Boxer Boys!

These cute mugs belong to our friends Cash and Cooper M.  They are just as sweet as they are handsome!  Unfortunately for them, we got to see a lot of these boys over the last few months.  Cash came in last fall with a painful eye.  Dr. Megan looked at it and diagnosed him with a corneal ulcer.  A corneal ulcer is an injury to the outer layer of the eye ball.  These can start as a scratch or puncture wound.  Infection and inflammation can interfere with normal healing of this wound.  Cooper went home with an antibiotic ointment that had to be put in his eye multiple times each day.  This ointment helps protect the eye and also keeps it lubricated to prevent further injury while it heals. 

Cash came back a few days later for a recheck.  His ulcer was getting worse!  Cash was diagnosed with a special type of ulcer called an indolent ulcer.  This condition is so common in Boxers that it is frequently called a Boxer ulcer.  Indolent ulcers form a lip around the edge of the ulcer when they start to heal.  After the lip is formed, the ulcer will not finish healing.  Surgical removal of the lip frequently has to be performed to get this type of ulcer to heal.  Cash, his family, and the Best Friend Animal Health Center staff spent the next two months getting his ulcer to heal!  Many eye medications, recheck appointments, and a couple of surgical procedures were involved.  It was not a fun time for any of us!  His other eye got an ulcer in it a couple of months later.  It was treated very aggressively from the start and was much more cooperative healing.  Poor Cash and his poor family!

Not to be outdone, Cooper decided he was jealous of Cash and all of the attention he was stealing from the Best Friends staff.  What did he do?  He came in with an eye ulcer in March!  (We told you they were common in Boxers!)  He decided he didn’t like coming in to visit us all of the time and healed up within about a month.

We love seeing these boys, but we are hoping they can stay out of trouble for the rest of the summer!  They have been here far too much lately!

Eye problems can heal very quickly, however, they can also go downhill very quickly.  If you have concerns about your pet’s eyes, please call Best Friends Animal Health Center as soon as you notice a problem.

Please read the following article if you would like more information on eye ulcers.

https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951434