Has anyone had a dog go blind from SARDs?

[hastyreply]

My dog was diagnosed with Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome. I took him to an Ophthalmologist expecting cataracts only after testing it turned out to be SARDs. He has never had any signs of Cushings, which it can be associated with. He will be tested for that next week.

I was taken back by the diagnosis. I was expecting to have to decide if surgery was justified.

He’s a 9 year old New Zealand Heading Dog and my main help working my sheep. We just worked sheep a couple of weeks ago. He’s handling the blindness very well, he’s very stoic. It’s just sad for me.

The vet told me that some of her patients had tried some of the experimental treatments that you can research but it hadn’t improved anything with their vision and side effects had made their quality of life worse. So I won’t go that road. He’s very healthy and active. I may even try him working in the pen with me. He’s so awesome working and he loves it so much.

I just wondered if anyone else had any experience with SARDs or sudden blindness.

[ponygirl]

Yes, I have. Happened to my Siberian Husky at the age of 10 over the course of a long weekend. Literally. He also had recently been diagnosed with diabetes and we never could not get that under control for any length of thime. That can happen if they have Cushings. Did not get a definitive diagnosis there either. 1 positive and 2 negatives test results doing the dex suppression testing by the internal med specialist. SARDS was easy to deal with. Diabetes was not.

[Mara]

My mom’s Westie was diagnosed with it not long ago. He’d gained a lot of weight and been rather listless for a bit, so all of the Cushing’s tests were run and those came up negative. Looking back, it’s pretty obvious that the reason for the weight gain was inactivity; suddenly going blind (as opposed to gradual vision loss from cataracts, etc) would be a bit of a shock even for a dog, who relies mainly on nose and ears for information. He wasn’t as active because he was a little fearful and tentative for a few weeks.

The veterinary opthalmologist did try a combo of pred and some kind of antibiotic eyedrops (I think), noting that approach has had some limited success. It didn’t do anything for Fergus, though.

But he’s adjusted and has his personality back! He’s got the house, yard, and neighborhood mapped out pretty well - he knows EXACTLY where the driveway to his house is when out for walks and makes the correct turn every time regardless of the route taken. He’s also resumed his feral cat patrol duties in the yard, and his weight has come down now that he’s regained his confidence.

[hastyreply]

Thanks for the replies. Gus’s vision loss was over a few weeks, or so it seemed. He compensates very well but I can tell now that he doesn’t see anything, maybe some light/dark but even that I’m not sure of. Interestingly he hasn’t fit any of Cushing’s symptoms, but we will test him just the same. Nor has he had symptoms that would indicate diabetes. The ophthalmologist didn’t recommend any of the treatments that were out there. She’d had some clients who had tried them but with no significant results. Also the side effects were worse or would be for my dog than just the blindness.

It is something I never anticipated nor experienced in the dozen or more dogs I’ve had in my life. I’ve had dogs at the end of their lives with vision loss but not one in their prime so to speak. Gus hasn’t seemed overly effected by it, not fearful or confused. We had a thunderstorm over the weekend during which he was very restless and shaking when before he wasn’t this way. I’m taking him 100 miles to a friend’s vet clinic to be tested so he won’t have to be in a strange kennel for 8+ hours waiting for testing. We can hang out in her office instead.

It will be an interesting journey for both Gus and me.

[horsietalk]

My pug Disco went blind when he was 6. He came back negative for cushings/diabetes. We didn’t notice until we took him out of town with us and he was bumping into the walls at my in laws place. At home he got around just fine, guess he knew his way around. He did stop chewing on nylabones prior which he always loved to chew. He did go through a depression spell it seemed after diagnosed, as well as my husband and I did too but a few months later he was back to chewing on his bones. He gets around for the most part but needs us to speak to him once in awhile when he gets lost somewhere in the house. We don’t pick him up as that confuses him more. Since he is flat faced we have to make sure he can’t bump his eyes on anything.

[Equibrit]

Interesting piece; http://www.public.iastate.edu/~nscentral/news/2007/may/blind.shtml

[IndysMom]

Our older dog has PRA-Progresssive Retinal Atrophy. She still sees a bit in one eye, but nothing in the dark. It has taken a year or so, not sudden onset. However, since she’s also pretty deaf, this is an issue because she’s easy to startle and will growl/snap/bite. She’s our baby and has been with us for 11 years so we’ll put up with it until it’s “time”. She seems to get around okay at her own house and at the kennel (they know her well and are familiar with “tempermental” springers).

It would be hard for a working dog to be blind. No advice, just sympathy.

[Dramapony_misty]

I had an older dog go blind overnight (the evening before she was catching popcorn in mid-air…7am the next morning, she ran into the door before my dad had opened it to let her out), from Glaucoma. It took her a little while, but she adjusted. Sometimes she would get excited and bounce off the walls going down the hallway like bumper bowling. She was pretty quick to learn that when we yelled “watch!” she should slow down as she was about to hit something.

The scariest moment was when she wandered off of the property one really cold winter night. Somehow she got over into the neighbor’s yard and made herself a loop. It took over an hour to find her. The more we called, the faster she trotted around that circle of her own scent.

[hastyreply]

[QUOTE=Equibrit;7117417]
Interesting piece; http://www.public.iastate.edu/~nscentral/news/2007/may/blind.shtml[/QUOTE]

The ophthalmologist spoke about this research. The researchers have left ISU now and out in a private practice. She said that she had some clients pursue these treatments with no success. She said the side effects were not always pleasant.

Since Gus seems to be adjusting well I am letting it be. I did do a low suppression cortisol test just to verify that he wasn’t Cushings or pre Cushings.

Keeping everything as calm and routine as we can seems to be best for him. It is just such a surprise, and I forget he can’t see when he is getting around the farm so well. When there are more people than the usual around and extra dogs he gets confused. I see him lingering closer to the house and being more subdued than he previously was, which is understandable.

Thanks for the replies.