Hereditary Eye Diseases in German Shepherd Dog

Abstract

Hereditary eye diseases occur to varying degrees in all dog breeds. Individual purebred breeds have specific predispositions to various eye disorders. The German Shepherd is diagnosed mainly with chronic superficial keratitis/pannus, but also with: distichiasis, plasmoma/atypical pannus, corneal dystrophy, persistent pupillary membranes, cataract, cone degeneration, retinal dysplasia, optic nerve hypoplasia/micropapilla, and limbal melanoma. Individual ocular abnormalities are manifested by characteristic clinical manifestations and ophthalmological findings. Some eye diseases can lead to blindness, others affect the comfort of life or work use of the dog to varying degrees. A thorough knowledge of individual ocular pathologies in a particular breed leads not only to the identification of the diagnosis but also to the correct assessment of the dog’s breeding usability.

Novel Treatment of Chronic Superficial Keratitis in Dog – Case Report

“…Currently, there is no cure for CSK, and no standard treatment is yet determined (Bedford and Longstaffe 1979). Therapeutic success is considered as delay of progression which can be achieved by topical application of corticosteroids alone or in combination with cyclosporine but only in mild cases (Williams et al 1995;Maggs et al 2007;Beteg et al 2021;Zubrický and Trbolová 2022). In cases where immunosuppressive treatments are not effective, more invasive therapeutic approaches such as superficial keratectomy, radiotherapy (Allgoewer and Hoecht 2010), or cryosurgery (Holmberg et al 1986).…”