Swollen eye and face.

Dr. Marie replied:

I'm very sorry to hear that your dog is struggling with this. I have had a couple of cases like this and it is often hard to know exactly what is going on.

Unfortunately, the most likely possibility would be if there was a tumor, possibly behind the eye. Sometimes tumors can become infected. This could explain why there was some improvement with antibiotics.

Another possibility is if he has an abscess behind his eye. If this were the case then antibiotics would definitely help. But, often an abscess doesn't completely heal unless the abscess is drained. The way that we would test for an abscess behind the eye is to administer an anesthetic and then place a needle just behind the back molars and see if any pus comes out. If so, then a scalpel blade is put in this area to drain it. This type of abscess is called a retrobulbar abscess. However, most dogs that I have seen with a retrobulbar abscess are very painful when they try to open their mouths.

Another possibility is an infection in a tooth root. A carnassial tooth abscess can definitely cause swelling all around the face. Again, it would improve somewhat with antibiotics but won't go away until the tooth is removed. Usually we can tell if there is a carnassial tooth abscess by looking at the tooth, but not always.

Where we go from here is a tough decision. Ideally, the best option would be to have a CT scan done of Cauby's head. This really should tell us if there is a tumor or where there is infection. However, a CT scan can be pricey (like around $1000).

The next option would be to have your vet administer an anesthetic and look for an infection behind the eye and also remove the carnassial tooth on that side.

And if those options are too expensive then your vet may be willing to continue to prescribe the antibiotic that was working.

I really hope things improve. Let me know if you have more questions.

Dr. Marie.


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