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Strabismus in Cats and Dogs

Strabismus in Cats and Dogs

Cross-Eyed, Wall-Eyed

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Updated on September 26, 2024

SUMMARY OF CONTENT

Strabismus is a term used to describe the abnormal positioning or direction of the eyeball.

SEVERITY:

Mild to severe
  • Diagnosis Icon
    Requires a diagnosis by a veterinarian
  • Time to Cure
    Resolves within days to weeks in some cases
  • Treatment Icon
    Treatable by a veterinarian
  • Prevention Icon
    If it is inherited, the breeding of affected individuals is not recommended
  • Spread Icon
    Transmission is not possible between animals and not possible between animals and people
  • Lab Icon
    Diagnosis requires physical examination, CT scan

VERY COMMON IN

Common in certain breeds of cats and dogs, namely Siamese and Boston Terriers.

Symptoms & Signs

Strabismus is easily noticed by pet parents, especially when they occur suddenly due to injury or nerve issues. Strabismus may occur in one of both eyes. When the pet looks straight ahead, the eye or eyes deviate from midline. This can appear that the pet is cross eyed, or the eye or eyes can deviate to the outside as well. In some pets, like Siamese cats, strabismus is often mild and sometimes goes unnoticed until a closer look at the pets eyes is performed. In pets with injury or nerve damage, the deviated eye movement will often be very noticeable and pets may also exhibit dizziness at the same time. In Siamese cats, the eyeballs may deviate inwards towards the nose. This is called medial or convergent strabismus. It gives them their trademark "cross eyed" appearance. The opposite condition, in which the eyeballs deviate outward, away from the nose is called divergent strabismus. This is common in Boston Terriers and is inherited in this breed.

Diagnosis

Your veterinarian will begin with a physical examination. This includes examining the eyes. If your veterinarian confirms that strabismus is present, they will the perform diagnostic testing to establish the cause of the strabismus. This may include a sedated ear examination to look for signs of ear disease that could be causing nerve damage as well as CT imaging to visualize if there is anything compressing the nerves that control eye movement. Because there are several causes of strabismus in pets, your veterinarian may need to run other specific tests based on the findings on their physical examination.

Causation

Normally, the eyeball is held in place and moves from side to side and top to bottom under the influence of small muscles which attach directly to the eyeball. Occasionally one muscle may be longer or stronger than the muscle located on the opposite side. This causes the eyeball to veer off in an abnormal direction. One or both eyes may be affected. If both eyes deviate towards the nose, the pet is referred to as cross-eyed. Strabismus can also occur as a result of injury to some of the nerves going to the eye muscles. In addition, it may be seen if the dog has a disease of the vestibular system. The vestibular system is part of the ear and is what helps the dog (and us) keep our balance. If the vestibular system is not functioning normally, the dog may feel as though he is spinning, and his eyes will move abnormally to try to adjust to that.

Treatments

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AT-HOME CARE

If your pet is dizzy or having difficulty navigating in their environment, they will need help finding their way around. Stairways should be gated or fenced off and food and water should be easily accessible.
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SUPPORTIVE CARE

If the strabismus is accompanied with dry eye conditions, lubricant eye drops may be used for dryness relief.
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MEDICATIONS

For animals with injury to or disease of the nerves or the vestibular system, the underlying cause needs to be found and treated. Sometimes anti-inflammatory medications are helpful.
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DEVICES

None
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SURGERY

Surgery may be indicated in cases of trauma or inner ear infection.
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SPECIALISTS

Veterinary neurologists may be consulted in certain cases.

Cost Of Treatment

The cost of treatment will depend on the underlying cause.

Recovery

Depending on the underlying cause, some pets can recover fully and have normal eye position after some time. If the condition is genetic, the strabismus will be present for the life of the animal.

Monitoring

Strabismus should be monitored if they occur suddenly and do not resolve with treatment.

Prevention

Pets affected with the acquired, or inherited, form should not be used in breeding programs.

Questions about Strabismus
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My dog I heated uses tampon is it an emergency

Unfortunately I'm having a little trouble understand your question as I'm not sure what you mean by "My dog I heated uses tampons..." I'm wondering if Bella ate a tampon or if you wanted to use one on her while she is in heat. I will answer both to be safe. If she ate a tampon, then yes this is a medical emergency and she has to see a vet now. Tampons can easily cause obstructions in the GI tract, especially since they are absorbent and can get large in the stomach from liquid in there. if Bella ate a tampon, you need to take her into a vet immediately to get it removed. If she is on heat, no you cannot use a tampon to control her bleeding. It's not safe to use at all, and are not meant for dogs. You can put a diaper on her to catch any bloody discharge. There are dog specific diapers online and at pets stores, or you can use one made of a human child. Just cut a hole in it for her tail. Hopefully this answers your question. If it doesn't, I'm sorry and ask you post again in the forum for free to it can get answered!

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I have a cat that as a kitten was very ill. We got him from 7 months old. We knew he’d had cat flu prior to him coming here. He is now nearly 5 yrs old. He picks huge fights with our other cat. He keeps urinating and scratching at doors and windows around the house. We allow him to go out via the cat flap unlimited. What is happening to him

I'm glad to see that Pippin has been neutered because this eliminates that possibility of hormone-fueled behavioral changes and aggression. Behavioral changes in cats can occur at any point in time, and could be related to anxiety or stressful situations (even rearranging furniture or introducing new people to the home can be stressful to cats). Without a lot more information and observing Pippin's behaviors, I can't precisely tell you why these changes are occurring. It may be best to consult a veterinary behaviorist in your home so that they can observe everything firsthand. You can also try using calming pheromone collars or diffusers (Feliway is one example), and discussing the use of anxiety medication with Pippin's vet. I hope that all goes well!

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Hi! My cat was recently diagnosed with diabetes. He’s taking insulin and taking antibiotics for a Uti. It’s been 4 weeks and he wobles when he’s walking. He can’t jump up on the bed like he used to.He’s blood sugar is 250 it’s better than it used to. I don’t understand why he’s so wobbly.

Cats can develop what's called diabetic neuropathy, where their hindlegs become progressively weak. The best thing to do is try to get his diabetes under control as quickly as possible. Here is a link describing the conditon: http://www.diabeticcatcare.com/DCCCOK/Neuropathy.htm

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My senior cat has metastized cancer.17 yrs old. My vet gave her predizone1 and one half tabs a day.i wanted to know if i can just stop the meds.

Is there a reason you want to stop the prednisone? I would recommend not stopping it and if you feel it is better to stop the prednisone then I would recommend weaning off of the prednisone. I would discuss how to wean the prednisone with your veterinarian. Thank you for using Boop by Petco.

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My dog has an ear infection

Sorry to hear Marley isn't doing so well with his ears. It is not possible to tell from tge picture tve exact nature of the irritation but if it is indeed infected (typically red, hot, painful and smelly), he will need prescription medication from his regular vet. In the meantime I recommend gently cleaning tge outer war with cotton wool and a pet safe ear cleaner to reduce the build up of wax/discharge

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My dog vomited a pinkish colour. Does this look like blood vomit? She doesn’t have diarrhoea or anything else. Yesterday i fed her plain chicken with rice.

That is very red vomit, however, this color could be linked to a number of things including blood in the vomit, inflammation of the GI tract, having chewed on a toy this color, eaten a food item this color, or gotten into a plant or other item this color. If the vomiting continues, worsens, or other symptoms appear such as a painful or bloated abdomen, diarrhea or blood in the stool, or severe distress, I would schedule a veterinary appointment right away to rule out more severe issues. In the meantime I would continue the bland diet for 24 hours, and monitor for any additional vomiting or illness symptoms.

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Disclaimer

The information contained on this page is for educational purposes only. Treatment should only be provided under the advice of a veterinarian who has examined your pet under the laws applicable to your state of residence.