Objective To assess rebound tonometry intraocular pressure (IOP) in unsedated horses without and with auriculopalpebral (AP) nerve blocks. Animals Studied Twenty‐two client‐ and twenty university‐owned horses (84 total eyes) with unremarkable ophthalmic examinations were evaluated. Procedure One eye of each horse was chosen randomly, an AP block performed for that eye, and IOP measured in both eyes with a TonoVet®. The process was repeated for the contralateral eye 72 hours later under the same conditions as the initial measurements. Horses were unsedated for nerve blocks and tonometry. Linear mixed‐effects models were used for comparisons with statistical significance threshold of 0.05. Results Overall, blocked eyes had an 0.8 mm Hg lower average IOP than unblocked eyes (P = .039). IOP for client‐owned horses was on average 3.2 mm Hg lower than in UGA‐owned horses (P = .025) and was more impacted by AP block (1.4 mm Hg lower average in client‐owned blocked versus unblocked eyes (P = .006)). Block effectiveness was ranked on a subjective scale (“good”, “poor”, no block/control), and IOP was on average lower in eyes with a good block (P = .008). Conclusion Although there were statistically significant differences in IOP between blocked and unblocked eyes, between client‐ and UGA‐owned horses, and between eyes with good and poor AP blocks, these differences were not clinically significant. Thus, AP blocks remain a useful tool for evaluating equine ophthalmic health with minimal impact on IOP assessment.

Objective To assess and compare retention, application characteristics, and patient tolerance of nine bandage contact lens types from four manufacturers. Animals studied Six research Beagles were used in this pilot study. Procedure Five bandage contact lens types from two veterinary brands and four bandage contact lens types from two human brands were evaluated in six research Beagles. Placement ease, the dogs’ contact lens tolerance, and contact lens retention time for up to 14 days were recorded. Statistical analysis with a linear mixed model was performed. Results Veterinary contact lenses had an average retention time of 0.4 days (range 0‐7 days, with an average of 10% and 3% retained ≥1 and ≥7 days, respectively), while human contact lenses had a significantly (P < 0.0001) longer average retention time of 5.2 days (range 0‐14 days, with an average of 83% and 37.5% retained ≥1 and ≥7 days, respectively). Specifically, Johnson and Johnson Vision Care Acuvue® Oasys™ with Hydraclear™ Plus lenses were retained significantly longer than all veterinary lenses, and Bausch and Lomb PureVision® 2 lenses were retained significantly longer than Keragenix HydroBlues™ 18 and AnimaLens™ HRT 78 18 mm lenses. Conclusion Although all bandage contact lenses were easy to use and well tolerated by the dogs, the human lenses were retained significantly better and longer than the veterinary lenses. Additionally, human lenses were retained significantly better and longer than veterinary lenses of similar measurements. This suggests factors other than measurement and associated fit may determine contact lens retention time.

PurposeDescribe the pharmacokinetics of extended-release parenteral ceftiofur (Excede®) in canine tear film and compare these concentrations to minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of ceftiofur against common ocular pathogens in dogs.MethodSix dogs of various breeds were enrolled. Disruption of blood-tear barrier was achieved with histamine-induced conjunctivitis to ensure clinical relevance of the results. Each dog received a single subcutaneous injection of 5 mg/kg Excede®, followed by tear collection with Schirmer strips at times 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, 168, 192, 216 and 240 h. Drug quantification was performed with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. MICs were determined for Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, Streptococcus canis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by assessing bacterial growth (n = 10 per bacterial species) in the presence of ceftiofur at increasing concentrations.ResultsBlood-tear barrier breakdown provided tear film concentrations of ceftiofur 3.2–28.9-fold higher than in the contralateral healthy eye (n = 1 dog, pilot experiment). In all six dogs, ceftiofur concentrations in tears varied from 2.3 to 637.5 ng/mL and were detectable up to 10 days (240 h) after subcutaneous injection. However, tear levels always remained below MICs for common ocular isolates (≥640 ng/mL).ConclusionsCeftiofur reached the tear compartment (for up to 10 days) after a single parenteral injection, however tear concentrations were extremely variable and too low to be effective against common bacterial pathogens in dogs. Further studies with different ceftiofur dosage or other long-acting injectable antibiotics are warranted.

Fungal keratitis is a common disease in certain parts of the world and affects several species, including equids, camelids, and homo sapiens, leading to blindness or loss of the eye if the infection is not adequately controlled. Reports of clinical use of antifungals caspofungin and terbinafine are limited across both veterinary and human medical literature. The alpaca presented in this case demonstrates that deep keratomycosis can be caused by Scopulariopsis brevicaulis and Fusarium verticillioides, two previously unreported fungi to cause keratomycosis in camelids. This report demonstrates successful management with a combination of surgery and topical ophthalmic treatment with caspofungin 0.5% solution and terbinafine 1% dermatologic cream, after initially failing treatment with topical voriconazole 1% solution. Combination therapy appears more effective than monotherapy with some fungal organisms, and synergy between antifungal agents is thought to play a role in the success of combination therapy. Surgery to remove the bulk of the fungal infection is especially helpful in cases that fail initial medical therapy.