Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 12:37 pm Post subject: Cataracts operation? Anyone got any experience?
My Tess will be 10 in March and she has cataracts. She still has some vision but the cataracts are growing and her eyesight is deteriorating accordingly. Cataracts can be operated on and we would be referred to Willows which is the local specialist practice. BUT having read the information on their website it is a big operation requiring a lot of follow up.
I am trying to decide whether it is the right thing for Tess or not. She is not the most "visual" of dogs and uses her nose far more than her eyes and always has done. But I do see her making "mistakes" as her eyesight deteriorates, so I try to warn her of obstacles on walks such as wheelie bins etc but I worry that as she ages her hearing may decline too which may make things harder for her. In the house she's fine it's only a little house so there isn't much scope for moving furniture anyway so she knows exactly where everything is.
Of course anesthetic is also a worry but I am lucky that in other respects she is very fit and well.
Does anyone have experience of either living with cataracts or having a dog operated on for this condition?
I havn`t experienced it in dogs, only in humans, this is only my personal view and what I`d do, if she were my dog I`d leave well alone at her age, yes she`s starting to bump into things, start using a long line on her, gives her a reasonable amount of freedom but gives you the chance to gently ease her away from obstacles.
Thats just me though, others may think differently
I had it in a clumber called meg. We never had the op and she lived happily with her nose for another four years to the age of 14. Is what worried me is the dog cannot say I can see clearly now so you sort of have to take the word of the vet and it may actually cause more problems with blurring. Has to be your decision but we loved meg and she learnt her way around 32 acres with her nose.
I went through the process with a 17 month old a few years ago - I've written a longish description of the process. PM me your email address and I'll send it across.
My Katy developed cataracts at about that age, although hers were due to Diabetes. She managed just fine. We never moved furniture and she found her way around with no trouble. Out in the garden she learned signals from me, but out on walks she was happiest on the lead where she could feel contact with me. Personally I would not be keen on having a dog of that age operated on.
Thank you all for your replies and especially to Susan for the email which has been very helpful. You have really given me reassurance that my gut instinct (that for Tess the operation is not appropriate) is the right one. My own vet has been very understanding and has certainly not put pressure on me either way. However, he does want Tess to see the specialist to confirm that there are no other complications. We are hoping to get an appointment next week.
Glad the info was helpful . Sounds like a wise decision to see the specialist just to ensure there is nothing else going on, then to leave Tess to age gracefully.
We've seen the specialist this morning who was wonderful, but sadly the diagnosis is GPRA so there is no treatment.
The vet said it was fairly advanced but in someways this is quite positive as Tess is coping brilliantly so there is no reason why she won't continue to cope as her sight finally goes.
It looks like lots of scenting games for us now - good job she's got the best nose in the world!
In some respects, although bad news, there is a good side. Because GPRA normally takes some time to progress, one to two years in some cases, a dog gets use to gradually failing sight, rather than "Bang, its gone!" so has plenty of time to adapt and find it's way around. The cataracts which form as a side effect are not the same as the usual hereditary cataracts found in Labradors.
But you can see how hard it was to control GPRA in the days before a DNA test. She's 10 years old and would not only have finished breeding before you knew, but also her pups could also have had one or two litters by now!
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