Cataracts *insert Huge Sigh*

[Guest carriej]

Hi there,

 

Have not been around for awhile because "life", but today while getting his annual my sweet, barely 4 year old greyhound was diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes. She was checking him all over, and I just mentioned I noticed his eyes didn't seem to be quite as clear as they should be. She turned out the lights and looked and looked, and she said that he's developing cataracts. She doesn't really want to do anything right now because his eyes don't seem irritated, but said that in the future he will probably need drops.

 

I am quite bummed out about this information, I mean he's only 4. I'm just wondering if any of you have greys with cataracts and what kind of treatments have been done, how the dog makes out, etc.

[macoduck]

Many of my older hounds have had cloudy eyes. Vet never called them cataracts, just old.

 

Since your vet said he may need eye drops in the future, did she mention Pannus as a diagnosis? If you can swing it I'd suggest a consult with vet eye specialist. Better to ward off future eye issues now than later.

[tbhounds]

There are different types of cataracts. Some stay small and never bother the pet. I would see a veterinary ophthalmologist to obtain a definitive diagnosis. They are better equipped to really access the eyes.

I personally never heard of eye drops to treat cataracts--perhaps is was pannus that your vet was concerned about??

Edited June 16, 2015 by tbhounds

[Guest carriej]

I'm not sure, my vet is ESL so sometimes there is a bit of a language barrier.

 

She told me that his eyes were becoming 'denser' (I think that is the word she used) and that he was developing cataracts. She said we would watch them, but she said she has seen dogs go quite some time before they develop further. I mentioned pannus, and she said it wasn't pannus. She said that sometimes older dogs do have clouded eyes, but Chance just barely turned 4 so I wouldn't call him old. I am not sure the machine she used to look at his eyes, but she turned all the lights off and used some sort of device. It seemed like a relatively extensive exam. She said that sometimes, cataracts can inflame the eye and cause irritation, in which you can treat the irritation.

 

Is there some kind of directory for veterinary ophthalmologists? I live in the middle of the woods in New Brunswick, so I doubt there is anything like that around here or even in my province

 

I have some pictures. His eyes look relatively normal at first glance.

 

 

However with flash you can see how cloudy the pupil is.

 

[seeh2o]

Here is a link to find a VO in your area.

 

http://acvo.org/new/public/locate.shtml

 

It's very much worth it to go to one. My Carl had 3 different incorrect diagnosis before I went to a real VO (please make sure the vet is board verified as a VO) and he had a real diagnosis within 15 min...which was completely fixable.

 

Good luck to you and your boy.

[Guest carriej]

Thank you, low and behold there is one a couple of hours away, however, looks like they operate on referral basis only. I will inquire with my vet about this and see what she thinks, since it looks like I will need her to contact them anyway.

http://cullenwebb.com/cw/services/how-to-book-an-appointment

[seeh2o]

That's how it worked for us the first time, we needed a referral from my vet, which was no problem at all. She looked at Carl's eyes and told me that she didn't know what was wrong with his eyes, but she did know that all the diagnosis he'd been given were wrong. She was right!

[Hubcitypam]

Poodle had cataracts in both eyes, but he was much older when they developed. The vets said he could see by tilting his to the side and he did quite well. About the same time he had to start taking drops for dry eye but that could have been a co inky dink.

[Guest carriej]

So we are waiting to hear back from my vet. I sent her some additional pictures for reference, and mentioned pannus once again. It's weird, because she said cataracts but she seemed to be describing pannus treatment if he needs it (steroid drops). We will see what happens.