Prevalence of primary glaucoma among dogs from Bulgaria: A single-center retrospective study

The objective of current study was to investigate the incidence of primary glaucoma in patients from the University Veterinary Hospital of Trakia University, Stara Zagora for the period from January 2012 to December 2024 in terms of dogs’ breed, age and sex. Information was collected from the clinical database and processed. All affected animals have undergone complete clinical and ophthalmic examination. During the period, 208 (0.33%) out of 62,792 dogs treated at the Veterinary University Hospital of Trakia University have been diagnosed with primary glaucoma. The illness was registered in 22 breeds and was more common in mixed breed dogs (15.38%) followed by Miniature Pinscher (13.46%), Siberian Husky (9.61%) and Chihuahua (9.61%). Four new affected breeds including Putbull (1.92%), Laika (1.92%), Bulgarian Hound dog (7.69%) and Bicolor hound (1.92%) were identified. The mean age of onset of glaucoma was 7.58±2.25 years and the female to male ratio was 1.5:1. Primary glaucoma occurred in the right eye in 38 dogs, in left eye in 46 and bilaterally in 124 animals. The findings of the current study outlined the four most affected breeds suffering from primary glaucoma in Bulgaria and suggest careful observation of the dogs from these breeds after the 7th year of life.