Troubled

[persephone]

Her quality of life , if she loses her sight ,....providing she is pain free is as good as you make it , basically!

if you can set up your house and yard to suit a blind dog ...and arrange walks/outings etc to suit ..then that's great . Just remember it's for the next 10 or so years , though.

There's lots to learn about how dogs cope ..and how owners can help :)

[sashagirl]

as long as she is not in pain, i am grateful.

i am meeting specialist next week and after that I will revert to breeder.

Thanks everyone ! for helping me through a difficult situation.

[persephone]

let us know how things go :)

Pssst ...

and, where's her photo ??? ;)

[Kirislin]

I know an elderly dog who has had both eyes removed due to glaucoma. She copes well enough at home and even wanders around the fenced property.

[Pretty Miss Emma]

My old Emma developed cataracts within a period of around 4 months. The surgery is expensive, but generally not painful - so long as there are no complications. 85% is pretty good odds, but you still have to expect and prepare for the worst.

My story is...

Noticed cataracts, saw specialist. Em was given a 95% chance of success including lens replacements. Surgery went quite well, could only replace one lens. They can still see a bit without replacment lenses but it's just foggy. They can make out shapes but they do not have any clear vision. Em had great drainiage, but we then developed complications - big ones. Her eye pressure sky rocketed, cause could not be determined. She was back in and out of hospital trying to deal with the eye pressure (basically glaucoma). The specialists did everything they could and still could not find a cause. Unfortunately Em had other illnesses at the time and after about 6 months of battling with her eyes I had made the decision to have her problem eye deadened abut she had to be PTS due to kidney failure (totally unrelated to the eyes). She still would have had some vision from her other eye which had no lens, but we didn't get to that.

Do you need to make a decision quickly - YES. The longer you leave the cataracts the ahrder they get, therefore the chance of successful surgery decreases. I believe this is due to them breaking down when removed. If they are still soft theya re easier to remove so can cause less damage and less bits get left behind.

Another issue. If you leave the cataracts I believe it can then cause a predisposition to glaucoma - extremely painful.

One way or another I would do something.

Personally I would happily have a blind dog any time again. It does require special training, but if you're prepared to put the effort in I don't see that as an issue. It will possibly mean some changes to living arrangements to make life easier for the dog, but again if you're willing to do it... I certainly would never PTS a healthy but blind dog.

If you have the money I'd give the surgery a go. Worst case scenario you will need the eyes enucleated at some point. And make sure you are happy with your specialist and the support they'll give you.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions, I'm more than happy to talk for hours about my experiences in dealing with cataract surgery and eye issues in general (and you might even be able to find some threads I started about such things if you go on a bit of a hunt!).

[The Spotted Devil]

If it's any help, my foster kitten (just turned 4 years old :laugh:) had an eye removed at 10 weeks as a result of severe ulceration from cat flu. His "good" eye is half covered by the third eyelid, which adhered to the cornea when the virus destroyed the stem cells. The cells in his nasal passages were also destroyed so he gets very congested if we don't keep the temp above 13C.

This cat is unbelievably awesome. Completely crazy but awesome. The eye specialist couldn't believe how well he was doing at 6 months when we discussed fixing his "good" eye. As it's a stem cell issue, trimming and fixing the third eyelid in place would be pointless. The specialist considered trying a new type of surgery but, in consultation with a second specialist, decided against it, simply because Dizzy appeared to be coping very well, was pain free and incredibly happy. Somehow he has adapted and has grabbed life by the throat. He catches each and every insect in the house, plays fetch, wrestles with the dogs, steals food (half a raw pumpkin was a highlight but he surprised me when he snatched a whole tomato yesterday and bolted down the hallway!), resource guards fiercly (food AND toys) against our other cats, dogs and Mr TSD and just about breaks my nose in face rubbing greeting. Absolute bloody nightmare

[Lollipup]

Sorry you are going through this.

I work for an eye specialist (for humans) that does a lot of cataract surgeries. In people it is the least risky operation and there is no pain. Cataracts are a clouding of the lens in the eye. They remove the whole lens and replace it with an artificial one. Cataracts can't recure but sometimes the artificial lens can get a but cloudy over time and this is treated with laser.

I don't know about the differences between doing it on a person or a dog though. I would still do the surgery though rather than leave it if it were me and my dog. All going well it gets great results.

[Loving my Oldies]

For your input, Lollipup. I would imagine the only difference between the human and dog surgery is that the human wouldn't need to be shaved or to wear an Elizabethan collar afterwards. :D

[DogsAndTheMob]

Do the vets say the cataracts are likely to progress?

My husky was diagnosed with congenital cataracts in adolescence. She lived well into her teens and remained asymptomatic throughout her life, running,jumping, chasing a ball and fetching a dumbbell.

Although the first diagnosis was given by a veterinary opthalmologist, I was sceptical and took her to a second opthalmologist. He gave the same diagnosis.

If there are any doubts about progression of the cataracts, what are the potential consequences of delaying?

[*kirty*]

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.

Edited February 19, 2013 by *kirty*

[Loving my Oldies]

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. :)

I wouldn't say the aftercare is complicated, Kirty. It isn't hard to keep a dog rested in a crate or to put drops in at regular intervals. The person has to be committed of course, and I can't imagine someone would have such an operation on their dog and not carry out the specialist's instructions to the letter.

I'm curious (and confused :D not hard). If you don't put artificial lenses in young dogs, what is the operation doing?

Edited February 19, 2013 by Danny's Darling

[*kirty*]

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.

[Loving my Oldies]

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.

Thank you, I thought it must have been something like that, but as my dog was a lot older and the cataracts of long standing, the lens were replaced.

I'll have to find a photograph of Bunter post-op with his face all shaven, but beautiful big brown eyes. :)

[mantis]

For your input, Lollipup. I would imagine the only difference between the human and dog surgery is that the human wouldn't need to be shaved or to wear an Elizabethan collar afterwards. :D

Happy I didn't get shaved or have to wear an Elizabethan collar.

[*kirty*]

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

[Lollipup]

That's really interesting kirty, thanks for posting. I'll have to tell the ophthaologist i work for. I went in and watched a cataract surgery not long ago and they do break up and suck out the inside of this layer but they still refer to it as removing the clouded lens. so I'm not sure now if its the same as with dogs or not. People definitely need a replacement lens though.

[Loving my Oldies]

Bunter just home from the Pound March 2011

Bunter post surgery June 2011

Bunter January 2013

[mantis]

That's really interesting kirty, thanks for posting. I'll have to tell the ophthaologist i work for. I went in and watched a cataract surgery not long ago and they do break up and suck out the inside of this layer but they still refer to it as removing the clouded lens. so I'm not sure now if its the same as with dogs or not. People definitely need a replacement lens though.

My surgeon said they just remove the lens & scrape all the muck off & put the lens back, never mentioned a replacement lens.

[*kirty*]

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).

[*kirty*]

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