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So i'm not sure if any of you have heard this before... My dog has been dealing with distichia (ingrown eyelashes poking his eye ball) the past year and 1/2... so we went for our monthly visit to get some laser hair removal in his eye and the vet mentions how he thinks my dog needs a facelift!
Now, call me crazy, but laser hair removal already sounds ridiculous but FACELIFT!?
Vet is saying because of my bulldogs' wrinkles, it's pulling down on his eye, and he suggests to 'nip and tuck' the skin as a preventative for the future. Since surgerys are dangerous, esp in bulldogs because of their breathing, he advises to do the surgery asap.
I love my baby and will do anything to keep him healthy. I just want to make sure this surgery is something he actually NEEDS.
Have you seen pictures of bulldogs? Most of them look as tho they could use a facelift, mine included. Doesn't mean it should be done. As for the eyelids growing into the eye, then yes that is something that needs to be addressed. The lashes need to be removed. I'm curious as to why you waited a year and 1/2 to take care of the eye?
Our Chow mix had I believe the same thing but they called it entropian. The wrinkliness around her eyes made her lashes turn the wrong way and scrape on her eyeballs. This was about 1995 so there was no laser option. They said the constant scraping would cause infections that could eventually cause her to lose her sight. So yes, she had an eye tuck. She did fine with it. She passed away last year, never having had more trouble with her eyes.
In my dog's case her eyes were constantly watering and irritated from the lashes. If you looked with a flashlight you could see the lashes lying against the eyeball. Is your dog experiencing this? If so I'd go with the surgery. If not, yeah I'd get another opinion.
there is a procedure called an eye tuck specifically for dogs with this problem, they simply adjust the eye lid with a slice and a couple of stitches tso that as it heals the eye lid doesnt have the inturn.
the weight of the wrinkles/skin has NOTHING to do with it, its a birth defect common in wrinkled dogs, but its due to the way the excess skin osits on the eyelid.
a simple eye tuck is a few minutes under the knife, nay vet describing this as a "face lift" or trying to talk you into giving your dog a "afce lift"...well id personally run from.
One of my brothers bulldogs also had that problem and had several procedures to remove the lashes and he would be fine for awhile but soon would have issues again so they had surgery done not sure if it was an eye tuck or not but the dog has had no problems for months so it was well worth it for him. My brother does use a vet that specialized in Bulldogs and is well known in the OC area of So. Cal and the dog did fine during the surgery.
In these cases you are not doing it for cosmetic reasons but for the comfort/health of the dog.
Get input from the members in your area before you agree to anything. If anyone know about a breed and what is best, what doctors are best for it, and can provide valuable information, it is those that are heavily involved in the breed. Especially if you contact someone who is a member of their health committee.
You really have to be careful with veterinarians and the smooshy nosed breeds, because so many have limited knowledge about them.
It sounds more like entropion than distichiasis. It's a *very* common issue in Bulldogs and easily corrected with surgery. The only post-op complication is dry eye, which may require lifetime use of eye drops (kind of like with cherry eye). The SoCal Bulldog rescue has a ton of Bulldogs that need this procedure. If you're in the SoCal area, Dr. Butchko in Riverside is the man to see. He only sees Bulldogs, no other breed, and performs a ton of surgeries every single day. Here is more info on the condition:
As far as your vet suggesting a face lift, he's an idiot and really shouldn't be practicing medicine. It's like teling a shar-pei owner that their dogs are too wrinkled. I have 2 Bulldogs and while neither has ever needed this corrective procedure for entropion, I know plenty of others that have.
ETA: If you tell me where you're located, I'll give you a name of a Bulldog vet in your area. I have a list for the entire nation.
Last edited by MAK802; 12-22-2010 at 05:22 PM..
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I have 2 Bulldogs and while neither has ever needed this corrective procedure for entropion, I know plenty of others that have.
