# Baylee's eyes have pigmentary uveitis



## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

I took my precious Baylee girl to the opthomologist today and she was diagnosed with pigmentary uveitis. She recently has been missing her jumps in obedience and has had red appearing whites of her eyes. I truely believed I was just being an overly cautious mom and was surprised by the diagnosis. According to the specialist, Baylee has already developed cataracts at the sides of her eyes and is at risk for glaucoma and sudden blindness. I was given some drops for her to help slow the process. I can only hope it does the trick.
If anyone else has dealt with this condition I would appreciate their experiences.
Thanks ahead of time!


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## C&B's Grizzly (Nov 20, 2007)

Oh my! I'm so sorry! I hope that you and your baby are alright. I hate to hear about anything wrong with Goldens as they are the most loving and wonderful dogs ever. I'll be thinking about your pup. Take care.


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## BajaOklahoma (Sep 27, 2009)

Our local GR Club had a guest speaker (vet opthamologist) speak to us about it just last month. Until that moment, I hadn't even heard about it before. And a lot of our vets are unaware of it, thinking it is just allergy eyes. She said that one of the biggest problems is it isn't recognized until the damage is done.
She felt there was a genetic link as it tends to show up in certain pockets of the country. 
Several of our club members have had dogs with it. I don't know them well enough, or long enough to know the outcome.
Positive thoughts for good results for you both.


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

My Gunner (age 7, diagnosed almost two years ago) has hereditary Golden Retriever pigmentary uveitis. We had no idea till our vet saw a mass behind his iris. He had such bad inflammation it looked like a mass. He also had one cataract and glaucoma .
Luckily with prednizone drops for the uveitis and Timolol drops for the glaucoma, his eyes have been doing very well. But I have to be very aware of any sign of redness, as he could go blind quickly and lose his eyes.

I am sorry for your pup's diagnosis but hope the drops help... is he only on one kind of drops?


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## artbuc (Apr 12, 2009)

BayBeams said:


> I took my precious Baylee girl to the opthomologist today and she was diagnosed with pigmentary uveitis. She recently has been missing her jumps in obedience and has had red appearing whites of her eyes. I truely believed I was just being an overly cautious mom and was surprised by the diagnosis. According to the specialist, Baylee has already developed cataracts at the sides of her eyes and is at risk for glaucoma and sudden blindness. I was given some drops for her to help slow the process. I can only hope it does the trick.
> If anyone else has dealt with this condition I would appreciate their experiences.
> Thanks ahead of time!


Very sorry to hear this. Did your opthamologist set you up for routine visits to monitor eye pressure? Eye pressure can increase quickly and cause excrutiating pain. Most Goldens are so stoic that they will not show you how much they are hurting. We had my Buster's right eye removed when we lost control of his pressure. Even though it was only mildly elevated, it was amazing how much happier he was after the eye was removed. We are guessing that he had been living with a chronic bad headache caused by elevated eye pressure. PU is almost always bilateral and the prognosis is guarded (nice way of saying it almost always gets worse). Good luck and please keep up with your visits to the eye doc.


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## C's Mom (Dec 7, 2009)

I am sorry to hear this. My heart goes out to all of you with beautiful goldens who are dealing with this. Sending you all strength.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Have you notified your breeder? There is an inherited uveitis (I believe the pigmentary kind) and there is uveitis that can be caused by tick disease.

I hope that Baylee's case is easily managed. Good luck to both of you.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

So sorry to hear this. Don't have any advice, just wanted to say sorry.


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## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

Tahnee GR said:


> Have you notified your breeder? There is an inherited uveitis (I believe the pigmentary kind) and there is uveitis that can be caused by tick disease.
> 
> I hope that Baylee's case is easily managed. Good luck to both of you.


Yes, this is the inherited type but, unfortunately, I have lost track of the breeder. Baylee was from a BYB before I knew the ramifications of purchasing a pup from a newpaper ad. 
What amazes me is that I had mentioned that Baylee's eyes seemed red to a number of vets over the years and it was passed off as an allergy or dust in the eyes. I, truely, thought I was being a bit of an overcautious mom by having her eyes checked by an opthomologist. It just goes to demonstrate that the average vet can be good for a variety of common ailments but the specialists really have a more defined knowledge in their area.
I am hoping we have started the eye drops in time to prevent the progression of the disease. Eveything I have read indicates 50% of Goldens with the problem go blind from glaucoma and cataracts. I am hoping Baylee is in the other 50% though some cataracts have already started to develop.
Thanks for your thoughts.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

When I was researching Golden Retrievers, my vet warned me about this. She and another vet at the practice had GR littermates, and in this litter a majority of the dogs had this condition.

She fought with the breeder for years, until the breeder finally agreed to stop breeding her lines.


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## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

Debles said:


> My Gunner (age 7, diagnosed almost two years ago) has hereditary Golden Retriever pigmentary uveitis. We had no idea till our vet saw a mass behind his iris. He had such bad inflammation it looked like a mass. He also had one cataract and glaucoma .
> Luckily with prednizone drops for the uveitis and Timolol drops for the glaucoma, his eyes have been doing very well. But I have to be very aware of any sign of redness, as he could go blind quickly and lose his eyes.
> 
> I am sorry for your pup's diagnosis but hope the drops help... is he only on one kind of drops?


My dog was prescribed one type of eyedrops, a non-steroidal anti-inflammitant called Diclofenac and is to return for a recheck in 6 months.


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## artbuc (Apr 12, 2009)

BayBeams said:


> My dog was prescribed one type of eyedrops, a non-steroidal anti-inflammitant called Diclofenac and is to return for a recheck in 6 months.


Buster was on two drops. Timolol for pressure and NeoPolyDex for inflammation. It is tricky because Timolol tends to increase inflammation and NeoPoly tends to increase pressure so they are always working against each other. Unfortunately it is usually a losing battle.


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## rappwizard (May 27, 2009)

The GRCA is sponsoring a study on this disease--here is the link with some information--I know when my Alli was diagnosed with hemangio of the heart, I sent vials of her blood for a tumor study to Boston shortly before she died and emailed and spoke to the main researcher who was very nice. It is kinda a way, at least it was for me, to feel that although my dog wouldn't benefit, that at least she would help future dogs benefit in some way--anyway, in case you want to check into it:

http://www.grca.org/health/uveitis.html


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## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

rappwizard said:


> The GRCA is sponsoring a study on this disease--here is the link with some information--I know when my Alli was diagnosed with hemangio of the heart, I sent vials of her blood for a tumor study to Boston shortly before she died and emailed and spoke to the main researcher who was very nice. It is kinda a way, at least it was for me, to feel that although my dog wouldn't benefit, that at least she would help future dogs benefit in some way--anyway, in case you want to check into it:
> 
> http://www.grca.org/health/uveitis.html


I was already thinking along those lines. I sent them an email and they requested Baylee's pedigree information to see if she qualifies for the study. I plan on following through with whatever information I can. If I can help other Goldens not to have to go down this road at least something good can come of it. Unfortunately, Baylee came from a litter of 12 puppies. If it is an inherited disorder that is a lot of pups at risk plus their offspring if there are any, and on it goes....


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

Hope Bailey is able to maintain on the drops and not suffer any blindness. Sweet girl!

She looks strikingly similar to our Rainbow Bridge girl, Laura. So naturally I think Bailey is as pretty as they come!


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## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

CarolinaCasey said:


> Hope Bailey is able to maintain on the drops and not suffer any blindness. Sweet girl!
> 
> She looks strikingly similar to our Rainbow Bridge girl, Laura. So naturally I think Bailey is as pretty as they come!


Thank-you!! Baylee is a very special girl (but then aren't they all?). We have been down a rocky road together and have come out with a bond that is beyond belief. I am currently working on getting her utility title and with this complication I am uncertain if that will be an achievable goal. Of course, I will do what ever is best for my Baylee girl....she deserves the best!


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## joni912 (Sep 16, 2010)

My Golden, Jackson, age 8 1/2, was diagnosed with this disease last March. He has 2 eye drops and 1 eye ointment that are holding off progression of the disease. I know that research is being done to determine the genetics of the disease but does anyone know if research is being done to find a cure?


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

joni912 said:


> My Golden, Jackson, age 8 1/2, was diagnosed with this disease last March. He has 2 eye drops and 1 eye ointment that are holding off progression of the disease. I know that research is being done to determine the genetics of the disease but does anyone know if research is being done to find a cure?


Welcome. Yes, there are studies being done. Please see this thread. We are so lucky here to have breeders that are in the forefront of confronting this awful disease and making all of us pet owners aware. http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...reed-standard/84030-importance-eye-exams.html


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## Allan's Girl (Apr 16, 2009)

I am sorry to hear about Baylee's diagnoses. I will be raying for you guys.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

I'm very sorry, as well. My Zoom was recently diagnosed, at 8.5 years old. Thank God we were having annual exams done so that we caught it immediately. 
We were able to offer blood and dna from 5 generations of affected and non-affected dogs to the research program.


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

I'm so sorry! Baylee is lucky to have you!


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Andrea*

Andrea

I am so sorry to hear of Baylee's diagnosis and hope that the drops stave off anything more serious.


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## lucysmum (Sep 2, 2010)

Sending hugs and kisses to Baylee... she is such a beautiful girl.

Lucysmum


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## flax2010 (Sep 20, 2010)

*Better to be over cautious*

Hi, I am from the Uk and my Goldie developed red drooping eyes yesterday (Sunday here) I lost a Goldie a year ago called Cooper who was the most adorable dog you every met so have become paranoid about illnesses, and despite it being Sunday contacted my vet and rushed him over, he has been diagnosed with Uveitis, and he has two different sets of drops to relax the muscle behind the eye and take away the swelling, I only hope we caught it in time, I had never heard of it before.

I have read that it can be a sign of cancer, can anyone confirm this as i am terrified that this may be so, as this is what I lost my Cooper too and cannot bear to go through it again. Thank you in advance for any further advice.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

There are actually 2 types of uveitis found in Goldens. Uvieitis, which can be caused by a number of different things, including tick borne disease and pigmentary uveitis, also known as Golden Retriever uveitis, which is inherited. My understanding is that pigmentary uveitis is very rare outside of North America.

I would ask your vet about an underlying cause, assuming that it is uveitis and not pigmentary uveitis.


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## Jesseboy (Feb 15, 2011)

I am helped by reading here about dogs diagnosed with this at a relatively young age and doing well. My beautiful boy will be 6 next week, and we just got the diagnosis this morning of advanced disease in one eye, less so in the other. But he has some eye muscle wasting, also, which the specialist said is connected. It isn't looking good for him, but I am getting some hope from reading about you all who are doing ok with this. We are starting on steroid drops and will monitor the pressure regularly. Hoping for the best for my beautiful guy.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

What a heartbreaker. I am so very sorry to hear this about your beautiful girl. I am glad for her though, that she has YOU.


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

I'm so sorry about the bad news. Let's hope that the meds will put a halt to any further progression.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

I'm sorry that you are having to deal with this. My Zoom was diagnosed last summer, at almost 9 years. Because we do annual CERF exams, we found it early, and she is doing very well on flurbiprofen drops. Her litter brother, sadly, was misdiangosed as having "allergies", so for nearly 4 years was not being treated properly - it wasn't until Zoom's breeder and I contacted everyone with dogs from that line that he saw an ophthalmologist and was correctly dx'd with PU. Too late, though, and he did lose one eye. 
This is why annual exams by an ACVO vet should absolutely be a routine part of your pet's medical care - pet, show, altered, or intact... Please, do this for your dogs.


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## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

*Baylee update*

I started this thread when Baylee was first diagnosed with pigmentary uveitis. She has had rechecks every 6 months since then. Her most recent recheck by the opthomologist was yesterday (Oct 17) and the news is good.
Baylee's eye pressures are down with 10 in one eye and 15 in the other. Her cataracts are growing but so far they are not affecting her vision. She continues with drops twice a day and goes back again in 6 months. 
Overall a good visit and Baylee loved the vet and his assistant. She was all excited and squeaky when he talked to her. Having a vet who enjoys the dogs he is working with makes for a less stressful visit.


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## Claire's Friend (Feb 26, 2007)

Wonderful news !!!


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

That IS good news! I'm sure our dogs know the people with pure hearts and return that with pure love! Bless your vet!


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## KaMu (May 17, 2010)

Thats GREAT! And I'm sure the good news is very comforting to her family


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

What wonderful news! Those are great pressures! I am also glad her cataracts didn't progress.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Baylee*

I am so very happy for Baylee's wonderful news and for you, too, Mom!!


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## GoldensGirl (Aug 2, 2010)

Jesseboy said:


> I am helped by reading here about dogs diagnosed with this at a relatively young age and doing well. My beautiful boy will be 6 next week, and we just got the diagnosis this morning of advanced disease in one eye, less so in the other. But he has some eye muscle wasting, also, which the specialist said is connected. It isn't looking good for him, but I am getting some hope from reading about you all who are doing ok with this. We are starting on steroid drops and will monitor the pressure regularly. Hoping for the best for my beautiful guy.


Welcome to the Forum. I'm so sorry that you and your boy are facing this disease, but very glad that you have found this community. 

I encourage you to start a thread of your own so that people with experience fighting PU can share their wisdom. 

Sending healing thoughts and prayers for your boy and for you,
Lucy


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## GoldensGirl (Aug 2, 2010)

I'm so glad that the latest news is good! I have only healing thoughts and prayers to offer, but send those in abundance.

Lucy


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## ChasesMome (Nov 9, 2011)

*Thankful to get information...*



artbuc said:


> Very sorry to hear this. Did your opthamologist set you up for routine visits to monitor eye pressure? Eye pressure can increase quickly and cause excrutiating pain. Most Goldens are so stoic that they will not show you how much they are hurting. We had my Buster's right eye removed when we lost control of his pressure. Even though it was only mildly elevated, it was amazing how much happier he was after the eye was removed. We are guessing that he had been living with a chronic bad headache caused by elevated eye pressure. PU is almost always bilateral and the prognosis is guarded (nice way of saying it almost always gets worse). Good luck and please keep up with your visits to the eye doc.


My Chase is in the early stages of diagnosis. While we were not told it was actual uveitis, it does sound like it from the info I have read. Our vet has basically told us they are malignant tumors! Is this something different than uveitis, or just a scarier name for it? Also, how long after you discovered this did you remove the eye, weeks, months, years? Thank you!


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## leonidas7 (Sep 20, 2011)

I know this is an old thread but how is Baylee's eyes doing?


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## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

leonidas7 said:


> I know this is an old thread but how is Baylee's eyes doing?


Baylee is doing GREAT! She had a recheck two days ago and the results are good. Her pressures were good at 13 and 14. Her cataracts have grown but as the vet put it if she were 3 he would be worried but because she is almost 11 they are a non issue.

Continuing with the diclofenac drops twice daily with a recheck again in 6 months. Next time Baxter will go along for a baseline exam just to be sure...


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Yay!!!!! Great news!


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## 19960 (Nov 7, 2011)

I have been reading your thread. My dog bails was diagnosed today with GOLDEN RETRIEVER UVEITIS. His pressure level in the one eye is 40. The doctor said that he has less than a year before the eye will need to be removed. I wanted to know what pressure your dog started with. and do you have any advice on things we should be doing?


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Uldricwm said:


> I have been reading your thread. My dog bails was diagnosed today with GOLDEN RETRIEVER UVEITIS. His pressure level in the one eye is 40. The doctor said that he has less than a year before the eye will need to be removed. I wanted to know what pressure your dog started with. and do you have any advice on things we should be doing?


Hi, welcome to the forum even though it's under the circumstance of your Golden's recent diagnosis. This is a very old thread and you might get more responses from others with dogs diagnosed with uveitis if you start your own. In the meantime, I will FB message BayBeams to see if she will respond to your question since she's not on GRF as often anymore.


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

Uldricwm said:


> I have been reading your thread. My dog bails was diagnosed today with GOLDEN RETRIEVER UVEITIS. His pressure level in the one eye is 40. The doctor said that he has less than a year before the eye will need to be removed. I wanted to know what pressure your dog started with. and do you have any advice on things we should be doing?


You may want to look at the www.grca.org website for more information on Pigmentary/Golden Retriever Uveitis. Dr. Wendy Townsend at Purdue is one of the leading researchers on PU and may be a starting point for your vet to further educate himself on new drops and supplements to help your dog not lose his eye. Dr Townsend was literally in NY yesterday. I am sad I didn't see your post sooner. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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