'How is something I gave him causing this?': Owner’s anguish over pet dog’s eye damage

For the last few months, Tzana Webster had no idea what was causing her dog Hoopey’s painful eye problems.

The dog had developed severe dry eyes and needed constant medication and pain relief.

Then, on Monday evening, Tzana received an email from the company whose food she had been feeding him.

Years, which provides personalised products in a subscription-based service, has issued an urgent recall of its fresh meals following reports that they could be linked to serious eye problems in dogs.

Tzana, who lives in Fife, says she immediately feared the food could have been behind Hoopey’s illness.

“I picked up the email and I just looked and said, ‘Oh my God’ and I grabbed him from the end of the bed and hugged him and just started crying,” she told STV News.

She said Hoopey had been in “absolute agony”.

“His eyes were often closed because of the pain and his sight deteriorated so badly that he began walking around the edge of rooms because he could not see properly,” explained Tzana.

He is now wearing protective goggles and needs regular eye drops and pain relief.

Hoopey has to wear protective goggles STV News

The company said it had received 192 reports of potential, but unverified, eye problems among its customers by Wednesday morning.

It had previously reported 57 suspected cases.

Years has told owners to stop feeding its fresh meals to their dogs “immediately”.

The company said its investigation had identified buckwheat as a potential contributing factor and that it was looking into possible contamination within the supply chain.

For Tzana, the recall has provided a possible explanation for months of worry about Hoopey’s health.

“I’m going to get teary just now, but how is something that I just gave him possibly causing this.”

Other dog owners across Scotland have also told STV News they have seen similar problems, with cases reported in Stirling, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dunfermline and Perthshire.

Denise Lees, from Stirlingshire, says her dog Alfie has been in pain suffering from severe dry eyes.

“Alfie is in constant pain and discomfort right now,” she told STV News. “He’s on antibiotics, eye lotion at night, lubricant drops for during the day and immunosuppressant medication and two different kinds of pain killers.”

Alfie had started eating Years food products in April of this year. Denise says he started to itch and “seemed a bit off” a few weeks later, eventually leading him to be taken to the vet as his conditioned worsened and he appeared to suffer greater discomfort.

Alfie was being fed Years meals beginning in April STV News

“The vet thought it was conjunctivitis and they gave us eye drops for him,” said Denise.

“It didn’t get any better, so we took him back and that’s when they did a tear test and found he had zero tear production in both eyes.

“Our vet was puzzled to see it in both eyes. They put a referral into an ophthalmologist and we’re due back tomorrow to find out if Alfie will need invasive surgery.

“This would mean redirecting his saliva glands to his eyes to give lubrication.”

Denise did not know there were any concerns or possible links to Alfie’s food until Monday night when Years sent an email to their subscribers warning them of the product recall.

Years said symptoms to look out for include excessive blinking or squinting, pawing at the eyes, thick discharge and general discomfort.

The company has confirmed an independent investigation is under way and is advising owners whose dogs show symptoms to contact their vet promptly and mention the product recall.