Pannus Pup

By Eilene Lyon

I’ve had dogs in my life for decades, but never heard of pannus until a couple months ago. The technical name for the condition is chronic superficial keratitis (CSK).

Our border-collie-mix dog, Hunter, joined the family a little over a year ago. We don’t know exactly how old he is, but likely is now about 3 years old. All was well until we came home from our California trip in November and noticed he was squinting. He’d spent our time away at the kennel and had a lot of time outdoors. Too much sunshine?

Over the next couple months, the squinting did not improve and we noticed more discharge from his eyes than previously. The Putterer took him to the vet and got the diagnosis. Pannus is an inheritable autoimmune disease that causes lesions and clouding in the cornea of the eyes. Breeds most commonly affected are German and Belgian shepherds, and border collies, but any breed my suffer from it. If left untreated, the dog will go blind.

Other factors in development of pannus are the age of the dog (usually occurs in middle age [4-7] unlike with Hunter). Ultra-violet (UV) light exposure, high altitude, and pollution can also contribute to development of the disease.

Treatment to manage it consists of daily doses of medicated eyedrops, and preventing UV exposure. Try explaining all that to a dog!

The Putterer has done a great job getting Hunter to tolerate the eyedrops twice a day. (Yes, it involves bribery.) The UV protection comes in the form of goggles to be worn outdoors, especially on very sunny days or snowy conditions (both common here in Durango).

We purchased a pair of Rex Specs to protect Hunter’s eyes. They resemble ski goggles, but have different straps to fit them to a canine head. A pair of elasticized straps go under the chin so he can open his mouth as needed. Another strap runs behind his ears.

It definitely takes some patience to get a dog used to wearing goggles, but I think we’ve achieved détente with Hunter at last. Isn’t he cute with his new specs?