs eyes and take them to be looked at and it turns out to be a lazy eye.

Wheat Does Strabismus Look Like In A Dog?

Strabismus essentially looks the same way in dogs as it does in humans. If you are unsure of what this looks like, it essentially means that both eyes will be looking in different directions at the same time as one eye can’t turn fast enough to look in the right direction.

Does Strabismus Go Away?

It’s possible for strabismus to go away if it is not inherited. If strabismus isn’t inherited, it’s likely caused by an underlying condition, with strabismus being one of the symptoms of it. If you want to get rid of the strabismus, taking them to the vets is the best way to do so.

Is Strabismus The Same As Lazy Eye?

Strabismus is another word for lazy eye. This essentially means that it is the exact same condition, but is just another word your vet might use when diagnosing your dog with a lazy eye.

At What Age Does Strabismus Develop?

Strabismus can develop in dogs of any age. If it is genetically inherited, this will likely develop from birth. Alternatively, if your dog has a lazy eye as a result of an injury or disease, it is likely that this will occur later on in life.

Is Strabismus A Brain Disorder?

Strabismus isn’t a brain disorder, however, it can be caused by various issues with the brain. This could be water on the brain, diseases on the center of the brain, or cancer of the brain.

Strabismus In Older Dogs

Strabismus in older dogs is likely due to there being something wrong with their vestibular system. This is a system that is within your dogs’ inner ears and helps with their balance. If this system is off, it can cause strabismus plus a lack of balance in your dog.

Eye Exercises For Strabismus In Dogs

There are multiple eye exercises you can do with your dog if they have strabismus. If you are unsure of what exercises to do with your dog, your vet will be able to give you some recommendations. One is to hold your finger in front of them and move it closer towards their nose.

What Causes Strabismus In Dogs?

There are multiple causes of strabismus in dogs. It’s important the cause is figured out sooner rather than later so that the appropriate treatment can be given. Causes can be conditions such as it being inherited, vestibular system problems, an injury, or a tumour.

How Is Strabismus Treated?

There are multiple ways strabismus can be treated. This includes doing eye exercises with your dog, providing them with a treatment that is suitable for the underlying cause behind the lazy eye, therapy, surgery, cleaning their ears, and closely monitoring them.

 

References

https://www.petmd.com/dog/general-health/evr_dg_eye_problems_in_dogs

https://wagwalking.com/condition/strabismus