Greetings!
I've noticed lately that Sophie doesn't see as well as she used to. Back in June when she had her dental, her vet did give her eyes a good look-over because she had "runny eyes" which were, at that time thought to be caused by infection from her gums sliding up too far on her little front teeth (she lost those teeth because of the infection danger of her receding gums). However, while her eyes are definitely less runny than before, there is the occasional "runny eye". As I clean it, it usually seems to be just dirt, not an infection. This falls into the category of "normal", as Iowa tends to be windy. But something that bothers me is that I can see that her lenses are starting to cloud. Sometimes, when I give her a treat, holding it near her, she will sniff to track it down, and is missing out on finding it visually. However, she sees me readily in the yard at distance, and runs over without me making a sound. Needless to say, I want to keep Sophie in tip-top shape, with everything working as long as possible. Does anyone know of anything to slow the emergence of cataracts down? I've heard for humans that bilberry is a good eye health supplement, but we're tallking precious puppers now. Ideas?
Deb, I am glad you posted this. I am sorry to say that I have no answers for you, but I am interested in this subject also as Winston has a "junior cataract" in his left eye and I too would like to know of anything that could help.
Can you get medicinal marijuana in Iowa? :scratch:
Miss Ima DoraBelle :bkiss:
AHEM . . .
Marijuana is indicated for GLAUCOMA, not cataracts!
Dr. Louis Braille Leaky :rolleyes:
I'm have noticed the exact same thing with Hallie. In addition she also has one pupil larger than the other which scares the pants off me as to the cause of it. The soonest we could get in to the opthmologist is aug 7 (her birthday :( ) at 8 am. She has no other symptoms but I too have noticed she doesn't find things on the floor like she used to and also getting cloudy. The vets looked in there and have said she has old dog changes but didnt' say just what.
I put this together of Hallie's eyes to take to the opthmologist with us. It looks to me like her left pupil started to be larger than the right about a year ago and getting worse. I'll let you know if I learn anything helpful for aging dog eyes too.
DD, Max had a similar issue, with a considerably larger disparity between the pupils than Hallie has. Like you, it scared the crap out of me when I discovered it. I actually did take him to a veterinary opthamologist, because we were concerned that it may be a neurological issue. It wasn't. If I recall, what happens is the muscles that open and close the pupil simply get worn down over time. It's more annoying than harmful, and Max would compensate.
Deb, when a dachshund gets cataracts, it tends to make them farsighted, which is why Sophie can spot you easily in the yard. Before his cataracts became severe (after age 15), Max could spot other dogs at a distance of 2 - 300 yards.
I don't know of anything that can prevent or slow down the progress of cataracts. You may want to try increasing the amount of Vitamin A in their diets by giving them mini-carrots as treats.
This picture shows Max-angel, both with the pupil disparity and cataracts to good effect. This was taken about a week before his 15th birthday. The pupil on the right eye is almost fully dialated, and it would usually remain that way. Max lived another 2 years and 7 months after this picture was taken. In his younger days, Max was a magnificent clear red. By this time, you can see he has an almost equal interspersion of white and red hairs.
(http://farm1.static.flickr.com/1/4278423_915f20b265_b.jpg)
Oh David, you have no idea what you just did for me! I was afraid there was no possible diagnosis than a bad one, I was afraid it was neurological too (my vet also wondered that although she said she has no idea what this is). I am really encouraged after reading about Max and seeing that photo of his eyes. I do remember my Dad's Jody's pupils being uneven once when I was taking care of her but it didn't go farther than that and I dont' remember checking after that. I feel a lot better now and know it could be anything but sounds like Hallie could just have a Max eye! Thanks so much for that. I love this photo of Max he was an exceptionally handsome doxie!
I heard they remove dog cataracts but I'd guess not unless they really impaired vision...
Remember scent IS there best sense, lets face it with two inch legs how far can you expect them to see in the distance, and with those legs how fast could they actually get there. Kidding aside scent is what they use most, Emma was blind for the later part of her life (4-5yrs) and I can assure you she got to the door first to bark (did'nt know what she was barking at, but she got there).
I find sometimes if they are not concenting on where the FOOD drop is it they have to use their nose.
If it came between going a bit in the sight to their back, I know which one I would pick.
Dee Dee I wonder if that sheds any light on Ms H's back issues..................
Roberta
Buelah, who is now six years old went for her yearly vet visit about two weeks ago. He told me that she has very very early cataracts and a "sunspot" on her right eye. He wants to see her again in six months but said to not worry about it as it is so early. Yeah...that's easy for HIM to say! I find myself staring into her eyes constantly to see if I can see any cloudiness. I'd love to try something to prevent this from getting worse so if anyone knows of anything please let us know!
Quote from: David C. on July 23, 2009, 07:29:12 PM
If I recall, what happens is the muscles that open and close the pupil simply get worn down over time.
So
THAT'S why Uncle Harold always looked so :crazyeyes:
Both Ru and Bran have cataracts, and have no worries finding meals, treats, those pesky birds in the yard, mommy where ever she is, soft beds, toys...anything :thumb: Like humans, their eyes just age, and Roberta is right - #1 sense - the nosie !!! It is worrisome, and I would love to know if anything can be done - but alas, have not heard of anything and the vet has not offered up anything.
Its just plain hard when our babies age...... sux....... :comfort:
i used to play a game with Cooper-Angel, the Border Collie mix :angel4:, and Guinness, the alpha doxie :runaway:. I would call out:
"Retriever!" - Cooper would catch the treat flung in the air, rarely missing.
"Non-Retriever" - Guinness would have the treat dropped directly on his upturned snout, which would fall to the floor and be located by his lightning-fast nose.
It was great fun, at least for Cooper-Angel and me!
Auntie Karen :heart:
I used to play hide the treat with the boys. They would be kept in the kitchen while I hid the treats in the living room, then they would be released. You never saw noses sniff so fast or butts wiggle so much. They would run all over the living room sniffing away until they finally found the treat hidden in plain sight.