A British Bulldog was found by a dog walker on a remote part of Dartmoor and brought to us at Margaret Green Animal Rescue, Wingletang by West Devon Borough Council’s dog warden. She looked very frightened, neglected and we found her to be in a lot of discomfort due to a very bad infection in her eye; she was unable to open one eye and her other eye looked very sore.
Ethel (as she is now called) was taken down to Westmoor Veterinary Centre where she was seen by Chris Jones, who found her to have Entropian in both eyes. Entropian is where the eyelid rolls inwards (on lower lids in this case), causing her eyelashes to scratch the surface of the eye. This is sadly seen in dogs that have exaggerated facial folds, causing a lot of pain. If left untreated, this can cause blindness and in Ethel’s case she also had an ulcer on the eye that she found too painful to open.
It was then decided she needed surgery as she could potentially lose her sight, and was operated on two days later. Chris removed a section of skin on both lower lids and used skin sutures to force the lids outwards into a more normal position. Ethel also had extra hairs on her eyelids that shouldn’t have been there so they were removed too. A temporary contact lens was put in to protect the ulcer on the cornea from being scratched, allowing it to heal, which usually falls out within a few days.
Since the operation Ethel has come on in leaps and bounds and loves nothing more than playing with the other dogs in their care. However, she is still very nervous of strangers and it is felt that she will never quite lose that trait, but each day you see an improvement which makes the job all the more worthwhile.
Working closely with West Devon Borough Council allowed us to bring Ethel back to full health which will mean she can be rehomed and have a really happy life with a caring, loving owner.
To learn more about Ethel and other dogs who need help, please visit Margaret Green Animal Rescue.
i had an ulcer last year because i am fond of skipping meals and working too hard. it was quite painful`,-