Cataracts in dogs.
Discussion
Just wondering if anyone has had experience of cataracts in their dogs?
In the past few days, Daisy (5yo Frenchie for those that may not know), has been acting really eratically; looking around, up down, not settling, running about, barking etc, just non stop; I was worried that she would over heat or over exert herself and have a heart attack, particularly as she is a Frenchie; a lazy one at that! it subsided a bit when the room was darkened.
Wife took her to the vet yesterday, his initial thoughts were that it was neurological (my fears too) but she is very steady on her feet, eats ok and goes for her walks with no issues.
He had a look in her eyes and bingo, he is sure there are cataracts in both eyes, her eratically looking about is most likely her seeing the marks in her eyes and being unable to actually fixate on them so it is driving her mad, so £180 lighter with some super expensive sedative gel, we are awaiting a call from a specialist for a consultation. On a positive note he did say that she is the healthiest Frenchie that they have on their books.
Funny thing is for ages she has occasionally darted off in the house and barked up at the corner of the lounge, darted away and darted back so I guess this is all part of it, we just thought she was having a "mental moment", as dogs do sometimes.
If they can be done, the cost is likely to be vast, she is not insured (it appears that if we were then cataracts may not be covered anyway as they are genetic and many policies don't cover genetic conditions), however I can get the money through no real financial pain.
The vet did warn that a) if we couldn't afford it then as she is also deaf if would be kinder to have her PTS due to no real quality of life or b) if they cannot be rectified then PTS is the kinder option also.
I'm just wondering what other people's experiences are, can it be a case of spending thousands on a procedure and then that doesn't work and having to fork out even more money on a other procedure or is it generally straightforward? Can they reappear? Is there ongoing medication? Is there anything else that we may have to think about?
To top it off my youngest also lost her weekend job yesterday so all in it wasn't a great day yesterday.
In the past few days, Daisy (5yo Frenchie for those that may not know), has been acting really eratically; looking around, up down, not settling, running about, barking etc, just non stop; I was worried that she would over heat or over exert herself and have a heart attack, particularly as she is a Frenchie; a lazy one at that! it subsided a bit when the room was darkened.
Wife took her to the vet yesterday, his initial thoughts were that it was neurological (my fears too) but she is very steady on her feet, eats ok and goes for her walks with no issues.
He had a look in her eyes and bingo, he is sure there are cataracts in both eyes, her eratically looking about is most likely her seeing the marks in her eyes and being unable to actually fixate on them so it is driving her mad, so £180 lighter with some super expensive sedative gel, we are awaiting a call from a specialist for a consultation. On a positive note he did say that she is the healthiest Frenchie that they have on their books.
Funny thing is for ages she has occasionally darted off in the house and barked up at the corner of the lounge, darted away and darted back so I guess this is all part of it, we just thought she was having a "mental moment", as dogs do sometimes.
If they can be done, the cost is likely to be vast, she is not insured (it appears that if we were then cataracts may not be covered anyway as they are genetic and many policies don't cover genetic conditions), however I can get the money through no real financial pain.
The vet did warn that a) if we couldn't afford it then as she is also deaf if would be kinder to have her PTS due to no real quality of life or b) if they cannot be rectified then PTS is the kinder option also.
I'm just wondering what other people's experiences are, can it be a case of spending thousands on a procedure and then that doesn't work and having to fork out even more money on a other procedure or is it generally straightforward? Can they reappear? Is there ongoing medication? Is there anything else that we may have to think about?
To top it off my youngest also lost her weekend job yesterday so all in it wasn't a great day yesterday.
We had a deaf and blind (cataracts) pit bull and despite her age, she coped well with her disability, and enjoyed her time with us and her pack. So, unless there is specific evidence of her being unhappy with her life, then ignore your vet's advice and seek alternative professional advice. Dogs can cope very well (or not) with such problems, the surgery offered by specialist ophthalmic vets will be expensive, probably about £2k per eye but will almost certainly solve most of the visual deficit.
Best wishes for you and pooch
Best wishes for you and pooch
The best thing you can do is see an ophthalmologist. They will be able to do a really thorough examination and offer you a range of options depending on findings, As already mentioned ruling out diabetes will be the first step.
Cataract surgery is done in specialist places regularly now and with great success.
Re: insurance, I am not sure, there are many reasons for cataracts not just the genetic link. There are tests for certain hereditary eye conditions, maybe worth a chat to the ophthalmologist about that one.
There is a condition due to chronically high cholesterol that can cause cataract looking affect of the eye but I am not sure how much it affects sight (hereditary in rough collies I think) anyway again the specialist will be able to determine all of this on examination.
Cataract surgery is done in specialist places regularly now and with great success.
Re: insurance, I am not sure, there are many reasons for cataracts not just the genetic link. There are tests for certain hereditary eye conditions, maybe worth a chat to the ophthalmologist about that one.
There is a condition due to chronically high cholesterol that can cause cataract looking affect of the eye but I am not sure how much it affects sight (hereditary in rough collies I think) anyway again the specialist will be able to determine all of this on examination.
Edited by bexVN on Sunday 18th March 16:52
No blood tests have been done, the vet seemed confident that it is cateracts as he could see something on her eyes, I've had a look but I can't se anything but TBH she won't let me look for too long and I don't know what I'm looking for.
We are waiting a call from an ophthalmologist to arrange an appointment for a consultation, have to admit that when I first heard what could be the issue and the cost, I said to the wife if it is cateracts and associated costs, then likely we should consider having her PTS, depending on the consultation results, based on what the vet said about quality if life, but at that point I had forgotten that I do have access to the funds to pay for the operation, so now money isn't an issue.
Daisy is only 5 and even though; being a Frenchie, her life expectancy isn't as long as say Barry and Daphne (mix breed Terriers), she still has a lot of life left in her so her being PTS has been put to bed.
We are waiting a call from an ophthalmologist to arrange an appointment for a consultation, have to admit that when I first heard what could be the issue and the cost, I said to the wife if it is cateracts and associated costs, then likely we should consider having her PTS, depending on the consultation results, based on what the vet said about quality if life, but at that point I had forgotten that I do have access to the funds to pay for the operation, so now money isn't an issue.
Daisy is only 5 and even though; being a Frenchie, her life expectancy isn't as long as say Barry and Daphne (mix breed Terriers), she still has a lot of life left in her so her being PTS has been put to bed.
Very much dependant on finances, possibly the age of the dog, general health and how they are coping and how severe the cataracts are and how fast they are forming. Dogs do cope well generally with sight loss and for most it stays mild so of no issue to the dog but for some, when it's more severe they can become much more nervy and introverted. The change in the characters of these dogs is quite amazing when they have had surgery, like puppies again! Cataracts can also cause ocular pain due to inflammation and they increase the risk of glaucoma especially if cataracts luxate
An older dog that is otherwise fit and well may have several years of good life to have, so if the cataracts are severe at that point surgery could be worth it.
It is personal choice of course and whilst it may seem wrong to one owner to have it done there are good reasons why others may choose to and they are mainly to improve the dogs quality of life.
Eta-As Daisy is only 5 and also deaf, maintaining her vision is definitely more of a perogative. OP Ophthalmologists known theor stuff, I know a few and they are all really good. I hope they can help.
An older dog that is otherwise fit and well may have several years of good life to have, so if the cataracts are severe at that point surgery could be worth it.
It is personal choice of course and whilst it may seem wrong to one owner to have it done there are good reasons why others may choose to and they are mainly to improve the dogs quality of life.
Eta-As Daisy is only 5 and also deaf, maintaining her vision is definitely more of a perogative. OP Ophthalmologists known theor stuff, I know a few and they are all really good. I hope they can help.
Edited by bexVN on Sunday 18th March 17:15
Edited by bexVN on Sunday 18th March 17:15
There are drops which are supposed to help with "normal" cataracts. But with her age I can't quite see (pardon the wording) how that would apply. My head says something must be causing it, and frankly I would be asking for full bloods to test for diabetes and blood pressure just in case as well.
Oh and dogs do cope incredibly well with being blind, some hardly even seem to notice it. One of ours is still charging around the house and on walks, just sometimes she will bump into something. She can make her way from her bed to the kitchen for food in about 15 seconds but it appears to be much harder for her to find her way back out again...................
Oh and dogs do cope incredibly well with being blind, some hardly even seem to notice it. One of ours is still charging around the house and on walks, just sometimes she will bump into something. She can make her way from her bed to the kitchen for food in about 15 seconds but it appears to be much harder for her to find her way back out again...................
CardinalFang said:
As others say, a specialist & further tests would be a great start. Our Tibetan terrier was diagnosed with cataracts around 4 years ago at the vet, but a visit to the Animal Health trust in Newmarket diagnosed an untreatable degenerative retina problem, pretty common to the breed, but which we were unaware of when we got her. Bad news at the time, but she copes fine at 15 years of age, even with a 3 year old cockerpoo now in the household. (He's got used to being trampled on, sat on & generally blundered into). The only thing we're hyper protective over is other peoples houses with dogs. She can usually figure out if she's in a place she knows, but we don't want to run the risk of here aggravating the family pet, by crashing into them 25 times whilst she works out where the water, door, food, sofa etc are.
On a more positive note (that wasn't meant to be so bleak, honest!!), our first dog was diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes by the same people above. He didn't enjoy the tests & had to be muzzled (kind of odd on a shih tzu!!) but op was straightforward & completely transformative. (not 100% sure but I think they did both at once). We'd thought he was also, naturally getting senile & slowing down with old age, but the operation took years off him. The first time I took him out for a walk on the beach & he scooted off full pelt after his favourite ball had me on my knees in tears.
Best of luck OP: regardless of what the diagnosis is, you'll be amazed how well they can cope with disability, so long as they feel safe & loved.
Forgot to say I think the op was around £1200 per eye but worth every penny to see the little chap running around like his old self!
CF
On a more positive note (that wasn't meant to be so bleak, honest!!), our first dog was diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes by the same people above. He didn't enjoy the tests & had to be muzzled (kind of odd on a shih tzu!!) but op was straightforward & completely transformative. (not 100% sure but I think they did both at once). We'd thought he was also, naturally getting senile & slowing down with old age, but the operation took years off him. The first time I took him out for a walk on the beach & he scooted off full pelt after his favourite ball had me on my knees in tears.
Best of luck OP: regardless of what the diagnosis is, you'll be amazed how well they can cope with disability, so long as they feel safe & loved.
Forgot to say I think the op was around £1200 per eye but worth every penny to see the little chap running around like his old self!
CF
Consultation booked for next Tuesday PM, I guess I'll know more from then.
Oddly, it may be coincidental, she has become very clingy; particularly to me, she sits with me more and at night sleeps next to me as opposed to at the bottom of the bed and she seems to be more aware of what is going on and less settled; for example of an evening she would normally deposit herself on the sofa that isn't used much, go to sleep and stay there until we go up to bed, now she sits closer to us and will get up if one of us gets up and follow us out of the room.
Oddly, it may be coincidental, she has become very clingy; particularly to me, she sits with me more and at night sleeps next to me as opposed to at the bottom of the bed and she seems to be more aware of what is going on and less settled; for example of an evening she would normally deposit herself on the sofa that isn't used much, go to sleep and stay there until we go up to bed, now she sits closer to us and will get up if one of us gets up and follow us out of the room.
Just back from the consultation, I have to say that despite the cost, the vet was very thorough and clearly passionate about her job, we were there about an hour and a half; a good hour was spent with the vet.
Daisy does have cateracts, however they aren't serious at all and shouldn't really cause any issues, they have clearly been there for a while, she was actually fascinated with them and their pattern.
Daisy's retina was looked at and she had a glucoma test; all was well there.
Her eyesight is fine; actually very good and absolutely nothing to worry about and isn't causing the erratic behaviour which was seen last week.
Blood was taken for testing for general health, kidney and liver function to see if there is an infection as liver issues can cause problems, and they are also testing for parasitic infections.
She said though that if they are clear then she would need to see a neurologist if we wanted to take things further, however it can get extremely costly and can just end up being an expensive process of elimination.
Oddly though since the Saturday when Daisy had been having her erratic moments, she has been better and far calmer over the past week or so, with far less funny moments and seems to be back to normal.
Should be 10 days to hear the results of the blood tests and I guess we will take it from there.
Daisy does have cateracts, however they aren't serious at all and shouldn't really cause any issues, they have clearly been there for a while, she was actually fascinated with them and their pattern.
Daisy's retina was looked at and she had a glucoma test; all was well there.
Her eyesight is fine; actually very good and absolutely nothing to worry about and isn't causing the erratic behaviour which was seen last week.
Blood was taken for testing for general health, kidney and liver function to see if there is an infection as liver issues can cause problems, and they are also testing for parasitic infections.
She said though that if they are clear then she would need to see a neurologist if we wanted to take things further, however it can get extremely costly and can just end up being an expensive process of elimination.
Oddly though since the Saturday when Daisy had been having her erratic moments, she has been better and far calmer over the past week or so, with far less funny moments and seems to be back to normal.
Should be 10 days to hear the results of the blood tests and I guess we will take it from there.
So back to the vets this week as Daisy had another funny turn, not on the scale of her original funny turn last year but she did spend alot of Saturday just running about, spinning around and looking about at something which wasn't there, she managed to rest and also sleep fine but in the morning of Sunday she again was running about like a loon, Sunday later in the day it all stopped and she was back her usual self.
The vet had a look at her eyes and said that there had been very little change in her cataracts, I also showed her a video of how she had been on Saturday; my daughter is also now a student vet nurse and she showed the same video to the vet where she works, both Daisy's vet and my daughters boss said it is likely neurological.
My vet said she can be referred to a neurologist but it can be a hugely expensive process of elimination and likely hugely expensive treatment; alot of which is experimental, which may not do a great deal ultimately or there may be no treatment at all and as she is 7, she is reaching her twilight years (for a Frenchie) anyway, she didn't actually say it but I got the impression that she didn't think being referred to a neurologist was really worth doing.
She advised just keeping an eye on things especially as there was a big gap between her first episode and the most recent one; 20 months and to take things from there.
The vet had a look at her eyes and said that there had been very little change in her cataracts, I also showed her a video of how she had been on Saturday; my daughter is also now a student vet nurse and she showed the same video to the vet where she works, both Daisy's vet and my daughters boss said it is likely neurological.
My vet said she can be referred to a neurologist but it can be a hugely expensive process of elimination and likely hugely expensive treatment; alot of which is experimental, which may not do a great deal ultimately or there may be no treatment at all and as she is 7, she is reaching her twilight years (for a Frenchie) anyway, she didn't actually say it but I got the impression that she didn't think being referred to a neurologist was really worth doing.
She advised just keeping an eye on things especially as there was a big gap between her first episode and the most recent one; 20 months and to take things from there.
I would be inclined to disagree with no specialist consultation.
A neurology specialist can do really thorough assessments in a consultation and offer a lot of info. This may cost a couple hundred. After that it does get pricey because investigative procedures re neurology are usually things like mri's.
I found the neurology appointments I had for Jimmy all those years ago really helpful, even though they couldn"t give an answer to what was wrong.
Continuing to observe is definitely an option but I personally wouldn't want to discount a referral if I could afford to do based on further investigations being costly and 'experimental' .
A neurology specialist can do really thorough assessments in a consultation and offer a lot of info. This may cost a couple hundred. After that it does get pricey because investigative procedures re neurology are usually things like mri's.
I found the neurology appointments I had for Jimmy all those years ago really helpful, even though they couldn"t give an answer to what was wrong.
Continuing to observe is definitely an option but I personally wouldn't want to discount a referral if I could afford to do based on further investigations being costly and 'experimental' .
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