That's great news Hugh.

its good to consult the doctor first.

Yes, horrible things, ulcers, so glad all went well, Hugh

Relieved to say they were pleased with Katie yesterday - ST test was 18 and 21. The vet this time was foreign & I really struggled to understand her, so saved most of my questions for next time.

Still on 12 x drops. She used to be really good, as I always gave her treats afterwards, but, of course, I can't do that now as her eyes would run & loose the drops. So, as she's not getting anything out of it, she really struggles & it's very difficult without someone to hold her, especially as one lot is via a syringe.

Another drop is called Optixcare & I bought the 3rd tube yesterday. They only give you a receipt, not an itemised bill, but I noticed on the computer screen that this was £24. I was fuming to discover today that this can be bought online (no prescription) for about £6. I don't resent forking out thousands for an op, because you're paying for their knowledge & expertise, but a 400% mark-up on a tube of gel that doesn't last much more than a week is a total rip-off.

The saliva dries to a hard crust & they said I wasn't cleaning her eyes well enough (I am pretty useless at it, mainly because I'm frightened of hurting her). Anyway, I noticed they used a saline drip to flush eyes before they wiped them, so I've bought one & a large syringe & some gauze swabs. Lots of messing about & I'm still not making that good a job of it, but great improvement on just doing it with boiled water, so if there's anyone else out there equally useless at removing gunk it might be worth giving it a go.

Wow,that's a great improvement on Katie's readings Sure you're well pleased with that Rita.Will you stop being so hard on yourself,you are doing a great job with her,taking such good care of her I clean Lacey's eye with Luke warm.previously boiled water.She has her own special cloths,I steep them in a basin of boiling water to wash them so there's no washing powder or fabric softener from the machine.Sometimes if her eye looks a bit irritated I bathe it with a little warm tea,great for getting the gunk off too,seems to soothe as well I'm ready to order my next batch of Clinitas,will order more this time now that I know its brilliant( not that I doubted your recommendation for a second )
Pity Katie can't the treats,she's sounds so good with all this,bless her.Guess you have to be cruel to be kind sometimes and just go with it
Fingers crossed for Katie xx

Thanks, Eileen. I've been doing similar to you - seems the kettle is always on the boil - think I just don't wipe hard enough to remove the crusted bits, but this saline drip stuff seems to loosen it.

Yes, am so relieved things are looking a bit more optimistic. Lovely to have her home, even though she's a little misery guts at the moment. Going to spoil her rotten when she's able to run about & am going to try never to be too tired to play (though doubt if I'll stick to that one!).

Just remembered something else they said, which is, if you're not sure whether a drop went in properly, don't put another in to make up for it straight away, but wait about 5 minutes, as the sac can only hold 1 drop & if another is put in it all rolls out.

I use a wee bottle and spray Lacey's drops in.She freaks out if I go near her with a dropper So its a win win drops go in,she remains calm Checked with the vet and he said he didn't care how I got them in,as long as I got them in Morning one's are simple,cause she knows she goes for a walk straight after
Does Katie still have her collar on?

Yes, collar still on till at least the next appointment on Wednesday

They were pleased with Katie on Wednesday, even though tear test was down to 12 in both eyes. The higher readings at last appointment may have been due to inflammation following op. Collar is off at last & she can run around & play normally. Number of drops have also been reduced, so a bit easier to cope with.

There have been some contradictions in the advice given, depending who we've seen. I was initially told she'd have to be fed every 2 hours. On Wednesday, we saw someone new who said twice a day is sufficient. Pre-op I was told there would be no need for artificial tears, but the surgeon said she would have to be on them for life. When I queried this, I was told that different vets have different views, which isn't very helpful. To be on the safe side, however, I've decided to continue with the Clinitas, but only about 4 times a day now.

They would normally change diet to Hills S/D to reduce crystals, but, as I don't like ingredients, she'll have tablets instead (which cost a fortune!). They told me that alkaline levels will not reduce to an extent that would be injurious to health in other respects.

For the benefit of anyone in a similar situation reading this in the future, I'll just try to summarize Katie's experience of the stages leading up to parotid duct transposition op

(1) If Optimmune doesn't work (it struggles at a tear reading of below 2), a blood test is taken to eliminate a thyroid disorder

(2) Then try Tacrolimus for about 8 weeks to see if that helps (horrible stuff to put in - oozes out of tube as soon as take lid off - warming up in hands 1st helps a bit)

(3) If that fails, an increasing number of drops are put in food for about 2 weeks. If problem is neurological, this should stimulate tear production. A symptom of neurological cause is a dry nose. (Of course, the immune system is the most usual cause, but I was told that certain antibiotics can also set it off, as can distemper as a puppy)

If none of the above work, the operation really is a last resort. At the moment, I'm glad Katie had it - her eyes look much better to me & are no longer producing gunk - but it's early days & the op is not a cure.

As far as expense is concerned, it's worth bearing in mind that this doesn't end with the cost of the operation. There will also be check-up charges and expensive medication.

What I would advice is that anyone whose dog has conjunctivitis even once, or excessively gunky eyes (especially if it's a snub nosed, bulgy eyed breed) should ask the vet to do a tear test. Conjunctivitis can be a symptom of dry eye; it does not cause it.

Great advice Rita and lovely to hear you are glad Katie had the op and is doing well Pity there are so many different views from different vets but from what I can gather from you you'll go with what's working for Katie...good for you I say

Thanks, Eileen. She's overjoyed to be able to play and that I'll let her watch her favourite programme (Coronation Street) again, now that I don't have to worry about her getting over-excited (I've got a dog gate surrounding the TV or it would have been smashed ages ago by the little monster!)