Causes of Glaucoma in Dogs

Glaucoma is caused by irregular intraocular pressure in the eye. An eye needs to constantly add and remove fluid from itself in order to maintain its shape. It does this to properly maintain the pressure it needs to be able to operate. There can be several causes of glaucoma in dogs, which are mostly relative to which type of glaucoma your dog is experiencing.

Regardless however, if left untreated your dog could suffer from permanent damage up to and including blindness.

Primary Glaucoma

Primary glaucoma occurs in dogs that have a genetic predisposition to the disease, not because of an underlying condition. As an example, your dog may have drainage pores that are too small, or angled incorrectly, resulting in increased fluid pressure.
Primary glaucoma is quite common in Cocker Spaniels, Beagles, and Basset Hounds, although it can also occur in Miniature Poodles, Norwegian Elkhounds, Dachshunds, and a few other breads. In all of these breeds, the trait is prevalent from birth, although it does not usually begin to onset until at least three years of age. The disease continues to develop over the dog's lifetime, getting progressively worse. Interestingly enough, it does not develop at the same speed in each eye. It can take years before it even develops in the second eye.

Secondary Glaucoma

Secondary glaucoma occurs when the condition is not genetic, and it is being caused by another problem. Let's say for example your dog suffered an eye injury, and it resulted in an inflammation while the eye was healing. If for some reason the eye does not heal properly, particularly the pores that allow draining of the fluids, it can lead to secondary glaucoma.

Secondary glaucoma is most commonly caused by:

• Inflammation of the eye - This can be caused by anything from allergic reactions to damage to the actual eye. Anything that causes increased eye pressure is a candidate.
• General eye injuries - Any time the pores are damaged and do not heal properly, or damage is causing the liquid in the dog's eye to be too thick, secondary glaucoma may develop.
• A dislocated lens - A dislocated lens can cause secondary glaucoma as well, due to the inability for a dogs eye to operate properly.
• Eye tumors - Eye tumors are notorious for causing eye glaucoma, because of the increased pressure their presence causes.

Unfortunately almost any eye injury your dog suffers has a chance to develop into secondary glaucoma. The best thing you can do in this situation is treat the underlying condition quickly and properly.