*kirty*

Hehe

Lollipup, I have no idea about people sorry. :) We can't ask a dog about their vision of course so we tend to simplify it into useful vision (doesn't bump into things, can navigate, find food, etc) and non-useful vision (bumps into things, can't find their way around, etc).

Aww thanks. Emma was the most beautiful girl and it broke all of our hearts when her surgery didn't go to plan. She rewrote the book unfortunately. Most surgeries do go well, and I would do it on my own dog. But as with all surgeries, unfortunately there are no guarantees.

Yep, thats what I meant with thr smartie analogy - lens capsule is the shell, lens protein is the chocolate. :) When we don't put a lens in, we just leave an empty bag. Dogs can see well enough to get around without any lens. When we remove a luxated lens, the whole thing is removed. Some dogs have bilat lens lux and they see OK.

Its the most common colour we see in young Staffords at work. But yes, people still pay stupid prices for them.

We remove the front of the lens capsule, shatter/suck out the lens protein, then put the artificial lens in.

Aww Bunter is gorgeous! :) We don't shave them here. :) Lollipup, we always prefer to put a lens in but dogs dont need them like people do (dogs dont need to read the paper lol).

Hehe you must have been a good girl and not rubbed yoir eyes. :)

I agree, but some people think that one week rest + e-collar + 8-10 drops a day = hard work. And it is crucial that people follow the instructions very closely to get maximum results. When we do the surgery, we are removing the cloudiness. The lens helps with detailed and close-up vision. Dogs with cataracts go completely blind. By removing the cloudiness, the dog can navigate, find toys, etc. Ideally we put in a lens, but if it can't be done, the dog will still have useful vision.

I work at an animal eye specialist so hopefully I can answer some of your questions. :) If the cataracts are the type that will progress, I would do surgery. You can wait a little while, but eventually the cataracts will cause inflammation and once you have inflammation, your success rate starts to drop. If you ignore the inflammation, this can lead to glaucoma (increased pressure in the eye) and this is painful and eventually eye removal. However, even if you do the surgery there are no guarantees unfortunately. Sometimes for whatever reason, a dog can develop complications and glaucoma is one of these risks. After surgery though, your dog will be closely monitored and generally pressure can be controlled with drops. The after-care is quite involved (lots of drops, e-collar, rest, etc) but generally the long term rewards are worth it. :) Young dogs usually make great candidates but there are other things to consider with young ones. At our clinic, we don't put artificial lenses in young dogs. This is because they sometimes get some lens capsule scarring or regrowth down the track (older dogs don't get this). If this happens, we can go back in and do a second surgery to remove the scarring. Often we can put a lens in at this later date. Feel free to send me a PM if you have any other questions. :) ETA: with dogs, we don't remove the whole lens. Imagine the lens as a smartie - we 'suck out' the lens protein ('chocolate') and leave the capsule ('shell') in place. Then the artificial lens sits inside the capsule.

I'm sure Red Dog hasn't helped, but Kelpies and Kelpie crosses have been up there with the most commonly dumped dogs for many many years. They are cheap and easy to source and they are not suitable for everyone.

Me too. I'll keep everything crossed!

Poor Kibah. If you want to take a photo of it and email it to me, I can get the specialists at work to take a look for you.

They're not ticks are they?

Very rarely an animal will have an allergic reaction to suture as well (have seen it in a cat) so perhaps there is inflammation around the suture?

I'm so sorry pers. RIP gorgeous Hamlet

We've done the buccal bleeding test and clotting time is delayed. Vetgen only seems to do the DNA test. I'll call Sydney Uninand see what they say. :)

I'm not sure sorry.

Thanks :)

I'm so sorry for your loss. RIP Rikki

I am hoping to get a Von Willebrand factor test done on an Italian Greyhound but the Uni of Melbourne is no longer doing this test. The breed does not have a DNA test available. Does anyone know where I could get it done?

I like them! They feel 'warm'. :)

I don't mean to scare you, but I would also consider something more sinister like a brain tumour. Our old clinic dog started displaying some odd behaviour which escalated to aggression. An MRI revealed a massive brain tumour.

Wild dogs dob't necessarily kill weak ones either. I have seen footage of an African Hunting Dog with a broken leg being cared for and offered food by its pack.

My girl developed canine dementia at about that age too, and she is only a medium dog. She is on vivitonin and omega 3 supplements.