Watch out for uveitis

Last week Cosmo the lab got a condition called “uveitis” Mommy had never heard of it but it was quite a scare and not uncommon. I found this article from Petplace.com that explains the condition. Luckily, the cause of his uveitis was “ideopathic” which means they don’t know why he got it. And he’s fine now. But here’s some information for you:

Anterior uveitis is inflammation that affects the front or anterior part of the eye called the uvea, which is the dark tissue of the eye that contains blood vessels. The iris – the tissue that makes up the pupil – is typically involved. The posterior part of the eye may or may not be affected.

The causes of anterior uveitis include:

Immune-mediated conditions, in which the body attacks its own tissues
Infections from viruses, parasites, fungi, bacteria, rickettsia
Tumors or cancers
Trauma or injury to the eye
Metabolic disease elsewhere in the body that is affecting the eye
Idiopathic, which means the cause is unknown
Lens-induced, which is caused by the escape of lens protein into the eye fluid and is most frequently associated with cataracts

Older animals are more likely to have tumors, and indoor/outdoor pets are more likely to be exposed to infectious causes than pets housed strictly indoors.

If you want to read the rest of the article, go to PetPlace.com here.