Surgery for Entropin (eyes)

Question
Andrew our pbp is 2. Last year he was diagnosed with Entropin, not sure of the spelling, yesterday he went to the U and they said
he can't see at all. They gased him and showed us all the layers of tissue that has grown over his eye. They want to do surgery Tues, May3. They will make an incision from ear to ear across his forhead, take out tissue and incisions above and below each eye lid to pull the eyelashes outward. He will have to stay a few days.
I can't imagine the stress this will be on Andrew. He has had surgery before on a broken tooth, did great. But yesterday, after taking the gas mask off he couldn't catch his breath, he was so upset. (He had tusks sawed and shots). I value your opinion very much, what do you think? I feel Andrew should have the chance to see.  With gratitude always, lynn

Answer
Entropion happens when the eyelid (usually the lower lid) folds inward. It's painful, as the eyelashes constantly rub against the eyeball. It can cause scarring and permanent vision loss. Sadly, it's not uncommon in pot-bellied pigs with lots of facial fat and wrinkles.

Entropion is due to genetics, and obesity can make the problem worse. Pigs with cute, deeply wrinkled faces have fatty pockets in those wrinkles. When these pigs gain weight, the fatty pockets grow. In severe cases the fatty pockets can completely hide the eye socket. Sometimes, entropion can be avoided by keeping these pigs on the slim side.

But when the cause is purely genetic, surgery is the only solution. Left untreated, it causes painful blindness.

Dogs with wrinkly faces are also prone to entropion so the surgery itself is fairly routine. The problem is that pigs have trouble with the after effects of anesthesia. Usually, the older and sicker the pig, the greater the danger of post-surgical heart failure. It's important that the pig wake up fully within a few hours, otherwise they can go into hypothermia and die.

In my opinion (I am not a veterinarian), if Andrew is watched carefully in the hours after surgery, he will probably be Ok. Surgery will be stressful for him, but the stress is temporary and the problem will be solved permanently. A little temporary stress is far better than constant pain and blindness.  

Ask your vet if you can be with him when they take off the mask and he wakes up. Your presence will help keep him calm.  Andrew is young (and I'm assuming he's also a good weight and healthy except for the entropion), and ISO gas is by far the safest anesthesia, so the risk of post-surgical complications is small.