Retinal dysplasia is a disease that occurs at the back of the eye when the photoreceptors start to fail. You will find that this disease becomes apparent in your dog at night, your dog will have night blindness.

It will be difficult for your Shih Tzu to get around when it gets darker, they will seem very clumsy.

As this disease gets worse, it will also affect your dog’s vision in the daytime, unfortunately, this can lead to total blindness.

Because this disease gets progressively worse your dog will adapt to its condition with the help of your veterinarian.

Your veterinarian will advise you that there is, at the moment, no treatment for this condition but it can be managed.

You should always pay attention to your Shih Tzus eyes as they are developing. If they start to develop problems you will see that their eyes will become red or swollen, they may also scratch their eyes.

If you notice this then contact your veterinarian right away so they can advise you on things you can do to help your dog.

As we have previously mentioned your dog would not normally walk into furniture and be generally clumsy, so as soon as you notice this unusual behavior then first check your dog’s eyes to see if they are red or swollen and if they are, seek professional help from your vet.

As I have already mentioned previously there is no known cure for retinal dysplasia, some dogs may only have a mild form of retinal dysplasia but they can quite easily learn to compensate and function normally around the home.

Retinal dysplasia is a disease that occurs at the back of the eye when the photoreceptors start to fail. You will find that this disease becomes apparent in your dog at night, your dog will have night blindness.

It will be difficult for your Shih Tzu to get around when it gets darker, they will seem very clumsy.

As this disease gets worse, it will also affect your dog’s vision in the daytime, unfortunately, this can lead to total blindness.

Because this disease gets progressively worse your dog will adapt to its condition with the help of your veterinarian.

Your veterinarian will advise you that there is, at the moment, no treatment for this condition but it can be managed.

You should always pay attention to your Shih Tzus eyes as they are developing. If they start to develop problems you will see that their eyes will become red or swollen, they may also scratch their eyes.

If you notice this then contact your veterinarian right away so they can advise you on things you can do to help your dog.

As we have previously mentioned your dog would not normally walk into furniture and be generally clumsy, so as soon as you notice this unusual behavior then first check your dog’s eyes to see if they are red or swollen and if they are, seek professional help from your vet.

As I have already mentioned previously there is no known cure for retinal dysplasia, some dogs may only have a mild form of retinal dysplasia but they can quite easily learn to compensate and function normally around the home.

Toy dogs like the Shih Tzu can also suffer from other eye problems like Proptosis. Proptosis is a disease when the eyeball dislodged from the socket and the eyelid can close behind it. This can be very painful for your Shih Tzu but can be repaired with surgery.

If this is not repaired then you’re dog can become blind, the symptoms are inflammation of the eye and the eye is moving forward in the eye socket.

As we have mentioned this can be repaired with surgery but it can be quite expensive, so you may want to look at purchasing pet-insurance to mitigate any possible issues.

Another eye problem that your Shih Tzu may have is Epiphora. Epiphora Is used by veterinarians to describe when your dog’s ears overflow and that causes the white fur below the eyes to stain.

Other eye problems can include cataracts, ulcers of the cornea and other eye infections. They can also suffer from entropion which is when one or both of the eyelids turn inwards facing the eyeball.

This causes the eyelashes to continually rub against the eyeball which causes irritation for your dog. In the most severe cases, there is surgery available to help.

If your dog’s eyes do show signs of excessive discharge or your dog is constantly rubbing or scratching their eyes, then we would recommend that you have your dog examined by a veterinarian who has some experience with eye problems.

If you notice your Shih Tzu experiences abnormal discharge or it keeps rubbing his or her eyes, it would recommend having your veterinarian perform a physical examination as soon as possible.