<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:#000000;"><DIV>Our thoughts are with everyone who is battling this terrible condition right now. It isn't fun. Wilbur was diagnosed with glaucoma in February. By the time we caught it, he had already lost the sight in his left eye and pressures were high in the right. We are very fortunate that we do have very good canine ophthamologists in the Mpls/St. Paul area. We were offered several options on treatment and decided not to have any surgery for the time being. Since then, Willie has been getting four different eye drops twice a day. They are: prednisolone actetate, lantanoprost, demercarium bromide and dorzolomide. We can get all but the demercarium at any pharmacy. The demercariam is for vet use only and we get it directly
from the company. However, in the last few weeks, we have had much more trouble controlling pressures and some pills or capsules have been added to the regimen. Methazolamide can be purchased at any pharmacy. It's expensive. An equivalent, dichlorhenamide, we get from the same company as the demercarium. This is good, because in addition to the drops, Willie is now getting six pills a day. He is also getting the latanaprost in mid-day. </DIV>
<DIV>For some reason, the eye pressures tend to spike around 3-4 a.m. Willie's doctor mentioned that if he had a dog with glaucoma he would consider giving the drops during the night, as well.</DIV>
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<DIV>We are asking for drool, crossed paws and good wishes for Willie tomorrow. Having been to the emergency vet three times in three weeks for pressure spikes, Willie is having surgery tomorrow. The doctor is trying a new combination technique that combines laser surgery with a drainage tube. We had been told about the tube implant before, but they have tended to plug up with protein within weeks or a few months. The laser surgery works, but the danger has been that initially, the irritation from the surgery causes swelling and pressure spikes. The thought is that the tube will handle the drainage while the laser surgery heals and by the time the tube blocks, the laser surgery will have taken effect. Both are established techinques, it is the combination that is new and different.</DIV>
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<DIV>I hope this might help someone. If you want the name of either our ophthamologist or the veterinary drug company (you will need a perscription from your vet), please e-mail me off-list.</DIV>
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<DIV>Barb, mom to Willie, Duncan, Buddy the not-a-basset with Max, Gretta and Copper (ATB)</DIV></div></body></html>