Thread: Dog Cataracts

My 15yo cocker has the same issue and I live in a three story house - doggie has learnt to cope and can negotiate the stairs with caution and can get herself outside during the day. Night time is a real issue however - the night before last I heard her go outside at 1 in the morning and as she had not come in after 10 minutes I had to go out and get her. She had lost her bearings and got lost.

When I got up in the morning there was blood on the stair treads on the top level stairs - when she goes down stairs she feels for the edge and then puts her fronts paws on the next stair and then the rest follows. It looks like her front paws slipped of the edge of the top step and her mouth hit the plastic tread possibly breaking a front tooth causing a bit of blood but she is all OK now - just a small healing wound.

My dog follows the walls and infact ine side of here nose is a bit chaffed from brick walls. She gets around OK but is more problematic at night. In view of her little accident I now carry her outside a bed time and then put her to bed - she stays there until 9 in the morning then shoots up the stairs wanting breakfast - not bad for a 15 yo - she then sleeps all day on the top level of the house going outside when she wants. At night she does like to be led on a lead when she is in unfamiliar territory. At home, she knows things do get moved around but she seems to cope - walking softly.

With cataracts they can still see light and dark and movement but have issues where there is little contrast. I leave the lights over the stairs on she she knows where to go.

However she now gets easily stressed if we go out (so we do not go out much) and she gets stressed if I am not there so 4wd trips are now restricted to weekends.

However she sits at the front door looking out a lot and still has the ability to spot the neighbours cats crossing the road at 200m - but only if they are moving.

The only real advice I can give is make it as easy for your dog as much as you can.

Good luck

Garry

Originally Posted by loanrangie

My poor little 14yo maltese x ****zoo (yes Ron, i did mean that) has been getting slowly more and more blind due to cataracts but all of a sudden he seems mostly blind now.

Sorry to hear that. It's awful when one's pet has problems.

BTW, had you have spelled it correctly as shih tzu and it wouldn't have been filtered by the swear filter.

Originally Posted by p38arover

Sorry to hear that. It's awful when one's pet has problems.

BTW, had you have spelled it correctly as shih tzu and it wouldn't have been filtered by the swear filter.

I know i forgot how lame the swear filter is here, i mean seriously a primary school kid uses stronger words .

Yeah i think he knows how to get around ok but our other dog ,a lab x staffie , has knocked him with her tail and sent him skittling down the stairs so will have to try and keep the gate shut although doggy door is downstairs .

Originally Posted by loanrangie

I know i forgot how lame the swear filter is here, i mean seriously a primary school kid uses stronger words .

I don't - nor do I use that word.

Originally Posted by loanrangie

Yeah i think he knows how to get around ok but our other dog ,a lab x staffie , has knocked him with her tail and sent him skittling down the stairs so will have to try and keep the gate shut although doggy door is downstairs .

A lab/staffie cross - probably a clumsy big hoofer if our old lab was anything to go by! Lab tails are particularly dangerous when glasses of wine or beer are on side tables.

Originally Posted by loanrangie

My poor little 14yo maltese x ****zoo (yes Ron, i did mean that) has been getting slowly more and more blind due to cataracts but all of a sudden he seems mostly blind now. Surgery is mega expensive so is there anything non surgical (or less invasive ) that can be done ? , poor little boy has tumbled down our stairs twice and i'm worried he'll do himself a serious injury.

He seems quite healthy and was given a clean bill at the vets but i'm sure going to miss my little ball of fluff should he pass on .

Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done apart from surgery to improve vision - cataracts are a disease of the lens within the eye, the lens becomes opaque, blocking the light from getting to the retina (the light receptor) at the back of the eye. Surgery involves removing the opaque lens and replacing it with an implant. Sometimes dogs and other animals can also be blind for other reasons and cataract sugery won't bring back sight. Dogs in particular tend to cope extremely well without sight, just don't go moving the furniture around!