Scratchings-and-Sniffings

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Cataracts In Dogs Posted: 13 Nov 2009 04:35 AM PST Our dog's eyes are very similar to ours. Like us, they have a lens in the front part of the eye that focuses light on to the retina in the back of the eye. Some people use a camera analogy for that process where the lens is like the lens in a camera and the retina is like the film. Without the ability to focus, the image on the film will be blurred. If the lens remains closed, no image at all will appear on the film. A cataract is something that forms in the lens that interrupts the flow of light to the retina and results in impaired vision. Depending on the severity of the opacity, a cataract can result in blurred vision or blindness. Most cataracts in dogs are hereditary. There are upwards of forty different breeds that have the potential to inherit cataracts. Other causes are secondary to metabolic diseases like diabetes, eye trauma and injuries or the result of other primary diseases of the eye like uveitis.    If you notice some clouding of your dog's eye or if your dog starts bumping into things or maybe starts to hesitate to go down stairs, he could be developing a vision problem. Your veterinarian can examine your pet's eyes to determine whether a cataract is forming fairly easily. She can also run tests to determine whether the cataract is secondary to another condition or disease of the eye.    This is really important because the customary treatment for cataracts is surgical removal. Many dogs with hereditary cataracts are good surgical candidates but dogs with cataracts secondary to another eye disease may not be surgical candidates. In those dogs, resolution of the primary problem is the first step in treating the eye. And dogs with diabetes are not good surgery candidates unless their symptoms are well controlled.   Vision can be restored in many dogs with cataracts following surgery and there are even prosthetic lenses available for both dogs and cats that can return vision to almost normal.   There is a condition that occurs in many older dogs that can look like cataract formation. This condition is called either nuclear sclerosis or lenticular sclerosis and is very common in older dogs. The lens does appear to be cloudy in these dogs but their vision usually remains quite good and there is no real treatment needed.   Darcie had nuclear sclerosis for several years before she passed away. She was deaf as a post but she could see pretty well at the end. Your veterinarian can tell the difference between cataract formation and age related changes in the eye.   There is no consistent way to prevent the development of cataracts, but there is an organization called CERF, or the Canine Eye Registry Foundation that helps breeders determine which dogs to breed. You can have your dog certified free of major heritable eye disease through this group. It's well worth it if you have one of the breeds involved with this and other hereditary eye diseases. Selective breeding is one way to limit the spread of these conditions.   Since I seem to be on an eye kick we might as well talk about the big kahoona of hereditary eye disease; Progressive Retinal Atrophy. I'll do that next week.

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