09/05/2026
I wanted to share some valuable info to my fellow dog owners. This week my 121/2 year old border terrier had acute glaucoma.
This is a Veterinary emergency and time is of the essence. Glaucoma makes the pressure rise in the eye and this can damage the optic nerve and retina quite quickly resulting in loss of sight and considerable pain.
My Dexter experienced an acute onset Friday morning and went down hill very quickly.
I cannot praise Catley Cross vets enough for their prompt action and getting Dex a same day appointment with the ophthalmologists at Debenham vets.
They acted fast to reduce his pressure which was in the upper range with medications and a procedure under sedation to remove the eye fluid to bring the pressure down. He has been diagnosed with Primary Glaucoma ( most likely hereditary ) and it has been confirmed that his drainage systems in the eye are very poor.
He has lost some vision sadly but if we had have sat on this it would have been a different story. It’s early days and we are hoping his pressure will be well controlled by the drops and hold this at bay. There is no cure for this and ultimately it can lead to having to have the eye removed to relieve pain.
I’m sharing his symptoms so you can be mindful and aware if what to look out for - although these may be due to something entirely different.
We was very restless, wandering around and unable to settle, finding it difficult to tolerate lying down, squinting to protect his eye, eating loads of grass, excessive licking and cleaning his face. Strangely he had an episode two weeks prior and it resolved by morning and at the vets they just gave him some mild eye drops. Pressures can peak and drop so a pressure reading may well have been normal but it’s always worth asking for pressures to be checked for any eye ailment on vets visits, although in Dexters case it may well have been normal on that occasion.
Measuring eye pressures is indicative of glaucoma. Most vets will have a device for doing this. Dexter measured 69 on his affected eye ( normal range 10-25) anything over 50 there is a risk if rapid vision loss.
Dexters pressure went down to 5 after fluid was removed from his eye as a prophylactic measure to preserve his retina an optic nerve. He will be on long term eye drops 4 times a day and is uncertain how long these will be effective before more invasive procedures.
We live in hope that they will keep him going with reasonable sight as long as possible.
This is not a replacement for eye drops or any vets advice but my research has led me to look at anything else that can support Dexter. They have suggested omega 3s , low inflammation foods and trying to keep your dogs calm and avoid too much excitement and stress which can raise blood pressure and intra ocular stress. We will be introducing an eye supplement and making some tweaks to his diet with more anti inflammatory foods such as pumpkin, kale , courgette , broccoli, blueberries and other fruits. A few pounds weight loss also would be of benefit.
So my message to you is keep vigilant and if you notice that your dog is doing any of the behaviours Dexter did - act fast and don’t hesitate. Damage to the eye can happen very fast and be very debilitating and painful to your dog.
You can see my boy in the pictures below.
