Young Papillon with possible cataract in one eye....What do you know about this?

[KellyG]

Just as a bit of background…I have two Papillons, both from the same breeder, they are “first cousins,” and they are a year apart.

The older one is great…He is two and a half, and working on his CH. No health problems and a great dog.

The younger one…his name is Presto…he is 17 months old, and we love him to pieces!!! He ended up not being show quality, so he is neutered and living a life of luxury with us.

When we had him neutered (in July), our vet noticed a heart murmur that had previously not been detected (group of vets, you see whoever is available, unless you have a preference). It is a grade 1, so not too serious, but affirmed the decision to neuter him. I notified the breeder, who has been supportive and informative (no previous history in her lines that she has ever been informed of). The vet did not feel it was a genetic issue, however, since it appeared after Presto was a year old. He thought perhaps a virus had caused it - but I cannot remember him being sick for even one day - and I have had Presto since he was 12 weeks old. Nevertheless, this is his situation.

Fast forward to yesterday, and my husband and I are sitting outside having lunch (we are RV camping for T-giving), and he says to me, “Have you noticed Presto’s right eye is cloudy?”

Why, no I haven’t!!!

And sure enough…his right eye is most definitely cloudy. You can’t tell in normal lighting (inside our house), but sitting outside, you can most definitely see a difference in the two eyes. He is 17 mos old…and I guess he has juvenile cataracts. He was just at the vet last month for his annual vaccines and wellness check…and nothing was detected or noted on his exam (I have a copy of each dogs’ health record when we travel).

I am VERY glad I purchased health insurance for him. Very. It doesn’t cover his heart issue (I purchased the policy from Petplan right after neutering him…being concerned about what else may come up for either of them).

I just called my vet this morning and booked an appointment for next Tuesday.

So…what can I expect? I know surgery, of course…but what was the cost (I have a $200 deductible, and a 10% co-insurance I will owe)? How long did your dog have to stay at the clinic? How was the recovery? Will surgery fully restore his vision in that eye?

Here’s a photo - you might be able to see the cloudiness in it -

[KellyG]

Is there anyone at all here with cataract experience?

I am so worried…

[Big_Grey_hunter]

I don’t know anything about cataracts with young dogs, but our old lab started getting cataracts at 9ish. At almost fifteen, she’s mostly blind from her cataracts. It has had very, very little impact on her life. Up until this year she went on on hikes in the woods with zero problems and hasn’t had any trouble navigating. She would still be running through the woods if it weren’t for her bad hips. We do have to tap her on the butt to get her attention (she’s deaf now too) and she doesn’t read facial expression, but she can see and respond to big gestures. She reads a lot from our younger dog if she can’t see us and does what he does.

[jetsmom]

I looked into it for a dog I had, but unfortunately she developed Liver problems and a leaky heart valve before I could get it done. IIRC, it was about 2500. per eye. They come home pretty quickly (same day or next) and then need eye drops several times a day, as well as wearing a cone to keep them from itching/scratching the eye. Recovery was about 10 days. It seems to be very successful.

I’d want to find out from vet if the heart murmur, cataract are indicative of something else, like Cushings or Diabetes…

[KellyG]

Thanks, guys! I really appreciate it.

My vet said the same thing when she called me back today…it can be indicative of diabetes with such a quick onset of a cataract. None of his other symptoms (no other symptoms at this time or in his history) suggest diabetes…so I’m hopeful…

He also has an unusual fontanel suture line on the top of his skull. And he has several unusual anxieties (fear of campfires, fear of the ac/heater in the rv, and is afraid of car rides). It may be nothing…or it could be one, large issue.

On a good note, when I pulled up our policy, I can see that I selected the policy with the $200 deductible, and NO coinsurance. Super glad I did that!! The policy also covers inpatient care (boarding)…which I pay extra for. Phew!!! So glad I did this!

I can’t tell you how much we love this dog (both of them, of course) - he is our court jester, our comedian, and mood lightener…he’s such a good boy.

Thanks, again, guys!

[Louise]

Cat person here, so no helpful suggestions, just tons of good wishes for you pup.

[KellyG]

Thank you!!

I am anxious to get him to the vet…

[Petstorejunkie]

I wouldn’t assume it’s a cataract until definitively diagnosed. There are to myriad of things that can make a single eye cloudy. I’d consider it an emergency visit given the fast progression of eyeball problems.

[HappyTalk]

I did cataract removal and lens implantation last year on my diabetic min pin. I had it done at Ohio State and it was a very good experience. I called around and OSU was the least expensive in my area. It ran me about $3700 for both eyes. I work in a vet clinic and did all of my pre-surgical testing there. Dog had to wear an e-collar for about 6 weeks,but he adjusted very well to it. Post-op is intensive with eye drops about every 4 hours at first. He healed very well. I lost him to cancer about a month ago, but I do not regret the surgery. It made a world of difference in his life.

[KellyG]

Thank you, thank you!!

I am worried about a lot of things - including diabetes, even though I’m not seeing any other symptoms.

My husband left a message for the vet to call us tomorrow and ask if we should bump our appt to Saturday…or sooner since petstorejunkie brought it up.

For now, we are hunkered down in our heated beds in our camper watching “Scent of a Woman”… with the wind blowing like crazy and both dogs plastered to our sides :-). I love being in the mountains!

[Cherry]

DH and I used to have a pair of Cocker Spaniel boys that were cousins–their mothers were sisters.

We bought the first guy, a little buff fellow, and at that time the breeder suggested we take him to the annual doggy eye clinic that the local dog breeding group sponsored. There are many breeds of purebred dogs that suffer from various eye problems and Cockers are prone to genetic cataracts. It didn’t cost a lot, around thirty bucks a dog and they brought in a doggy opthamologist to a local vet clinic for the one day event.

Our first dog never had any problems but years later we adopted his black & tan cousin and he did have genetic cataracts. I don’t remember why we didn’t get his cataracts operated on, but we didn’t… The doggy eye doctor precribed cyclosporin eye drops instead…

That’s the extent of what I know about doggy eye cataracts.

I think viruses can cause eye problems. Viruses are everywhere and don’t always incapacitate their victims…

[KellyG]

The vet believes that the murmur was caused by a virus.

There are three vets at the practice, and Presto has seen all three (between his puppy vaccines, neuter, and his annual wellness exam last month), plus the vet who issued his pre-sale health exam. No way they all missed it.

I’m sure they will be running lots of labwork on him.

I didn’t know there are nonsurgical options…that’s encouraging. When I see the vet, I will be asking for a referral to a specialist…

Thank you for the shared info!!!

[Another_Poster]

IME, cataract sx is usually about $2000-4000. Very dependent on other issues that the dog may be having. If bilateral sx is needed, usually much cheaper to have both eyes done at the same time only upping it by about $500 since the anesthesia is already being used.

Post op can be very intense. Cone of shame for several weeks to months with a very regimented eye drop schedule. Let us know what happens!

[Bicoastal]

I say wait and see what the vet says. Maybe it isn’t a cataract.

Is the breeder from the mid-Atlantic? Your dog’s name is familiar to me.

[Laurierace]

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