Chronic superficial keratitis (pannus) is an immune-mediated eye disease requiring lifelong treatment to prevent progressive vision loss and associated welfare harms.
Progressive vision loss from uncontrolled pannus causes significant welfare impact. Dogs rely heavily on vision for environmental navigation, social interaction, and quality of life. A dog progressing to blindness from inadequately treated pannus experiences a worsening ability to engage with its environment, increased anxiety in unfamiliar situations, and loss of many activities it previously enjoyed. The welfare irony is that this outcome is largely preventable with consistent medication use, making poorly managed pannus a welfare failure rooted in treatment non-compliance rather than therapeutic limitation.