States with year-round warm climates, such as Texas, provide excellent conditions for mosquitoes, and heartworms become a greater threat wherever mosquitoes thrive. These parasites live in your pet’s heart and lungs, but the larvae travel throughout the body and sometimes wind up in the eyes. April is Heartworm Awareness Month and the Envision More Veterinary [...]
Rabbits, rodents, reptiles, birds, and fish may not be as common pets as dogs or cats, but many households choose to own an exotic pet. Like most pets, exotic species can develop eye issues ranging from mild to serious, and inconsequential to blinding. You can’t prevent every eye disease process in these pets, but proper [...]
Pet poisonings are one of the most common reasons for veterinary emergency visits. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control center receives hundreds of calls each day about pets who have ingested potentially toxic items, and some of these pets suffer serious medical consequences. While most toxins cause organ damage or acute illness, your pet’s eyes can [...]
One of the most serious “red eye” causes in dogs is primary glaucoma, which can quickly become vision-threatening in affected pets. Pets who develop glaucoma are born with a genetic predisposition and the disease develops later in life—progressing from one eye to include both. The Envision More Veterinary Ophthalmology team believes early intervention is vital [...]
Most cats develop an upper respiratory infection at least once in their lifetime, with most infections occurring during kittenhood or early adulthood. The pathogens that cause these infections are highly contagious among cats, so most cats are eventually exposed, and they often become life-long carriers after their acute infection has resolved. Several of the most [...]
For dogs, cats, and many other pet species, dental health plays a key role in establishing overall wellness. Poor oral health leads to pain, decreased eating, chewing, and playing ability, and dangerous systemic infection. February is National Pet Dental Health Month, so the Envision More Veterinary Ophthalmology team is getting in on the action and [...]
The Texas climate is warm—or downright hot—for much of the year, but temperatures often drop significantly during the winter months. While these temperatures rarely reach dangerous lows, they can still endanger pets who are accustomed to much warmer weather. Also, global temperatures and weather patterns are changing and becoming less predictable, so preparing for a [...]
Occasional eye redness in dogs is often nothing to worry about, and may be caused by household irritants, a mild allergy, or breed-specific appearance (i.e., droopy lower lids in Basset hounds). Inflammation of the pinkish tissues lining your dog’s eyelids and sclera (i.e., conjunctivitis) commonly causes mild redness and discharge in young or allergic dogs, [...]
Diabetes affects a pet’s entire body and metabolism, and can cause many complications, including high blood pressure, altered liver function, high cholesterol, or nerve damage. Eye disease is one of the most common diabetic complications in pets, and often leads to blindness. The Envision More Veterinary Ophthalmology team recommends that diabetic pets have an eye [...]
Blindness is common in pets, and while we are able to address some vision loss conditions, we have few or ineffective treatment options for others. Thankfully, pets rely on vision less than humans because they navigate their world using scent, so blind pets can adapt by sharpening their other senses. Recent studies show that blind [...]
