Cloudy Eyes, Diagnosis and Meds

[Debbie and Toby]

We have Toby who just turned 7 years old on March 4. He is a seizure dog, started having seizures when he was about 1 year old,  and has been on phenobarb and Potassium Bromide. We have blood labs done every 6 months to check liver values and med levels. HIs liver values have always been somewhat high since being on the phenobarb. On Saturday morning we got up and I noticed his eyes were very, cloudy white, almost transparent looking. Called his vet, they said to take him to emergency. They did blood work, in which they said his liver values were quite high, although they did not give me the numbers. They will forward to the vet.They also did a pressure test, (glaucoma) and another eye test in which they stain the eye and look down inside. They are forwarding the paperwork to our vet today. I have already been in contact with our vet today and we are planning to discuss this once they receive and review the papers and check liver values with what has been consistant for him. They prescribed Rimadyl tablets, Ofloxacin drops, Doxycycline capsules, and Atropine drops. For now they have diagnosed him with Uveitus, and did mention that blindness is a real concern right now because of the seizure meds, high liver values and the fact that his eyes are completely cloudy. I have cried myself sick. I know he needs to be treated immediately,  at the same time I am nervous about all the meds, because he is already on regular meds for seizures. They have assured me that all these meds would be completely safe with his seizure meds, but I am still very worried. I am also giving a tsp of plain yogurt each day. We are also planning to consult with a veterinary opthamologist. They said this was very unusual to see both eyes affected a the same time. At this time they are not sure what would have caused this. Just want to know if anyone has had anything like this happen where all of a sudden the eyes have turned milky white, no discharge, and any input on the meds would be very helpful. I am also curious if this is common in seizure dogs.  I just have so many questions right now. I know I need to trust the vets but I also want to get any feedback possible as I don't want to make any mistakes or regret any decision to give or withhold any meds. His treatment is my main concern right now and I want to be fully aware of any possible issues with his meds or treatment. Has anyone with a seizure dog experienced anything like this?

[Madhura Khedkar]

Hi Debbie! so sorry to hear about Toby's eyes. I hope things get better for him soon. Einstein very recently started on his anti-epileptics but liver impact was something our vet warned us about. I remember our vet mentioning Milk Thistle but I wouldn't give this without consulting your vet. My best wishes to you and Toby! 

[Debbie and Toby]

Hi Madhura, I am sorry to hear about Einstein. He sure is a cutie! I hope the meds are keeping the seizures under control. We also were warned about the side effects of phenobarb. Toby has had high liver values ever since starting the phenobarb, which we are told is normal, levels just need to be monitored every 6 - 12 months. We were just told that the high liver values can contribute to vision problems. So this is now something we need to monitor very closely...

[Debbie and Toby]

Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers. We did a follow up appointment today, have been referred to opthamologist. Our vet was quite happy with the progress since being on the meds. His eyes are getting some of the brown color back, not white anymore, the vet described them now as "foggy".He seems to be handling the meds well. We reviewed the blood labs today and everything was in a normal range for Toby. Liver value is elevated, but that has been normal since being on phenobarb. I will be monitoring closely, we have our next appointment early next week. Until we see the opthamologist we really don't  know what caused this.  Keeping our fingers crossed that he continues to progress and our next appointment goes well.