Causes, outcomes, and owner satisfaction of dogs undergoing enucleation with orbital implant placement

To describe clinical and histopathologic pre-operative diagnoses as well as associated post-operative complications following orbital silicone implantation in dogs undergoing enucleation and evaluate owner satisfaction.

One hundred and eighty-six dogs who underwent enucleation with orbital implant.

Medical records from dogs that underwent enucleation with orbital implant performed at Virginia-Maryland Veterinary Teaching Hospital between 2007 and 2019 were reviewed. Owners were surveyed via telephone regarding client satisfaction.

Enucleation followed by orbital implant placement occurred in 215 eyes of 186 dogs. The most common pre-operative diagnoses were glaucoma (68.8%), uveitis (17.7%), cataracts (15.8%), intraocular neoplasia (13.0%), and lens luxation (10.7%). The most common histopathologic diagnoses were retinal degeneration (46.5%), uveitis (39.5%), cataract (29.8%), retinal detachment (27.4%), and secondary glaucoma (26.5%). Fourteen eyes (6.5%) from ten dogs had post-operative complications reported including orbit cellulitis (n = 11), implant migration (n = 1), and implant extrusion (n = 1). Five of these dogs (50%) had concurrent diabetes mellitus. Median complication time from surgery was 41 days (range: 11-541 days). Ninety-five owner survey responses were completed with a median time of 6.3 years following surgery. Most owners, 85.3% (n = 81), were satisfied with the post-operative outcome.

Enucleation with implantation of an orbital implant is a viable and safe method for irreversibly blind eyes. Diabetes mellitus may be a risk factor for the development of post-operative complications. Intraocular neoplasia was not associated with development of post-operative complications. Results of this study indicated high owner satisfaction rates for improving cosmetic appearance after enucleation in dogs.