Glaucoma and the Basset Hound

While the Basset Hound is generally a healthy and robust dog breed, it is susceptible to certain illnesses, diseases and disorders. Glaucoma is just one of the problems that are common in Basset Hounds. Simply put, glaucoma is an increase of pressure within the eye.

There are many causes of glaucoma in the Basset Hound; many of them are thought to be hereditary or inherent do to the structure of the breed’s eye and surrounding tissues. Other cases of glaucoma can be traced back to disease, infection or trauma. But even in these cases, veterinarians believe that the Basset Hound is more susceptible to developing glaucoma after a traumatic event than other breeds due to a genetic defect.

To understand why glaucoma affects Basset Hounds, you must first understand how the canine eye is structured. There are certain structures within the eye that are involved in the development of glaucoma. They are in the anterior part of the eye and include the iris, ciliary body, the anterior and posterior chambers, the filtration angle and the intrascleral drainage plexus. Here is a brief look at how these parts of the eye work:

The iris divides the fluid cavity into the anterior and posterior chambers
The ciliary body secretes inner eye fluid.
The filtration angle is where the fluid is drained when the chambers have become full.
After moving through the filtration angle, excess fluid then enters the intrascleral plexus.

When the excess eye fluid is drained through the filtration angle, it first has to pass by the pectinate ligaments before it can reach the intrascleral plexus. Genetic thickening of these ligaments is what is believed to contribute to the glaucoma problem in Basset Hounds.

There are many signs and symptoms associated with glaucoma in the Basset Hound. Here are some of the identifying marks of glaucoma:

Increase in intraocular pressure
Pain
Cloudy eye
Insensitive surface of the cornea
Dilated pupil
Narrowed distance between cornea and iris
Enlarged eye
Vision loss
Corneal changes

If your Basset Hound has developed glaucoma, there are a couple of treatment options available to you. They include control through medication and surgery. While there are some medications available that can help reduce pressure in the eye and prolong the occurrence of blindness, medical treatments are usually a stall tactic at best. That is why most veterinarians recommend and combination of drug therapy and surgery to successfully treat glaucoma.

For the simple reason that glaucoma is hereditary, it is of utmost importance to breeders, veterinarians and Basset Hound owners alike. This is because the only way to prevent glaucoma incidents from increasing among Basset Hounds is to decrease the genetic defects contributing to glaucoma through conscientious breeding.

You can also protect yourself from purchasing a Basset Hound that is likely to develop glaucoma by screening kennels for the presence of the disease. Stay away from lines that show a prevalence of glaucoma. Choose instead, lines that have little occurrence of this painful disease.