Neapolitan Mastiff Information, Care, Eyes, Neopolitan Mastiffs

Overview - Entropion is the medical term for an eye condition in which the eyelids turn inward toward the eyeball instead of outward as they should.

When eyelids turn inward, they allow the dog's eyelashes and fur to rub against the eye causing irritation, excessive tearing and pain. Left untreated, this irritation can cause infections and painful ulcers on the surface of the eye that lead to blindness.

Causes - Entropion can be inherited or acquired. Any dog less than six months of age with entropian is usually considered to have inherited entropion. Acquired cases of entropion include eyelash abnormalities producing corneal pain, foreign bodies in the eye corneal injury, and conjunctival infections or inflammation.

Symptoms - the affected eye is partially held shut and has excessive tearing. Both eyes are usually affected simultaneously. Breed related entropion usually affects dogs under 1 year of age.

Treatment - Entropion that is caused by a temporary eye irritation can sometimes be relieved by using appropriate medication prescribed by your veterinarian. In many cases, though, entropion needs to be corrected surgically.
This surgery involves removing a small portion of the skin to tighten the eyelid.

Overview - Ectropion is the turning out (eversion) of the eyelid. Besides being unattractive, ectropion can cause irritation because it exposes the sensitive inner lining of the eyelids and eyeballs to irritants. It also allows drying of the eyeball due to increased tear evaporation. It may also prevent efficient spreading of the tears during the blink reflex.
Dogs that have ectropion must be watched carefully by their owners for possible foreign bodies in their eyes, and the dogs' eyes must be cleaned and often medicated on a regular basis.

Congenital ectropion is most commonly seen in Breeds with excessive facial skin folds including the Neapolitan Mastiff, Bloodhound, Bullmastiff, Cocker Spaniel, St Bernard, Springer Spaniel.

Causes - include inherited factors, birth defects, and injuries.
Symptoms - Clinical signs include running eyes due to tear pooling and a failure to drain away properly through the tear duct. The development of conjunctivitis with reddening of the whites of the eyes (called "red eye").
Treatment - If the ectropion is minor, simply an undesirable cosmetic affect and not causing any clinical signs no treatment is necessary.

For ectropion associated with clinical signs, there are many surgical procedures to correct the alignment of the eyelids involving plastic surgery of the skin and muscle adjacent to the eyelid margins.

Overview - Trichiasis is hair from the eyelid growing in the wrong direction and rubbing on the eye, causing irritation. Trichiasis is most common in short-nosed dogs such as the Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apso, Pekingese, Maltese, and Pug.

Causes - caused by infection, inflammation, autoimmune conditions, and trauma such as burns or eyelid injury.

Symptoms - you will likely see signs of irritation such as reddening of the conjunctiva (the inside of the lid), excessive tearing, and squinting. Your dog may paw or rub the eyes. Corneal ulceration may occur, and this will increase your dog's discomfort.
Treatment - Standard treatment involves destruction of the affected eyelashes with electrology, specialized laser, or surgery.

Cherry Eye in the dog is a picturesque term for Everted Third Eyelid. The Third Eyelid is also known as the Nictitating Membrane. It serves as added protection for the eye through an interesting ability to close upward and over the dog's eyeball. The canine is able to retract the entire eyeball backward into the eye socket, and coupled with this retraction is the Third Eyelid's ability to slide up and over the retracted globe.
On the underside of the Third Eyelid is a small gland. It secretes about 30 percent of the eye's tear production. Some surgeons prefer to preserve this gland at the time of surgery to correct Cherry Eye, with the thought in mind that if the other tear producing apparatus ever fail due to infection, trauma, or autoimmune disorders, the gland of the Third Eyelid will be of benefit to the eye. Once the tear production
of an eye fails, a chronic dryness ensues and adversely impacts the health of the eye surfaces. This "dry eye" is called Keratoconjunc-tivitis sicca (KCS).

Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) or "dry eye" describes the changes in the eye which result from lack of tear production. To understand "dry eye" it is helpful to know how tears help keep the cornea healthy. The cornea is the optically clear portion of the eye that allows entry of light into the eye. Like all living tissue, the cornea requires a supply of oxygen and energy to remain healthy. Oxygen and nutrients are supplied to most tissues by the blood that moves through the area in blood vessels. The healthy cornea has no blood vessels, if it did it wouldn't be clear, so the oxygen and nutrients are supplied through the three-layered 'tear film.'

However, when it is concerned The Neapolitan Mastiff Breed, the cherry eye should be removed and never tacked back, there are many tear recourses in the eye left to reproduce enough tears to keep an eye healthy (not "dry").

Tacking the prolapsed eye gland does not work for the Neapolitan Mastiff, it will pop up again and again until gets removed...though many veterinarians in USA will not agree to remove eye gland and will insist to do tacking (because were taught it is a malpractice). Do not tack and seek for another specialist who is experienced and will remove the gland.

Overview - Chalazion, is a cyst in the eyelid that is caused by inflammation of the meibomian gland (gland at the rim of the eyelid - responsible for the supply of an oily substance that makes the closed eyelids airtight ) usually on the upper eyelid. Chalazions are usually painless apart from the tenderness caused when they swell up. A chalazion may eventually disappear on its own after a few months, though more often than not, some treatment is necessary.
Causes - The condition is caused by obstruction of one of the ducts that drains one of the Meibomian glands.
Symptoms - Swelling on the eyelid, eyelid tenderness, sensitivity to light and increased tearing
Treatment - The primary treatment is application of warm compresses for 10 - 20 minutes at least 4 times a day. This may soften the hardened oils blocking the duct and promote drainage and healing. Topical antibiotic eye drops or ointment (eg chloramphenicol or fusidic acid) are sometimes used for the initial acute infection, but are otherwise of little value in treating a chalazion. Chalazia will often disappear without further treatment within a month or so. If they continue to enlarge or fail to settle within a few months, they may be surgically removed using local anesthesia. This is usually done from underneath the eyelid to avoid a scar on the skin. Rarely chalazia may reoccur and these will be biopsied to help rule out tumors.

Tacking the huge infected third eyelid back does not help a dog, keeps an eye infected and as a result the eye looks ill, red and messy; and unremoved gland will pop up again in up to 6 weeks and will require another surgery. You can tack it many times but it will be back; each time you tack- the eye will look worse and worse (really messy and sore, lower lid gets more open (ectropion) with each surgery, red and uglier looking).
Usually if cherry eye removing procedure was done correctly the eye gets healed with using the special eye ointment and looks healthy and pretty; it might take up to 4 weeks.