We have recently taken on an adult (4 years) chow chow. However we are worried about his eyes, as they seem very very runny and teary, so teary it soaks the upper lids, with a lot of black around them. I know some chows are a bit teary anyway, but he seems really quite bad. Compared to the chows I have seen looking through some pictures he looks terrible with his eyes and they seem all out of shape. I understand their is a condition chows can get which involves problems with the eye. Can a chow savvy member please tell me a bit more about the condition and how/if it can be treated, costs involved, when it surfaces and so on. Any help would be greatly appreciated, even if you could email me at epilogueofyouth@yahoo.co.uk - thanks!

Because their head conformation (deep set eyes and heavy brows) the breed is more prone to developing a condition called Entropion. In this condition they eyelids roll in and therefore the lashes and lids rub on the eye. It can vary from mild to severe. It can be treated by operating to make the lids less tight and sit away from the eye.

Also any eye infection would tend to be worse in this breed, causing the lids to swell and possibly cause a te,porary condition.

Her is one site with various eye diseases and their treatment explained in simple terms. http://www.eyevet.org/