Cataract Surgery for Dogs

[afreebird]

Is there anyone here whose dog has had cataract surgery? I am struggling with this decision right now and simply can't decide what to do.

My 12-year old shih tzu has had eye issues for the last four years. Four years ago, I came home from dinner one night and discovered that her left eye was bulging out of its socket, seriously looking like it was simply going to fall out any second. We spent that summer trying to save the eye, but in the end, it had to be removed. She had lost all vision in it, and it was one infection after another. There was no definitive answer as to why the eye became unattached; the opthamologist said that dogs with shallow eye cavities, such as shih tzus and pugs, are prone to this type of eye trauma as they age. She told me it has even happened after a sneeze, which completely freaked me out.

After she recovered from that, she has been completely happy and got along just fine with one eye. This past year, however, she has had three corneal ulcers in her remaining eye and had to have a keratotomy to force one ulcer to heal. Again, after she healed from those, she has been fine. She has been seeing her opthamologist, word has it the best in Houston, every 2-3 months for checkups and gets her daily drop of cyclosporine in her eye to maintain the health of her cornea. I also put her in an e-collar (the cone) whenever we go to play outside to help protect her little face and eye.

We knew she had the beginning of a cataract last October. Two weeks ago, I woke up one morning, and her eye was cloudy white. Just like that. Yesterday it was back to the eye vet to discuss the pros and cons of cataract surgery. She went over the procedure with me and explained that the aftercare was crucial. She said that she was hesitant to perform the surgery on Gwenny as she has a history of corneal ulcers in that eye, but if three months go by with no further problems, I can schedule the surgery. She said that it stated that dogs have a 90-95% success rate with the surgery, but that is for the short term. She said LONG term, with dogs who are the IDEAL candidates for surgery (which Gwenny is not), the success rate is 70-75%. After listening to her professional opinion, I asked if she could tell me her personal opinion about what I should do. She told me that her personal opinion for Gwenny is that cataract surgery is an ELECTIVE surgery; she can still have a good quality of life without it as dogs adjust well and have no sense of self pity. She said that she understood that it hurt me to watch my little girl bump into walls and such, but that she would rather have her at home bumping into things that to not come home at all after the surgery. (Gwenny has an irregular heart beat which is a concern for anesthesia.)

After leaving the vet's office, I kind of felt like it was a no-brainer. I don't want to take such chances with the anesthesia, especially when her eye's long-term prognosis is less than 70%. But then last night and this morning, my heart breaks as I watch her walk verrrry carefully with her little head down, sniffing and feeling her way through familiar rooms and hallways. When she hears my voice, her little tails wags and she runs to find me, but sometimes in the wrong direction.

If anyone has any experience with cataract surgery in dogs or with dealing with a dog's blindness, any advice or info would be much appreciated. I've already done a lot of googling and found some great resources. I'm just trying to get as much information as possible and would love to hear some personal stories.

Thanks for listening to my ramble. I'm really struggling trying to figure out what is best for her.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Afreebird, I really feel for you. Byron suddenly lost vision in his right eye a year ago and we travelled to the two best ophthalmologists wihin a 1,000 mile radius (one in Canada and one down in Virginia) so they could both evaluate him, then ended up having surgery done with the one we liked the best. Byron needed a retina re-attachment and only had a 50% chance of regaining sight in that eye, but we went ahead and did it. Our mentality was always that if there was a CHANCE to regain sight in the eye, it was worth the cost and effort. We had nothing to lose, really. He never regained vision in that eye, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that we did everything we possibly could.

The fact that your pup has other complicating issues makes the decision more difficult--especially a heart arrhythmia, which is a big concern.

If it were me, I'd get other opinions. D and I saw three local ophthalmologists that were considered "very good" and two of whom he still sees regularly. We started asking them who was the best of the best east of the Mississippi and that's how we got the names of the ophthalmologists in Canada and Virginia. Then we took it from there. I'd ask your ophthalmologist if she has any recommendations for a second opinion. If she's a bad vet, she'll get offended. If she's good, she'll support your decision and recommend somebody--the community of canine ophthalmologists is pretty small, so they all tend to know each other and can recommend each other easily.

Good luck--it's so tough, I know. A lot of people would probably tell you to just let her be and if that's what you decide, there is nothing wrong with that. If her other issues (her age and the heart issue) are too much to justify putting her under the knife, that's fine. But, I also understand that this is really her only chance at having any sight and 70% is a pretty good chance, in my opinion.

 

[afreebird]

NewEnglandLady, thank you! I'm checking into some ophthalmologists right now in Dallas and Austin. Your opinion is pretty much the same as my husband's - as long as there's a chance, it's worth it. But I can't quite let go of imagining the worst-case scenario. If we decide to go ahead with the surgery, she will have all the bloodwork and chemistry profiles done to ensure that she's suitable for anesthesia, so I guess that will help lessen some of the worry. And I'm taking online grad courses full-time for the rest of this year, so I'll be home all day to take care of her post-surgery. I'm just having a hard time with the decision-making process, I guess.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I know it's a difficult decision and I know you would never want to do anything that could jeopardize your dog's life. If the heart condition is a big concern, then that answers that. It's just that I've been through this a few times now with several specialists and it's hard to get ALL information from just one specialist. I've found that assessments and opinions can really vary, so the more information ou have, the more you can make an informed decision.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Afreebird, I have experience with this and my heart aches for you. The family dog with whom I grew up and who otherwise had a clean bill of health had the cataract surgery, yet even then the success was mixed at best. In our situation, there was no regret in giving it a shot.

To be forthright, however, with your dog's known heart condition there's no way I would run the risk of anesthesia for cataract surgery. Anesthesia is always a little risky in small dogs, doubly so when they're senior, and exponentially so when there's a heart condition involved. I'd keep with the status quo on the eyes and make the necessary changes in my house to optimize how a mostly-blind dog interacts with the world, and probably spoil her other four senses rotten in her senior years.

You certainly have my sympathy; it can be hard sometimes when you face a fork in the road and neither path seems very appealing.

 

[afreebird]

Afreebird, I have experience with this and my heart aches for you. The family dog with whom I grew up and who otherwise had a clean bill of health had the cataract surgery, yet even then the success was mixed at best. In our situation, there was no regret in giving it a shot.

To be forthright, however, with your dog's known heart condition there's no way I would run the risk of anesthesia for cataract surgery. Anesthesia is always a little risky in small dogs, doubly so when they're senior, and exponentially so when there's a heart condition involved. I'd keep with the status quo on the eyes and make the necessary changes in my house to optimize how a mostly-blind dog interacts with the world, and probably spoil her other four senses rotten in her senior years.

You certainly have my sympathy; it can be hard sometimes when you face a fork in the road and neither path seems very appealing.

She is definitely being spoiled rotten, as if she wasn't already, but she deserves every minute of it! I'm a peanut butter and jelly fanatic, and I swear she can be napping in another room, but as soon as I open the peanut butter cabinet, she magically appears in the kitchen, pawing at my leg to make sure I don't forget about my pbj buddy!

We're keeping her surroundings familiar; no redecorating or furniture switcheroos. She still loves to go on her walks, and I make sure I give her extra sniffing time since that is the sense she most relies on. I also read that it's good to make sure I talk to her throughout the day, which I already do. She is seriously my baby and my best friend. She's been with me through a divorce, two moves across the country, and my mom's death. I just want to do what's best for her.

Thank you both so much for sharing your experiences and advice. I think at this point, I have decided I'm not willing to take the risk of surgery. Her eye vet said she would wait 3 months before performing the surgery anyway, even if I decided to go through it, so we will take the next couple of months and see how she adjusts to her loss of vision.