June 30, 2022 9 min read
Dogs, like humans, can get glaucoma. Although glaucoma may appear to be simple eye concerns, they are urgent eye problems that can grow and worsen in a short amount of time. Thus affecting your dog’s health severely.
If your dog's eyes are red, hazy, itchy, or highly weepy, you should see your vet right away. With the high prevalence of genetically wired glaucoma in pure breeds, it's critical to know where to look and what to look for so you don't miss the initial signs. Glaucoma can also affect mixed dog breeds.
Glaucoma develops when the formation and disposal of aqueous humor are out of balance. This leads to a buildup of eye liquid, leading to prolonged eye pressure and severe pain. Increased eye pressure in dogs should be treated seriously because it can result in damage to the retina and optic nerve.
Glaucoma is triggered by a blockage in the disposal of the aqueous humor. The quantity and consistency of aqueous humor are directly related to intraocular pressure.
Primary refers to the eye's inability to discharge through its filtration angles.
This is pain-free, with loss of vision developing slowly over time. The most prevalent form of glaucoma in dogs is the open-angle or primary glaucoma. To quantify your dog's pressure in the eye, your vet must use a tonometer.
Beagles, Shiba-Inus, and Shih-Tzus, are the dog breeds most frequently affected by primary open-angle glaucoma.
It's critical to understand that when the dog owner notices any signs on the dog's eyes, glaucoma will have advanced to the point where vision has become impaired, often beyond restoration. Since pain is the first symptom of glaucoma, early diagnosis is uncommon. The dog suffers greatly from elevated IOP.
Unfortunately, dogs cannot tell us while they're in pain with words. They deal with pain in an entirely different way than we do. For example, when humans are in pain, we rub and touch the area that is bothering us. Dogs, on the other hand, avoid rubbing the painful area entirely. The pain caused by a high IOP feels like a continuous headache, and dogs have a hard time coping with this. This is why suffering is so difficult to detect in dogs – it is not evident.
Here are some common symptoms of Dog Glaucoma
This is caused by an abrupt increase in eye pressure and is associated with eye redness and severe pain, which may result in loss of vision. With glaucoma impacting dogs frequently in the United States, it is critical to see your veterinarian as soon as possible if you suspect your dog is struggling from any eye conditions.
After going through the above-listed symptoms, you may be curious how one would tell if their pet has glaucoma when the symptoms are so difficult to detect. If you keep a close watch on your dog, you'll notice at least one of the symptoms listed. Head pain symptoms are usually the first ones to appear, so pay close attention to them. If you notice any of these symptoms, don't leave them untreated. Make an appointment with your veterinarian to get your dog treated immediately.
The one and the only way to effectively diagnose dog glaucoma is to use a tonometer to measure intraocular pressure. Once detected, the goal is to save the dog's vision if viable.
Glaucoma is usually the result of an untreated pre-existing eye problem. The primary concern is also to make a diagnosis of their eye health and treat it in the best way possible. If the eye is really beyond repair, the next process is to manage the dog's pain and reduce glaucoma from spreading to another eye. As a result, some animals might require to get their affected eye surgically removed, preventing permanent blindness.
Cannabidiol is among naturally existing cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. It is a 21-carbon terpene phenolic chemical that is formed after the decarboxylation of a cannabidiolic acid precursor, but it can also be synthesized.
CBD is a herbal and cannabis chemical that does not make your dog high. Furthermore, CBD is extracted from the marijuana plant but can also be extracted from the hemp plant. Hemp is the cannabis variety grown as a field crop. It also contains trace amounts of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).
For its connection with marijuana, many people are perplexed about CBD Oil, its use, and its treatment.
According to federal law, THC is illegal in the United States. So any product containing THC should always have less than 0.3% of the chemical for it to be legal. However, it is allowed for use for both medical and recreational use in Canada and many other US states.CBD is derived from both hemp and cannabis and is completely natural and safe. It rarely includes delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the chemical that gives marijuana its "high."
CBD of high quality is non-toxic and deemed safe for both people and pets. CBD derived from the hemp plant is majorly used in CBD dog products. Having said that, dogs will not eat or drink THC, which usually results in a high. Moreover, good-quality CBD is non-toxic and entirely harmless.
Aside from those caused by low-quality CBD oil, which may contain toxins, there are about no side effects. It's always a good idea to check for lower-cost CBD oils that don't have a certificate issued.
CBD oil has grown in popularity in recent years, and it is estimated that by 2022, the CBD pet products industry in the U.S. will be worth $1.16 billion. Seizures, anxiousness, severe pain, muscle aches, aggressive behavior, and other neurological diseases are all treated with CBD oil in dogs.
Although uncommon, drowsiness and lightheadedness may occur in dogs also. However, before buying a CBD pet product, pet parents must always consult with their vets about the use of CBD for the proper treatment of fur babies.
This is crucial for two basic reasons. To begin, pet parents must buy decent, vet-approved CBD oil products that are both effective and safe for their pets. Second, it is crucial to consult with a professional about dosage and effectiveness because specific oral doses will be more suitable for specific health issues.
That being said, some CBD pet products may take a couple of weeks to fully affect your dog's chronic pain relief. It is because it is always better to start with the smallest CBD dosage for the affected dosage and gradually increase the intensity. This is comparatively safer and restricts bad reactions to your dog’s eye to a particular ingredient.
The best CBD oil products can treat dogs for the following conditions also:
First, while secondary glaucoma can be prevented, it is impossible to stop primary glaucoma since it is caused by genetic factors. You can keep your dog from getting secondary glaucoma by preventing injuries and accidents and taking them to regular checkups to make sure they are as healthy and happy as they can be.
Eye wellness tests are extremely important for your dog to have such that their eye fluid and eye pressure can be checked on a regular basis. If your dog is older and is a high-risk breed for glaucoma, regular checkups are a must.
It's also critical to get your dog handled for any eye-related infection or injury as quickly as possible to prevent the development of glaucoma or the progression of the condition if it already exists.
Other ways of preventing glaucoma involve taking antioxidant activity and removing as much tension from your dog's neck and eyes as possible. Antioxidants such as vitamins E and C, as well as giving your dog beta-carotene, can all help to maintain your dog's eyes strong and reduce the damage.
Remember to remove any extra pressure from your dog's neck. If your dog feels added stress on its neck from a rigid collar or harness, the intra-ocular strain may rise, potentially leading to glaucoma. Early diagnosis is the most effective way to stop glaucoma and visual impairment in your dog.
The best way to prevent perpetual vision loss from glaucoma and stop the damage is to identify any changes in pressure and eye-related situations in your dog's eye via eye tests and regular check-ups.
There is no straightforward path to take with a dog developing glaucoma. No magic wand will always improve pain management and reverse the condition. Dog agility association, animal wellness magazine, numerous pet websites, and dog owners are left wondering which diagnosis or medication would be ideal for their dog's eyes.
The first main advantage is that researchers have proved CBD's ability to aid in pain control. Pain is among the most typical symptoms of eye disease. Treating glaucoma is difficult without reducing the pain in certain dog breeds and trying to put your dog on heavy meds. CBD oil can be a very pleasant and helpful source of nutrients, allowing your dog to live a normal life while other aspects of his glaucoma are treated. This brings us to the second benefit of using CBD for canine glaucoma. It has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties.
CBD oil is an anti-inflammatory medication that can help with your dog's pain and, eventually, eye problems. Anti-inflammatory medicine is almost always used for dog treats. CBD can be a beneficial, organic addition to the recovery process, with minimal side effects to traditional pain medicine.
For one thing, CBD oil does not have a physiological effect, and it will not get your dog high. When dogs affected with glaucoma are treated with traditional pain and anti-inflammatory medicines, they experience other health conditions as side effects. For example, puking, reduced appetite, serious stomach issues, and kidney or liver failure.
According to one study, CBD has the prospects to be regarded and further evolved as a treatment for glaucoma. CBD has been shown to have neuroprotective effects, which are useful for the treatment of glaucoma. A neurotransmitter called glutamate plays an important role in glaucoma. Increased glutamate manufacturing is widely known as glutamate-induced neurodegeneration. It causes the death of critical eye cells, resulting in blindness and loss of vision. Experimental studies have shown that CBD is an effective inhibitor of glutamate-induced cell death. As a result, it can slow the progression of glaucoma.
If your fur friend has glaucoma and you came here for answers, reading through so much research and information can be not only complicated but also stressful. It's essential to recognize the context of each study and what it means for the future of CBD in the treatment of glaucoma.
CBD is a strong antioxidant that can prevent rapid cell death and can protect cells in the eyes from neurotoxicity. It can also help with inflammation and pain, particularly if they are related to a pre-existing eye condition. However, it may raise the IOP. This is why the proper CBD dosage is critical.
To begin with, intraocular stress and glutamate-induced neurotoxic effects are not the same things. Most early glaucoma treatment options were focused entirely on lowering increased intraocular pressure until research revealed that vision loss occurs even with lower pressure. Eye cells continue to die even under lower pressure.
The correct CBD oil dose will ascertain your dog's response to therapy and the extent to which he can be treated. When you start supplementing with CBD for glaucoma, ensure you have a routine check-up with your veterinarian to measure eye pressure – particularly if you find that CBD is helping with your dog's other symptoms and want to proceed with using it in the long run.
You might not always find a perfect dosage of CBD on the first try. So keep an eye on your dog and identify changes in his pain, symptoms, and behavior, then adjust the dose of the drug as needed.
According to research on how cannabis affects dogs, you should start with the lowest dose two times a day and observe your dog's reaction. A low dose will suffice for some dogs, while a higher dose might be required for others. The dose is primarily determined by the dog's weight. Dogs weighing more will most likely require a greater dose of CBD than dogs who have lesser weight.
While the initial flood of data on CBD oil and dog glaucoma might indeed appear overwhelming, the positive aspect is that there is still hope for dogs suffering from illness. CBD has a great deal of potential to be a useful and informative part of the healing process on a variety of levels. It can manage pain, decrease inflammation, and even safeguard eye cells from damage.
Because glaucoma is a serious medical condition that must be continuously managed, you'll want to stay in touch with your vet and keep a close eye on your dog's IOP to ensure it isn't rising. Observing the dog's signs and response to CBD oil is always an important part of the process.
Finding the right CBD dose appears to be the key to treating this condition. Taking a chance on a natural method that you have not yet tried before could seem scary at first, but with all of the favorable details concerning CBD oil about dog glaucoma, maybe this is the missing piece you've been looking for.