Entropion in labradors

After suffering weeks of runny eyes, my young labrador has been diagnosed with entropion and may require repeated surgery. Is this right? Might he not grow out of it?

Neil says: Entropion is the inversion of one or more of the eyelids, resulting in contact between the hairs of the eyelid and the surface of the eye. The consequences are excessive tear production, blinking, inflammation and/or ulceration of the cornea, and self-trauma. The condition has an inherited nature and affected individuals should not be bred from and the dam/sire mating not repeated. While some breeds – shar pei and chow, for example – can benefit from temporary ‘tacking’ of the eyelids, this is not usually the case in labradors. Since the problem generally occurs due to the eyelids being overlong and everting, surgical correction often requires both a wedge excision to shorten them and eversion to turn them back out. The procedure is complex and sometimes repeated surgeries are needed, even with the most experienced surgeons. I don’t think your dog will grow out of this and you should take action to avoid further discomfort and secondary issues. Dogs are best assessed for entropion when their head carriage is down, as some cases are only obvious when the head is in this position. Any puppy with a runny eye should be examined carefully.