PetCaseFinder

Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Ferret with eye irritation from extra eyelashes and treatment

By Verboven, Chantal A.P.M. et al.·Published in Veterinary Ophthalmology·2013·Section of Ophthalmology Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Utrecht University Utrecht The Netherlands, Netherlands·View original on Crossref

PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →

Original publication title: Distichiasis in a ferret (Mustela putorius furo)

Species:
rodent

Plain-English summary

A 4-year-old male ferret was brought to the vet with symptoms like squinting, excessive tearing, and eye irritation in his right eye. The vet found that he had extra eyelashes growing from the eyelid, a condition called distichiasis, which was causing the discomfort. The vet first removed the extra hairs using a special technique, but the symptoms returned about 10 weeks later. A follow-up exam showed more abnormal hairs, which were then surgically removed again. After the second treatment, the ferret recovered well, although the exact cause of the extra hairs remains unclear.

People also search for: ferret eye problems · distichiasis in ferrets · ferret eye surgery recovery

Abstract

AbstractA 4‐year‐old intact male ferret was presented to the Ophthalmology Service of the Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals of Utrecht University with chronic blepharospasm, epiphora, and conjunctivitis of the right eye. Examination of the eye revealed mild conjunctivitis and three hairs protruding from the openings of meibomian glands in the upper eyelid, providing the clinical diagnosis of distichiasis. The distichia were removed by transconjunctival unipolar electrocautery. Recovery was uneventful, but the original signs recurred 10 weeks after surgery. Ophthalmic examination revealed another distichia at a different location in the same eyelid and it was removed by full‐thickness wedge excision. Histopathological examination failed to reveal the exact origin of the distichia. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of distichiasis in a ferret.

Find similar cases for your pet

PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.

Search related cases →

Original publication on Crossref: https://doi.org/10.1111/vop.12107