STV NewsDog owners whose pets have suffered eye damage after eating potentially contaminated dog food have told STV News that they fear their pets may require lifelong medication.
Premium dog food brand Years has urgently recalled their products after reports of dogs across the UK requiring medical treatment.
Among those feared to have been affected is six-year-old Cavapoo Lucy, who is in recovery after surgeons had to remove her eye.
She had been on a special diet of premium dog food by the brand Years.
On Monday night, the company issued an urgent recall of their products, citing reports of possible contamination, causing dry eye in dogs.
STV NewsThe recall came too late for Lucy as her eyes had developed ulcers, and despite expert treatment, she was in severe pain.
Her owners, David and Helen Glen, have paid close to £8,000 in vet bills so far. They fear others in less fortunate positions may be forced to put their beloved pets to sleep.
Lucy’s sister Harper was the first to suffer issues with her eye.
David Glen told STV News: “Around June, Harper started to paw away at her eyes, blinking and closing her eyes. We were told she had dry eyes, which wasn’t necessarily seen as being unusual.
“It wasn’t long before Lucy was getting the same thing. Then the conclusion was that the glands had stopped producing tears, and the thing is, it’s genetic.
“We thought it was weird, but we weren’t convinced. You don’t believe in coincidences like that. They are full sisters, a year apart, but for both to happen at the same time was just weird.
“We’ve taken them to their normal vet and then a specialist in dog eye care.
“Harper seemed to respond, and then, just over one weekend, there was a dramatic difference in Lucy. Her eyes were getting really sore, and she was starting to squint.
“As we put their medication in, gunk appeared. We took her to the emergency vet and continued with what they advised. On Monday morning, we went straight to the family vet. We knew that they were susceptible to ulcers; we knew she had some and was having treatment for that.
STV News“Lucy’s suddenly and dramatically got very deep and, horrifically, they burst. Basically exploded.”
A decision was made to remove Lucy’s right eye and give her a double graft on the left eye to hopefully save it.
Her owners are currently unsure how much vision she has remaining.
“The regime she’s on in terms of medication, plasma eye drops, pain medication, almost every hour, it’s unbelievable”, David explained.
“If this were a human being, it would be intensive care. We are intensive care, as it doesn’t exist for dogs. With two of us troubled trying to cope with it, I don’t know how anyone living on their own would deal with it.
“Bottom line, it’s the trauma the dogs have gone through and the stress and trauma for ourselves.
“When we took her to the vets that Monday, we could hear her squealing as the vet tried to open her eyes. The crying of pain from her.”
STV News“The vision of the vet walking out with her, the state of it”, Helen added.
“I knew it wasn’t genetic. Both at the same time. It’s heartbreaking, the scale of it.”
David said: “You can’t help getting angry when you discover [what might have caused it], having chosen a premium product, to try and give the dog the best nutrition possible. I know they’re still doing their research to fully understand what’s going on, but it’s very trying to process it. It screws your mind up.”
The couple have also raised concerns about why Years failed to issue an alert sooner, with customers reportedly raising concerns back in April.
“If they’d raised something in April, these two dogs wouldn’t have gone through what they’ve gone through”, Helen added. “That’s the bit that’s hard to swallow.
“We don’t know what the long-term prognosis is. We’re preparing for the fact that both dogs are likely going to be on some kind of medication for life. If they’re not producing tears, you basically have to produce tears for them, artificial tears, and other meds which are trying to stimulate the tear ducts.
Years say they have recalled their products as a precaution while an investigation takes place. 192 cases have now been reported across the UK.
Independent laboratory testing is ongoing to understand exactly what has happened.
They say owners should stop feeding their dogs Years fresh meals immediately and contact a vet if there are any concerns about a dog’s health.
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