My nine week old puppy (Doberman) has cataracts ?

Question

She is completely blind and the vet says this is rare for dogs of her age, she can have an operation to remove the lens however this has risks, has anyone had this operation if so what experience did you have? This is apparently an inherited condition in Dobermans

Answer 1

I have never had a dog with this situation. But I think I would try to have it corrected if possible. There are some puppies and dogs who learn to survive on their own with blindness but I think they have to be rare people who endeavor it. good luck to you.  

Answer 2

saw your added details after i posted

http://www.vetinfo4dogs.com/dcataract.ht... hope this helps

Answer 3

did you buy her from a  breeder ???

if so this puppy should not have been bred OR sold,,and should be brought back to the breeder  ASAP .

add-just saw your edit,,i assumed you did not know on buying her she had this condition,,but as you say,,you were aware of this and all i can say is good for you as 90% of us if we are honest would choose the sighted puppy,,and from what everyone else has said it sounds as if this op has no guarantee and on a puppy so young may be dangerous BUT i would really sit down and discuss all of the risks with my vet ..

personally i would not put the puppy through it,,your puppy will not miss a sense it has never known  and will adapt very well,

dogs especially are very scent oriented and this scent will become heightened,,

enjoy your puppy,,,i think she is quite LUCKY TO HAVE YOU

Answer 4

First of all, I admire you for taking on this poor wee pup and I'm NOT going down the road of whether it should have been bred or sold.  Nature can do this and it's not necessarily the fault of any breeder.  I think I would be inclined to give it a go, although I've only had experience of cataracts in one of my very elderly dogs and at his age, felt it was kindest not to put him through the stress (he did have partial sight and was managing his life perfectly well).  I'd have to be advised as to what the percentage of risk, success, was before going ahead, but I assume the medics will advise you and you will be able to make the right decision.  Good luck!

Answer 5

I do have experience with hereditary cataract but not with PHPV which I presume your puppy has. The dogs I have known who have been operated on have all been older ( 2 - 6 yrs) and to be honest, it's not a nice operation and some dogs become very stressed when their sight returns. This isn't something I would have though about, but you can't explain to a dog that it's having an operation so it can see again - must come as a shock when they suddenly have an extra sense.

Everything I've read suggests that it is an operation with a high risk of post op complications.

You obviously want to do your best for this puppy, but an operation may not necessarily be the best option for her. Why not get in touch with some of the Breed Clubs and find someone has 1st hand information about the operation in your breed?

To those who like to jump and the bandwagon and say this puppy should not have been bred - this is a very rare condition in the UK and the mode of inheritance is not yet known. If the parents were tested before being bred, there is no more a breeder can do.

Your puppy is very lucky to have such a caring owner. Good Luck with her.

Answer 6

My 5 year old GSP got cataracts.

This gentle soul took a swipe at a child who was bouncing on the couch, which alerted me to the problem.

She also was getting injured when hunting which hadn't happened before ( cuts).

The vet referred me to the specialist in our area who examined her.He told me that she had no peripheral vision left and only had tunnel vision.

This was why anyone behind her or coming from the side unexpectedly , startled her. She didn't know what wa happening to her so was frightened of unexpected movement.

The surgery was $2500.

There were many weeks of aftercare ( irrigating the eye every couple hours), which if not done meticulously, would negate the surgery. There was no guarantee that the cataracts would not return over the coming years.

.

Answer 7

If it's any comfort to you, I have known several blind dogs over the years and they have all been perfectly happy.

When they are on their leads they have implicit trust in their owners and walk quite normally. It's very touching to see a "guide-dog-in-reverse" situation where a human is going some way to repaying the debt that many people owe to dogs.

Dogs do not worry about situations in the same way as people do, so as long as someone is around to ensure your dog's well-being she will be perfectly content. I'm afraid I have no information about this operation in dogs but, whatever your decision, I'm sure you'll have a long and happy relationship with your dog.

Good luck.