Sophie going blind

[crazydoglade]

My little Sophie, a 5 year old puppy mill rescue has a bad cataract in the right eye. We were treating her with prednisone eye drops for inflammation. The opthamologist was concerned because the retina didn't respond well to light. Finally we had the ultrasound and ERG done. Bad news. The retinas haven't detached but the right eye reading was 18.5 and the left eye was 63.7. She also has 3 opaque areas on the left. I ask about glaucoma but she wasn't concerned because her pressures were low just 2weeks previously. She checked just to make sure everything was unchanged. Her pressure in the right eye was 67. So now she has cataracts, PRA and glaucoma. No surgery will help. I don't see her getting adopted so. need to prepare to take care of her. I've read a lot about safety but don't know time frames to get her used to everything. She still runs in the back yard but won't go out at night or go into dark rooms so I assume she has at least some night blindness in her one eye. I understand it progresses fairly fast in some breeds but can't find info on yorkies specifically. We started her on supplements for vision but her vet doesn't think they'll help too much but certainly can't hurt. She's also on drops for her glaucoma and prednisone. Any other advise, and prayers appreciated.

[dollydoodle]

I'm so sad that little Sophie is losing her sight. Since she can still see, I'm wondering if it'd be a good idea to give her some practice now with one of those halo harnesses for blind dogs?
Take care,

[Scoobstersmom]

I'm so sorry that little Sophie is losing her sight, but glad you're on top of it. Was the pressure in her eye 67 before or after treating with drops? Did the drops bring the pressure down? Glaucoma is extremely painful, and once the pressures start spiking like that, they are very hard to control. Once my little one's pressures started spiking into the 50's range, we spent a few months chasing the pressures with various drops which were expensive and did not work well or for long, trying to save an eye that she couldn't see out of anyway. Near the end of the chase, she was on five different drops, giving each three times per day. That's 15 different doses of eye meds, and none of them could be given at the same time. I spent at least three hours per day just medicating her, trying to save the eye. And all for nothing anyway, because Glaucoma always wins in the end. With pressure spikes like that, Sophie has probably already lost the vision in the eye anyway, and if she hasn't already, she will soon. It is probably time to start exploring your options for enucleation (removing the eyeball).

I know, it sounds - ICK - but as surgeries go it wasn't bad at all, and she felt so much better. Happier, more active, more alert, once that painful mass of an eyeball was gone. My girl checked in first thing in the morning, had her surgery around noon, and was released at 5:00 pm with bright blue stitches holding her eyelid closed and wearing the cone of shame. She needed pain meds (tramadol) for about 3 days, and was fully recovered in two weeks when her stitches came out and she could ditch the cone.

My girl has now lost both of her eyes to glaucoma. She had enucleation in one eye and chemical ablation in the other, and became completely blind at 13. Honestly, we don't even notice the missing eyeball anymore, and she's cute as a button and has adapted really well to her blindness. We're a little more careful now to keep things out of her way, because she still has one eyeball that she can't see out of anyway, and I worry about her bumping into something and injuring it. But she can do just about everything she could do before she lost her vision. She finds her way around the house easily, still sleeps on the bed (although I'll admit to taking the frame of the bed away and we now sleep on a box springs and mattress on the floor LOL), she goes up and down stairs on her own, still goes outside to potty, and is very happy and content.

There is an excellent blind dogs list on Yahoo that you might want to check out. It is a pretty active list, and they deal with all kinds of diseases of the eye including PRA, glaucoma, etc. I was scared stiff in the beginning, and the thought of my girl going blind sent me over the edge. I learned so much from that list about how to help my girl adapt to her loss of vision. It's been three years since she was diagnosed with glaucoma, two and a half years since she lost the first eye, and one and a half years since she lost the second one. Honestly, I don't even think about her being blind anymore. We have three dogs. Two males, and she's the only female. And she is still the alpha dog in our house!

Good luck with little Sophie. I can't imagine her being un-adoptable just because she's blind. I'd take on another blind dog in a heartbeat, and many on the yahoo list have adopted dogs that are already blind or quickly losing their vision. Yes, it takes a special kind of person to adopt a special needs dog, but I don't consider blind dogs to be handicapped. Get those eyes fixed up or out of there and I'm sure you will be able to find her a forever home!

Diana

[beachdog]

My Paris went blind from PRA in his last years and I wrote a blog with some of the ideas I used to help him cope. He adjusted very well. The link for the blog is in my signature. I hope you can find some ideas that will help you.

[xFoxyx]

I think we are more traumatized then our babies when this happens. I have just recently ordered a halo vest for my Presley who became blind in the last 3 months. It helps protect them from bumping into things with their head. It should come in the next couple of weeks. I'm hoping it helps my baby. It doesn't bring his eyesight back, but it should help him from getting a concussion.

Your baby is relatively young as well, and may adapt better. Presley is 17 and having to deal with this. I'm just thankful it didn't happen till this year.

Good luck.

[crazydoglade]

We just started the drops for the glaucoma but she doesn't act like she's in pain. When she does we'll go ahead and have the eye removed. She still has vision in the other eye, although it is getting worse. What I'd like to know is there a typical time frame before the vision is totally lost or is the combination of PRA and cataract going to throw that off. I will probably get her a halo vest just in case but she seems to get around fine right now, except in dim light. We just make sure a light is left on. And if nobody else wants her she has her forever home.

[Scoobstersmom]

Honestly, I don't know about the cataracts and PRA, but what I do know is that, with glaucoma, once the pressures are starting to spike up into the high 60's and 70's you won't be able to control them for long. What we experienced is that a particular medication would work for a short time (days or weeks) then lose effectiveness, and we'd have to add another kind of drop and then another and another. With our girl, for the first eye it was about 4 or 5 months from dx of glaucoma until she had to have the eye removed. Her optic nerve was already destroyed anyway from the glaucoma so she had no vision left in that eye. And she was in pain. A year later, glaucoma hit her other eye. We knew she was not a surgical candidate at that point as she has chronic bronchitis so we would have to do the chemical ablation. Once the pressures are spiking high, ablation isn't an option, so we fought it with the drops for maybe three months, then threw in the towel and had the procedure done. She still had some very slight vision left at that point but her pressures were spiking into the sixties and we knew she was in pain, so we sacrificed the little vision she had left and just did it. Dogs are stoic and often don't show their pain, but your vet should have explained to you that glaucoma is very painful - like having a severe migraine times ten - and a pressure spike near 70 is going to cause pain. Give Sophie some snuggles and belly rubs from us. I bet she's quite a cutie. Good luck with her. I hope you are able to find her a forever home.

Diana and Scooby

[lexi43]

I'm so sorry to hear about Sophie. All of our prayers are for her and for you. Our dog Oliver has junior cataracts. He is almost three years old. Thank God he was a candidate for surgery. He's had his first surgery and he is doing fine. He has to have another one shortly.

[jeane]

I am sorry to hear about Sophie/Morgan has glaucoma in both eyes but we are able to keep his pressures normal with the eye drops

[BlueBelle]

If dogs eyes are anything like humans a pressure reading in the sixties is unheard of!! Steroids to reduce inflammation will cause the pressure to increase. How do I know? I have been dealing with it myself. Steroids help one problem but can cause another. Hopefully the pressure lowering drops will work for her because that high pressure will damage her optic nerve, as it keeps the blood supply from getting there. See the best vetrinary opthamologist you can, as this is tricky stuff to treat.

[crazydoglade]

We are seeing an opthamologist who has an excellent reputation and I trust totally. Whenever we ask for a reference she is who is recommended. We have to continue the prednisone because of the cataracts. With the PRA, cataracts and glaucoma we know she we be blind. The question is how long before she is totally blind. The prednisone seems to be helping the functioning eye and the pressures are normal at this point. With the readings from the ERG we know that eye will lose vision also.

[BlueBelle]

It is so sad that a young pup like yours will go blind. Best wishes!

[crazydoglade]

The glaucoma meds seem to be working. She goes friday for a pressure check but is already behaving like a puppy. For the first time ever she actually played with Felix, my maltese. The opthamologist didn't think she was in pain but she must have been. The eye even looks less swollen. She still doesn't like going into dark areas but with the PRA that won't improve.

[crazydoglade]

Just went back for a pressure check and basically no change in pressure. The vet thinks that the pressures may be fluxuating which is why she has a few playful days. We were given 3 options, plus adding more meds, but it all comes down that enuclation will be enevitable so we'll be making arrangements as soon as I know when I get a long stretch of days off. I only work 3 days a week and try to schedule them together. My daughter, who will graduate from nursing school next month, is certainly qualified to stay with her but Sophie is comfortable with me so I do want to be with her ad much as possible. I don't think there will be much adjustment since she is already blind in the eye. Just have to keep a close watch on the other eye. We'll keep her on pain meds of course but have already started since they feel she's in pain from the glaucoma.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by crazydoglade

We just started the drops for the glaucoma but she doesn't act like she's in pain. When she does we'll go ahead and have the eye removed. She still has vision in the other eye, although it is getting worse. What I'd like to know is there a typical time frame before the vision is totally lost or is the combination of PRA and cataract going to throw that off. I will probably get her a halo vest just in case but she seems to get around fine right now, except in dim light. We just make sure a light is left on. And if nobody else wants her she has her forever home.

The opthamologist I use does not recommend removing the eye. You might want to ask the opthamologist you use if there are other options. I had a foster whose eye was injected with gentamycin...it cannot always be done because the dose needed is sometimes too much for a smaller pup. Just a thought.

I have a foster who came to me when he was eight. Sadly, his owner did not tell me he was losing his sight...he was terrified at first. Did not take long for me to figure out he was having vision issues...turned out it was PRA. He also has cataracts. I wish I could remember how long it took ... I don't think it was all that long before I felt he could not see at all. Maybe a year? No one has even applied for him and he is precious...he just turned 13. His name is Gizmo. Gizmo is a love...he knows his way around my home and does very well. I just make sure his environment does not change. I have another boy...my own pup, George, who was diagnosed with glaucoma last year. He already had cataracts. He had glaucoma in one eye and amazingly he no longer has it!!! He sees the eye doctor ever six months...at his last appointment he was taken off his eye drops. I never knew glaucoma could go away like that!

Bless you for taking care of that baby. I wish more people knew how wonderful these special needs pups are.