I desperately need advice.I just discovered 2 out of a litter of 6 pups have cateracts( this is what they look like but vet appointment to confirm this week)..the others may develop them but as yet seem to be clear.These pups were booked but from what i have researched so far they wont be covered by insurance and the op to fix it will be very expensive so im left wondering who will want these precious babies.I as a breeder will keep them until such a home is found but im left wondering what options they have..i just love these babies and want to do whats best for them,so devastated..any advice appreciated..especially from breeders who have sadly been in the same situation as me..please help x

Firstly are you sure they are cataracts? Have you seen young pups before? They all have blueish eyes at first.

At only 5 weeks, and without a vet examination and diagnosis, I'd hold off worrying about any of this.   It may be that they are simply typical puppies whose eyes are always blue to start with, the darker the blue, the darker the eventual brown colour should be.    To have 2 of 6 puppies with juv. cataracts would be very hard luck so wait until they've seen your vet for a proper diagnosis.  JMO

https://www.westiefoundation.org/assets/juvenile-cataractsebk.pdf
Even if these puppies aren't Westies, this article may be helpful - there are others although I would caution you re using the Internet which may worry you unnecessarily.

We had a puppy with a cloudy eye on opening and that turned out to be an abscess at the back of the eye, which had to be removed to find out exactly what was causing the cloudyness.   Poor girl.   We kept her as I couldn't think about her going to the wrong home.  She was called Harmony which is what she was within our pack.  She was never a problem (other than one occasion when she took off in a Conservation Area out in Canada!).  She came back to the UK with us, going through quarantine (no PP at the time) kennelled with her dad, and lived a good long life with no problems other than having just the one eye.

Theyre booked in for a vet visit this week but definately looking like cateracts,very white splodge right in the middle of the eye,one pup has it in one eye and the other has it in both eyes x

Were both parents eye tested clear ?

yes both  pra dna tested  and both bva tested but if both parents carriers there is not a dna test for this in the breed..both parents will be spayed/neutered x

It doesn't mean that both parents should be spayed/neutered. We have to get away from this attitude, I see it over and over - someone has an experience with puppies they've bred and their knee jerk response is 'I will spay and neuter both parents'.

Having your hormones and gonads is not even mostly about being able to reproduce, it's about so much more physiologically and health-wise and in the prevention of diseases like cancer and joint issues. Just because you don't want to breed certain dogs again, doesn't mean they should be spayed and neutered...

I wouldn't rush to a conclusion - puppy eyes are going through very rapid change and development. Puppies are incredibly short sighted even at 8 weeks. See how they develop and perhaps get a referral to a vet ophthalmologist when they are a week before going home, to get an expert opinion...

Did you have any issues when they were younger? One of my boys' litters had neonatal conjunctivitis and two of the puppies were left with a white spot on the cornea. As they got older, blood vessels grew across to heal them, and you couldn't see them anymore. I have one of them and she had her BVA eye test at about a year old which was clear. So there can be other causes for white spots on the eye.

You will need to see an ophthalmologist before making any decisions.

I would be booking the pups in for BVA eye testing rather than a regular vet and go from there. If they need looking at further you can then book with the ophthalmologist that way.

> I would be booking the pups in for BVA eye testing rather than a regular vet and go from there.

At only 5 weeks?

Are you sure they haven't got just small ulcers on their eyes.

You can screen puppies eyes from an early age, especially external eye conditions, before the DNA test for CEA(CH)most BCs were screened as early as 4 weeks & that's an internal condition.

One of my dogs was diagnosed by a GP vet as having a HC,  Prof Barnett, who was a friend of a colleague kindly examined my boy & thank goidness it wasn't HC, but a corneal ulcer which was successfully treated

To me it sounds like it could be Persistent Pupillary Membranes (PPM) which is seen in a few breeds (well most animals born with closed eyes I believe) and usually corrects it’s self by the time pups are 8 to 10 weeks old.
Just a thought.

PPM

I think its from 6 weeks of age you can do litter screening for pups under the BVA scheme. I've had a litter eye tested before they've gone to their new homes

>> I would be booking the pups in for BVA eye testing rather than a regular vet and go from there.<br /
>At only 5 weeks?

I made this comment, thinking about the trauma to puppies of only 5 weeks.  Especially when whatever is going on, could well correct itself before any BVA testing is needed?    Of course, OPs own vet should see these puppies.   Does the practice she uses have a vet who specialises in eye conditions - many do.

Thats a KC/BVA scheme ISDS breeders have been screening long before it was set up, no longer as important for BC/WSD as the DNA test for CEA(CH) is more reliable in detecting go right cases. 

It is from 5 weeks btw

"The Eye Scheme also offers Litter Screening for congenital hereditary conditions such as collie eye anomaly and multifocal retinal dysplasia when the puppies are 5 to 12 weeks old. The Scheme is open to all dogs and breeds including crossbreeds and non-Kennel Club registered dogs."

Few GP practices have ophthalmic specialists within their staff, even some of the large hospitals don't have them.

There are only around 40 BVA panellists in UK, but there are ophthalmic specialists who are not panellists of course

> Few GP practices have ophthalmic specialists within their staff, even some of the large hospitals don't have them.<br />

Well the practice I used to use down here on the N.Cornwall coast has one (although he's not the local BVA panellist) just like the practice I now use in town here has a Heart Specialist.

To be honest, I'm getting very tired of having ARS continually picking holes in my comments here, for no good reason that I can see

Our local six vet practice has two who have additional opthalmic qualifications, though they are not members of the KC/BVA Scheme. My 12 year old Beagle boy has just had a corneal graft for an indolent ulcer. Brilliant result.

the pups have a vet check on friday the will br referred to our local referrels who have an eye specialist visit once a week so will know for sure what it is.One of the pups has both eyes affect but both white splodges are different..in one eye is almost like an oval long line shape and the other eye a tiny circle both pure white and not cloudy bluish white,the other pup has it in just one eye a tiny pure white circle x

There are few fully qualified ophthalmic specialist veterinary surgeons who are employed solely in general practice. There are veterinary surgeons who have excellent expertise in eye conditions, but for a general practice to employ an ophthalmic specialist only dealing with eye conditions would mean they would be very under employed.

You are very lucky if your practice employs a specialist for each of the veterinary specialisms, such are cardiology, anaesthesia and analgesia, clinical pathology, companion animal internal medicine, surgery, ophthalmology, pathology, orthopaedics, pharmacology and toxicology to name but a few.

Most practices have vets who have expertise in the specialisms, but who do not hold qualifications, such as those issued by the European Board Veterinary of Specialisation (EBVS)-nothing BTW to do with the EU-an organisation that requires vets to show that they continue qualify for the title specialist though their careers, enduring thst these vets can offer specialist treatment/diagnostics.

You are very lucky to have a Cardiologist on call at your surgery, do they also have a Neurologist, Oncologist, Orthopaedist etc ?

To be fair, although the practice where I work has two vets with a keen interest in ophthamology, and are our 'go-to' vets to book appointments for pets with eye problems, neither would claim to be a specialist, because they haven't taken the necessary exams.

Unless the breed is prone to junvenile cataracts, I would wait until they are seen by a qualified ophthalmologist. It's easy to worry with puppies when you want them to be as perfect as possible for their new owners. Hopefully by this time next week it will all be resolved with a good outcome. Keep us updated as your ecperience could help others in the future

That does sound like ulcers, have you trimmed their nails.

The vet in my former practice (Penbode Vets) who 'specialised' in eyes had the following qualifications - BVSc CertVOphthal MRCVS

At the same practice there was a vet who specialised in homeopathy and was so qualified.   She worked her alternative meds, including acupuncture in with her general practice activities.

My heart vet in the practice I go to now (Tamar Vets) specialises in hearts and has the following qualification - MA VetMB CertVC MRCVS

Whether either set of qualification is relevant to what they specialise in or not,  no doubt I will be told!!

Of course these vets don't ONLY see patients with problems to do with eyes, hearts or need homeopathic treatment.   That would be rather daft.

All the pups went to the vets yesterday.4 were given the all clear but the 2 im worried about i was told they werent quite sure what it was but thought it could be either cateracts or ppm like some of you thought it could be.They have been refereed to the eye specialist who comes up once a week because i need to know for sure what it is.2 pups from this litter did have neonatal conjunctivitis but one of those pups eyes are perfect,the other is one of the affected pups.I was wondering if this could be the cause but wouldnt explain by one of the pups that had it now has perfect eyes and one that didnt have the white spots ..will keep you all posted x