21 Jun 2024
Vets at a West Yorkshire hospital have treated a dog with an eye condition they had not seen before and which they believe he contracted while abroad.
Holly Hamilton
Job Title
A dog is expected to make a full recovery after contracting a rare eye condition that vets at a West Yorkshire practice had not seen before.
Clinicians at the Abbey House Veterinary Hospital in Morley believe the border collie, named Ben, contracted Thelazia, also known as eye worms, in Europe.
Vet and clinical director James Baker said: “There have only been a few reports about Thelazia. I don’t think any of our vets have ever seen a case; I certainly never have until now.”
The condition is transmitted via flies that feed on eye secretions of dogs – picking up eggs from one dog and passing infective larvae on to another, where they mature into worms, which typically live underneath the third eyelid on the surface of the eye.
Rarely seen in the UK, it is thought that Ben is likely to have contracted the parasite in Spain, Italy or France while travelling with his owner.
He needed to be sedated to physically remove the worms, before a worming tablet was administered.
Dr Baker added: “There was quite some inflammation in the conjunctival tissues, but no apparent corneal damage and we expect Ben to make a full recovery.”
