I have a 5 month old black lab pup who has just been diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes. The eye specialist says that the complication is that the right eyes cataract has massively developed and has ruptured the back of the lens, giving any potential surgery only a 50/50 chance of success and may result in having to remove the eye. They're not sure if the retina is attached as he was so fidgety during the ultra sound scan. Fortunately the cataract on the left eye is much smaller and isn't affecting him at all. The vet thinks he's probably had it once birth and has not had vision on his right eye at all so knows no different. We only took him to get checked out because he eye was droopy and red a couple of weeks ago. Not having had a lab before I did loads of research and checked the parents health tests, both register as clear for HC, so maybe my pup is just very unlucky.
He's so full of life and very healthy in every other way.
I wondered what anyone reading this would do in my place. We were given 2 options by the specialist
1, an operation to try and remove cataract but with 50/50 chance and possible removal of the eye & not a very nice precedure also.
2, the medical route of trying to save the eye by lots of different drops to get inflammation down with the hope that it doesn't develop into glaucoma which would mean removing the eye.

He hasn't got vision in the eye and it doesn't seem to affect him and is in no discomfort at all with the right eye, so we chose to try and save the eye and see what happens on the medication.

I am reluctant to put him through an op at 5 months old unless absolutely necessary.

I would greatly appreciate anyone's advice, especially other lab owners.

I'm sorry I have no useful advice to give you other than to say how sorry I am that you've found yourself in this position particularly after you've done so much research and I really hope your pup is ok.

If I were you I would give your pup's breeder a call and chat it through with them, as a breeder they would want to be aware of what is happening to your little one (particularly as by health testing they have shown a commitment to your dogs health).  They will also probably be in touch with others from the breed as well as health comittee members who may be able to provide you with additional support and breed specific advice.

I hope someone with more experience will be along soon to give you some more advice and i really wish your pup all the best xx

Were the parents Hereditary 'clear' by a DNA test for hereditary Cataract, if so it should be impossible for the pup to have HC. 

If they were eye tested 'unaffected' this can only tell you that the parents were 'unaffected' at the time of testing (if it's a congenital defect then it would mean they always would be), it cannot unfortuantely tell you if they carry the gene of the problem. 

The only way you can identify a carrier is if affected offspring are produced. 

Even tnen only 1 in 4 offspring of two carriers will be affected so the carriers might still not be easily  identified.

Certainly the breeder and Stud dog owner will need to be informed and it does need to be confirmed by a BVA panelist that the pup is affected and will then go on his KC records.

We don't yet have a DNA test for hereditary Cataract in Labs :-(

To the OP, I'm afraid I don't have any knowledge of the condition, but I will send you a PM about where else you might look for help.

> We don't yet have a DNA test for hereditary Cataract in Labs :-(
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Then really it is very poor luck despite the breeders best efforts, and they will be devastated, as it will eman removing teh parents from the gene pool and possibly not using the offspring, unless they can totally outcross.

The pup does need to be tested by a BVA panelist to establish teh conditioon and for ti to be recorded on KC records.

To the OP, dogs do manage quite well without sight, ans with the one eye removing the lens will keep sight, it will reduce focusing ability, but as dogs don't need to read it isn't as much of a problem as for us.  it probably will be best to ahve the other eye removed as if structures ahve colpsed then there is the  risk of secondary painful glaucoma.

My pup was tested at Willows Referral Centre in Solihull, apparently one of the best in the country and the vets are BVA.  I am trying to get hold of the breeder but haven't managed yet, (this news is only 2 days old).  Both parents were tested but not DNA tested, so I'm not sure who the carrier is, but my pup is 1 of 9 so others in the litter may be affected.  The vets that examined him said they had never seen such rapid growth of a cataract in such a young dog.

I'm going back to the specialist on Friday morning so I can report any further news.

THANKS VERY MUCH to everyone who replied, very much appreciated.

If your pup is affected then both parents have to be carriers.  Did you ask them/did they offer to do the BVA eye test certification. 

You would be given a certificate to show the diagnosis under the BVA scheme.  the Ophthalmic vet needs to be on the BVA/KC/isds eye scheme panel.

It cost £45 to have an eye test at a panel vet with just one dog (not part of a group testing).

this may not do anything for you but to have it officially recorded will be useful to the breed as it will become part of the KC records for the sire and dam and pup.

In Labs they're not sure that it's recessive.  They think it 'could' be dominant, but with 'variable penetrance', so a parent could be genetically affected but show no symptoms whatsoever and possess a clear eye certificate.  This is why developing a DNA test hasn't been as straightforward as some.  They also think there could be more than one type of HC in Labs (ie more than one genetic cause), also complicating the matter!

But yes, I totally agree that it'd be useful for the breed to have it done 'officially' under the BVA eye testing scheme so that the result can be recorded and published. 

> In Labs they're not sure that it's recessive.  They think it 'could' be dominant, but with 'variable penetrance', so a parent could be genetically affected but show no symptoms whatsoever and possess a clear eye certificate.  This is why developing a DNA test hasn't been as straightforward as some.  They also think there could be more than one type of HC in Labs (ie more than one genetic cause), also complicating the matter!
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Bummer!!!

Yep! I know there are people working on it though, so hopefully they'll get to the bottom of it very soon.  It's quite scary not even knowing for certain how it's inherited!

>He hasn't got vision in the eye

Then I would choose to remove.  Just my personal choice, having had 3 one eyed dogs in my lifetime!

All for different reasons, but I had eyes removed before there was any chance of glaucoma.  I never once regretted having the operation.

And one of the dogs that had an eye removed, couldn't see out of the remaining eye.  I trained him and we got along fine for years.  In the end, it was old age that got him!

Usually I'm not keen to interfere/operate unless necessary, but I'd probably remove too (although I hear it's an extremely expensive operation?)  I don't like the idea of ongoing medication for an eye that is never going to work - and likely will cause pain in the future.  I believe glaucoma CAN be very painful and I'd rather head off problems early on.   Also a blind eye might be pretty vulnerable as I doubt it keeps its blink reflex?

Although I guess I would ask an opthalmic vet what he/she would do if it were their dog & if I trusted them I would just follow their advice . . .

Have you had a referral to one of the Vet hospitals? Or seen a specialist opthalmologist? I certainly would be asking to see one asap!

Thanks for your response.  We are going back to the specialist on Friday armed with a list of questions. When we were given the news last week it was difficult to take in. Over the last few days we've had chance to google info and ask opinion of others, not always helpful!
To be honest I think we know he will probably have to have the eye removed. Our greatest fear is that something happens to the good eye, but I appreciate what you say with your dog that was blind. It's just such a shock and shame that it has happened to him at such a young age, but maybe that's an advantage as he can deal with it and may not know any different. If we thought he was in any discomfort at all we would not hesitate in doing what was right for him, his health and well being  are paramount to us.

I finally got hold of  the breeder who although upset by the news wasn't exactly helpful and pretty much made out that the carrier wasn't on her side. she also let slip that she intended to breed the bitch again despite telling me before that she wouldn't.
I have since found out that a dog from her first litter (different stud dog) has been diagnosed with cataracts.

I intend to have the results published and will speak to the specialist about this on Friday
I also contacted the stud dog owner who was much more helpful and concerned.

I found the breeder through Champ Dogs, can anyone tell me what they would do in my position about who to inform and what responsibilities I have.  I have not been in this position before.
I don't think the bitch's owner is acting responsibly in breeding her again.

I appreciate that even a clear test doesn't mean theyre not a carrier but she didn't have her bitch eye tested before she bred her.

I'd appreciate anyone's advice/opinion.

> I appreciate that even a clear test doesn't mean theyre not a carrier but she didn't have her bitch eye tested before she bred her.
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The fact that the bitch wasn't eye tested is to my mind unforgivable (I thought from your first post she was tested clear).

As for if to breed from her again if she has produced two affected pups from two litters (I assume different sires) then as the mode of inheritance is not known it would be irresponsible to breed again.

If the mode of inheritance was proven to be recessive, and she was tested clear, so only a carrier, then ti would be safe to mate her to a dog that was clear only if a DNA test were available that could prove status.

She should certainly not be bred from again as she is a proven Carrier at the very least.

Any of her offspring that might be bred from would need to carefully be mated to totally different lines to those that produced her or the two males she has produced affected offspring from.

In a breed with a large gene pool there really is no need to use her or her offspring, and probably the studs, but that really is down to the ethics of those concerned.  In the studs cases if they have never produced an affected with any other bitch and been well used, bearing in mind the problem may be dominant (needing only one side to produce it) with variable penetrance (effect on the dog/bitch producing affected pups, so they appear to be clear).

Unfortunately with conditions without a clear mode of inheritance of a DNA test one can only err on the side of caution, but cannot throw the baby out with the bathwater as in how many relatives are discarded????

Certainly the most useful thing for the breed that could be done as a result of this tragedy is for DNA samples from the parents of both litters, the affected pups and their unaffected (we assume) litter-mates were to be collected and sent of to whoever is researching the issue.  The breed club health committee should know, it is very likely to be the Animal Health Trust where samples would be collected for research.

The only way sadly to develop DNA tests is to study the genes of affected and carrier animals and their relatives and compare them to unaffected dogs.  So god can come from the situation in the long term.

Another good reason to do this is that it will bring the issue to the fore in breed circles.

Contact admin with your concerns about the breeder :-)