I agree that age is a factor that needs to be considered when it comes to anesthesia. There does exist many vets that say age is not a disease and be willing to put many old dogs under anesthesia, but the reality is that the research shows that old age is one of the big factors that is predictive of death under anesthesia. Small body size is another big factor as well that will completely skew the 1/2000 odds that many vets will tell you when you ask about statistical odds of death under anesthesia. Death under anesthesia seems to happen very often. Go to a dog show and chat with people about it, and you’ll be shocked how many people have lost a dog under anesthesia or knows people who have.
With that being said though, my Bijou was 16 1/2 years old when he was put under anesthesia to have one of his eyes removed because it had an ulcer that was really bad. He was staying with my mom and she has carpeting which I believe he rubbed his eye on. He always had a tendency to rub his head down on the floor really hard because his ears were often bothering him and were always difficult to get well and maintain wellness even with medicine and care. My mother casually said to me there’s puss coming out of his eye. I was very upset with her and expect her not to be so clueless. But anyways, I’m getting off topic. The point was he did great under anesthesia at his old age and he coped well with just his one eye. The dementia he developed later on though he did not cope well with.
It’s great to get opinions from a vet, and even multiple vets. But at the same time realize that everyone likes their vet and has probably built up trust with them over the years, but that often changes once they screw up. My previous vet didn’t recognize anaphylaxis when it happened right in front of her eyes and I had a necropsy done that probably wasn’t needed because, later as I found out, there were many clues that completely pointed towards and said anaphylactic shock killed my dog Maezie when she went in for a dental. That incident completely ruined my relationship with my vet and it’s unforgivable to me.
It’s a tough decision to make, and of course we all want to make the best decisions for our dogs. But just be aware of the true odds of risk which are very different when looking at an older and small/toy sized breed like a yorkie. It’s tough to weigh the benefits to the risks. But I have heard of many dogs that had cataracts removed and it seemed to really improve their quality of life. I think you have to look at so many things and just try to make the best informed decision you can. |