Cataracts?

straightforward ones can be sorted, it depends if there is further degeneration at the back of the eye.
My Kelpie went blind, she had visible cataracts but they couldn’t be fixed ( or no point) as the changes behind were too extreme.
 
Thanks both. He's never been keen on folk getting up in his face and he's got less tolerant with age, so will have to balance everything with, which option will be least stressful for him.
 
CorvusCorax said:
Thanks both. He's never been keen on folk getting up in his face and he's got less tolerant with age, so will have to balance everything with, which option will be least stressful for him.
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Ah my favourites :oops: discuss the "Chill" protocol with the vet beforehand (Oral sedation you administer). Is he better with men or women? Dr Terry Grimes seems to have a knack of being able to handle even the most grumpy/upset dog quietly and calmly. There is a good female ophtho based down South also.
 
My old JRT had them and struggled in very bright sunlight but otherwise seemed to bumble around quite happily. She never went off lead in an unfamiliar place but her usual haunts she knew well and coped fine with her nose and our other dog to follow. Her sense of smell seemed to help. In very bright sunlight she would stop and stand still so I assume she was dazzled by it rather than having very misty vision. Our vet felt it would be stressful for her and she was coping fine so we left them.
 
My remaining rough collie has one in one m and the vet is happy to leave it be. He seems to cope but he has vision issues already so whether that’s why he’s not bothered I don’t know. He’s already completely lost his sight in one eye though but that’s due to being born with a coloboma so not linked.
 
Most of mine have developed cataracts to one degree or another and not been phased by them. I didn't even know surgery was possible.

Button's eyes (at 16) were totally blue but she could still see OK. Well, she didn't bump into anything so I'm assuming her vision was still pretty good. I did have to keep her on a lead as she got older because I'm not sure her distance vision was the same.
 
CorvusCorax said:
Thanks all. Will try and get him checked out, Druid, he's an equal opportunities weirdo!!
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Then take your pick of young and female or the ophtho equivalent of David Attenborough....watching Dr Grimes pop a bin bag over half of a yearlings head and then insert himself in it to get a better look at a defect in the dark has been one of the most panic inducing moments of my career....yearling stood quietly like it was no big deal at all.
 
druid said:
Then take your pick of young and female or the ophtho equivalent of David Attenborough....watching Dr Grimes pop a bin bag over half of a yearlings head and then insert himself in it to get a better look at a defect in the dark has been one of the most panic inducing moments of my career....yearling stood quietly like it was no big deal at all.
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Terry Grimes just had an incredible knack for just making animals become compliant. I have 0 idea exactly what it is he does it but it works on all species I've seen him handle! I had a similar experience with him and a very lively bargy alpaca who was a bit of a turd to handle. Terry just popped in and just got instant compliance effortlessly, exam done sorted and treatment given while all us students just stared in shock at the old guys skills. Same with the eye exams for v lively young dogs etc. I think he just exudes calm but it's was pretty impressive!

CC before worrying to much I'd make sure it's defiantely a cataract issue you have. Nuclear sclerosis is common and telling the two apart can be done reasonably easily if you can get a vet and scope close enough.
 
druid said:
Ah my favourites :oops: discuss the "Chill" protocol with the vet beforehand (Oral sedation you administer). .
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sorry to interrupt your thread but can anyone (a vet perhaps) tell me if oral sedation given to a dog would cause an inaccurate blood pressure reading. It is essential to take my dog's blood pressure and totally impossible to get an accurate reading. It would be helpful to know before I ask the vet yet another silly question.
 
Thanks guys. Calm, confident and no nonsense is the way to go with him, if he sees any sign of weakness he takes full advantage, but it's easy for me to say to someone who doesn't know him and he's doing his Tasmanian Devil impersonation...

I did mention to someone I wouldn't be bringing him out to train decoys again as I thought his sight was failing and the reply was 'yeah as if that would stop him' ?
I won't be, of course!
 
Just to follow up, I've done a few tests on him and there doesn't seem to be any problem with his sight, even at night.
I think it may just have been him not wanting to come out of the kennels where he was staying (it took two days for him to go out to the grass exercise area and we thought it might have been an eyesight/depth perception problem, he may also just have been having a massive huff).
 
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