Hi all
i brought mollie to vet today and he done a health check first , he said she has cateracts in both eyes :-( and they will get worse and worse :-( he did not offer any treatment which i think is a really bad sign
i asked him how was her heart and he said she was wheezy ????

he gave her inoculations and then put her on the floor and gave her the vac up her nose she was fine

before i even got inside the door of the clinic i had her in my arms and she peeded all down my jeans

can anyone tell me about cateracts what should i expect ........

Georgina :-(

I'm sorry to hear this news, Georgina.  Here is a bit of info about cataracts but if you want more information as to Mollies particular case you would need to ask you vet who is obviously much more aware of her relevent history that we are.  I do know dogs that have had late onset cataracts though and they have adapted to any sight loss extremely well, their other senses make up for a lot more than they would in human's.  Again I think you need more information from him about the wheezing and whether she would benefit from dieretics for instance?
Glad she behaved herself at the vets.....well apart from the little piddle :)

Isabel I think you forgot the link ;)

Woops!  Corrected :)

unfortunatly she does not have a history with that vet or any vet for that matter as this is only her second time she has been to vet last time was when i first got her at 7 weeks she is now 10

dad asked him what would happen and he said she will just go blind ,i have to go back on the 5th for another vacination so will talk to him then i dont like the idea of an operation but there must be something or should i just leave it alone and she how she gets on

Georgina :-(

i have been so lucky with her she has never been sick or anything always been very healthy

Have you considered using Bright Eyes drops ? Not cheap though

Hi Georgina,

I've known several dogs who have developed cataracts with age - it's really not as major a concern in elderly dogs in comparison to people :)  Mollie's sight will gradually deteriorate but it may be they have been developing already for a bit and you were unaware of it - Mollie's other senses will compensate for her reduced vision and at least now you know about it and your vet can check her periodically to assess how far (if at all) they have progressed.   My old girl had them with age and her sight was still pretty good for the remainder her life, just beyond her 14th year :)   She also had a wheeze in her chest which in her case was due to fluid gathering and was treated with a mild dosage water tablet.   When you're less upset perhaps you should speak to your vet again and clarify with him what he thinks is the best course of action - if any is required at all - for Mollie.

Try not to be over anxious - Mollie is more than likely blissfully unaware of any problems and will probably be with you for a long time to come, with or without 20:20 vision  :)

HTH, Teri

thanks everyone really appreciate it

Georgina

I agree 100% with Teri. Dogs don't rely on their sight nearly as much as humans do, and even totally blind dogs manage very well, as long as people don't keep rearranging the furniture! Many dogs get old-age cataracts and function perfectly well for many years without needing any treatment. In a few years time, if she loses a lot of her sight, you may find that she's best exercised on an extending lead so that you don't have to keep running after her when she canters off in the wrong direction, but apart from that there should be few problems. But talk to your vet and tell him your fears - I'm sure he'll be able to reassure you that she'll manage just fine. :)

Georgina these days cataracts are quick and safe (though expensive) to remove in dogs. The vet may not have offered treatment because he felt that the cataracts were too insignificant. He is wrong to say that they will get worse and worse. Cataracts do tend to get worse with age but the progression in dogs is the same as in humans. The vast majority of people aged 65 and over will have some cataract but only a minority of those will progress to bother the person enough to remove the cataract. For that reason most opticians (after a first over enthusiastic year) don't even bother to mention early cataracts to the patient because they know that her/she would only worry. It's the same with dogs and many with early cataracts in dogs will never get to the point of being a problem.

Modern cataract surgery is not exactly easy but it is very simple and effective. Nothing is ever completely safe but for the vast majority of cataract ops are a success unless there is some other problem with the retina at the back of the eye. There are two main ways of removing cataracts in people. By far the most common is by phacoemulsification as this is easier for the surgeon. Manual small incision surgery is more elegant but it takes a very expert surgeon and it is largely a matter of aesthetics.

If Mollie does need her cataracts removed she will be referred to a specialist ophthalmic vet. Run a mile from any general practice vet who offers to remove cataracts  - even if they had the skills they don't have the equipment. The one exception is where an ophthalmic surgeon is also a dog owner and will "assist" the local vet with eye problems. (The human doc has to "assist" to keep it legal, though you could legally allow you vet to remove your cataract :) )

The long and the short of it is that if AN Other, MRCVS said my dog had cataracts but the dog was quite normal in its actions and reactions, I wouldn't be worried. But if I couldn't help worrying I'd ask to be referred to the nearest specialist ophthalmic vet. There are some reasons to do this early anyway. Once the cataract is dense the retina can't be seen. But if the dog is seen when the cataract is early the retina can be examined then.

HTH

It is not the safety, or cost, of the operation that would make me hesitate but the anaesthetic.  Loss of sight to a human is a much more serious business depriving them socially and economically this is not the case with dogs so the risk/benefit ratio is considerably different.  If it was me I would be inclined to simply see how she got on and if she appeared to be suffering in any way reconsider the options together with my vet.

Jas, Was interested in what you said about treatment being effective as I was advised against such surgery for my dog on the basis that the ops aren't all that effective (unlike those for humans) and what's more, the cataracts are likely to recur.  This was a few years back so maybe things have changed.  My GR, nearly 14, has cataracts and I would say they don't really affect his quality of life at all.

Annie, I think it was different a few years back when ophthalmic vets were less well trained and much less well equipped. Also many vets do not seem to realise just how far this area has advanced since they weere students themselves. Then most dog cataracts were being removed by a method called intracapsular - ie the lens where the cataract has formed has a capsule. In intracapsular cataract extraction the whole lens including the capsule was removed. That allowed the vitreous or jelly in the back of the eye to com forwards which causes all sorts of problems. Now the extracapsular method is used. In this method the cloudy part of the lens is still removed, but the clear back part of the capsule is polished with a scraper and left in place. This maintains the structural anatomy of the eye and gives much better results.

The cataract can't come back, but the back capsule can become thickened and cloudy. It doesn't happen often but when it does another small operation can be carried out to cut it (in humans this is done by laser).

I think the age, health and breed of the dog would be my guide in deciding whether to go for surgery. So I would have a 10yo sighthound in excellent health done, but would leave the 15yo diabetic terrier alone.

Jas, the link I have given does point out a few post operative problems that dogs can suffer that humans will avoid which should perhaps also be taken into account as well as the anaesthetic.  For instance it is quite easy to tell a human not to bark or jump about when they feel fine ;)  It also mentions that the ability of the owner to administer daily eye drops would also feature in the choice of whether to operate or not.  I am not sure of what post operative pain could be expected either but that would always be a feature for me in whether to opt for any procedure or not.

Hi Isabel, the post op problems given are the same as for people - traumatic uveitis, wound dehiscence, raised IOP and later, thickening of the posterior capsule and retinal detachment. But none of these are major problems.

In the early 1980's people having cataracts removed were kept in hospital for a week. Today they come in in the morning, get their op under local anaesthetic, have a cup of tea and are sent home to behave perfectly normally. The surgeon 'phones them the next morning to check that all is well. Three days after that they are seen in OP and all being well they are told to make an appointment with their optician and are discharged from review. That illustrates how much the technical surgery has evolved.

With small incision surgery a dog could bark and bounce as much as it liked without doing any harm, and an Elizabethan collar should keep paws out of the eye. The drops would be 3 or 4 times daily and I've always found it quite easy to put drops in a dog's eye - much easier than putting a wormer pill in a cat imo! :) The post op pain in humans, and presumably in dogs, is negligible.

The anaesthetic would be a factor in older dogs, but the surgery is completed quickly and you have to bear in mind the dangers of leaving a very dense lens in place. It may become dislocated and sublux and with or without subluxation it can begin to exude lens protein which causes a very intense uveitis and glaucoma. If that happens the dog will have an exquisitely painful eye that will probably have to be enucleated.

>Today they come in in the morning, get their op under local anaesthetic, have a cup of tea and are sent home to behave perfectly normally.

My mother had a cataract removed a few weeks ago and was told she wasn't allowed to bend over at all for three days following surgery. There are definitely short-term lifestyle changes following surgery which it would be difficult to manage in an animal.

Different places different instructions I suppose. My favourite is the lady who hadn't taken her pad off when phoned the next day. She had just mucked out 12 horses already that morning and though she should finish the other 5 with the pad in place to keep the dust out. The surgeon agreed with that and obediently rang her back after the horses were done. :) Seriously though, a really good surgeon using manual small incision surgery will normally not even suture the wound.

Definitely different places, different instructions.. My mother was told the pad must stay in place for 24 hours. Apparently if there had been sutures she wouldn't have needed to be so careful ...

That is encouraging to see the post operative nursing will not be as delicate as stated on the link.  I do appreciate what you are saying about the safety of the operation itself but I'm afraid, personally, I remain unconvinced that it would be as beneficial to dogs as it is humans taking all things into account although again I am basing that on my breeds.  Although I have owned terriers who function on sight a fair bit and have known some with loss of sight, in fact even eyes to glaucoma, that lived very happily I have never owned a sight hound so I do appreciate the owner of one of them may feel differently, well anyone with any breed may feel differently infact :) 

Sorry to read about Mollies problems ~ I agree with what the others say about the cataracts.  One thing does shout out as a concern for me though ~ if the Vet is saying what he is about Mollie (her heart) ~ why is he vaccinating her & possibly putting more stress onto her system?  Vaccines should only be given to animals that are in full health.

Just my thought, maybe worth questioning the Vet about it.

All the best

The trouble is these are the dogs that may find the disease more dangerous.

Yes I know that Isabel but also at 10 years old, most dogs should have full immunity.  The Vet could have done a titre test first to see.  The Vet can still do a titre as the first jab may have been enough.

All of this is now fairly late in the day as I've just read the original post by Georgina about Mollie going into kennels.

One thing that concerns is me is he also gave Mollie her other vaxs, its just a few wks ago that Jeangenie was telling us that in the vets she works at they say that vax is to be given alone with 14dy interval either side of it being given

As for the cataracts, if it would give my dog sight for more yrs than not I`d have them removed. I`ve talked to Dr Barnett about this& it is relatively safe op & I`m convinced, for a dog not in its later yrs of life it would be worth it :) At 1 time I was considering having Bonnies cataracts removed, hence my discussion with him about it :)