Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca in dogs : Analysis and Treatment

Abstract In this thesis have three topics to discuss： 1. Investigation of 201 cases of Canine Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca in Taiwan. 2. Investigation of the association between tear production and neutering in the dog. 3. Clinical evaluation of traditional Chinese medicines for the treatment of canine keratoconjunctivitis sicca: A comparison with cyclosporine A. Investigation of 201 cases of Canine Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca in Taiwan This is a retrospective study of data analyses from 201 cases with keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) referred to the National Taiwan University Veterinary Hospital, Taiwan. There were 23 breeds in the study, with three most affected breeds, namely Shih-Tzu, Maltese and American cocker spaniel, making up 59.2% of the cases. Among all cases, the mean age at onset of clinical signs was eight years and one month, with no statistical difference between females and males. Clinical signs consisted mainly of corneal pigmentation, mucopurulent discharge and corneal ulceration. In contrast, shih-tzu and malteses showed higher incidence of corneal ulceration. Severe corneal pigmentation occurred in shih-tzu. There was no significant difference in mucopurulent discharge in all breeds. The results of this study revealed interbreed differences with respect to sex, age and risks of corneal pigmentation, and corneal ulceration that have not been detailed previously in a referral population in Taiwan. Investigation of the association between tear production and neutering in the dog Abstract To investigate the effects of gender on tear production in normal and neutered dogs. Two-hundred healthy ophthalmoscopically and systemically unremarkable dogs. Schirmer tear tests (STT) were performed every month on two eyes of each of 200 dogs: 100 sexually mature females, 100 sexually mature males. There was a significant effect of gender in neutered dogs on the STT measurement. When compared to normal male dogs, the mean STT value of neutered male ones decreased from 18.6 ± 3.1 mm to 15.5 ± 2.9 mm. Similar results were found in neutered female dogs which their mean STT value was significantly lower than normal female dogs (from 19.2 ± 3.3 mm to 16.5 ± 4.5 mm). Tear production decreased with gender in the neutered dog. In this population of dogs, the largest difference was nearly 19 months (male neutered dogs: 18.4 ± 7.8 months; female neutered dogs: 20.3 ± 5.6 months), STT measurements that amounted to 7.19 mm (male neutered dogs: 7.68 ± 1.1 mm; female neutered dogs: 6.7 ± 1.2 mm). This value is likely to be of clinical significance in the diagnosis of keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS). No studies in the veterinary literature have investigated variations in the presentation and clinical signs of KCS between neutering and KCS in dogs. Our results showed that incidence of KCS in the neutered dogs is 9.5%, depending on the report and how the data were obtained, while the incidence in normal dogs is approximately 1–4%. Clinical evaluation of traditional Chinese medicines for the treatment of canine keratoconjunctivitis sicca: A comparison with cyclosporine A Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) is a term used to describe a condition of decreased tear production. Another commonly used term to describe this disease is ""dry eye"". Cyclosporine A (CsA) is an efficient treatment for KCS. However, a significant number of canine KCS patients do not respond to CsA treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) in alleviating the clinical signs of KCS in dogs and to compare the efficacy with that of CsA ointment. This study included 19 dogs with KCS previously untreated with CsA. Dogs were randomly assigned to a treatment group and medicated daily for 8 weeks. After that time, the schirmer tear test result was 19.3±1.7 mm/min in the TCM group and 21.2±1.2 mm/min in the CsA group. The improvement in the clinical signs of inflammation in eyes treated with the TCM was equal to that in eyes treated with CsA (P=0.58). In conclusion, the results of this study showed that the TCM is safe to use and the efficacy was equal to that of CsA. In addition, the method of oral administration was simpler, and the treatment was less expensive than CsA ointment for the control of KCS in dogs.