stuphel Posted July 30, 2019 Report Share Posted July 30, 2019 I'm currently in Canada, but my senior dog (adopted in Mexico) has developed cataracts. Dr Ladron gave me some vitamins to give her to slow down (and he suggested, even reverse to some degree) the development of the cataracts. Her vet here in Canada says one eye is in bad shape, with little vision, but the other is still pretty good. Surgery here runs about $4000 per eye. I wonder if anyone has had surgery performed on their dog at Lakeside, and an approximate cost. I'm thinking of having the better eye operated on to maintain vision in that eye at least. We will not be back Lakeside until November. Any advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyjillin Posted July 31, 2019 Report Share Posted July 31, 2019 I've had many dogs get to old age and they all get cataracts eventually. Their sense of smell and hearing compensate mostly.Don't change your furniture positions. Our last old dog lived to 19 years went blind,deaf and had arthritis but still played with the other dogs and had a good time until he couldn't get up the stairs anymore. If you care about your dog leave it alone and don't torture it with surgery if you really care for it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cafemediterraneo Posted July 31, 2019 Report Share Posted July 31, 2019 A drop of castor oil in the eye nightly, you should see improvement in a week, continue for a month... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chapalence Posted July 31, 2019 Report Share Posted July 31, 2019 I used to specialize in blind or near blind dog rescue and as happyjillin said, they get along just fine with little or no sight. Cataracts are not painful, but glaucoma which is very painful requires enucleation. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea Posted August 4, 2019 Report Share Posted August 4, 2019 I had cataract surgery in a dog, both eyes, around 2003 in the States. The dog had diabetes and developed cataracts quickly. The surgery was around the price you quoted, only they gave me a break for kind of experimental. I had no one to advise me, so I thought surgery was the thing to do, like for people. I found out later, from a graph on the internet, that very few people have surgery in dogs. The recovery, as you should have been told, is very difficult in dogs. It's not the same as people, because the dog's eye is different. Requires high levels of constant care for months to avoid infection. I haven't investigated it since then, which you should do to see how much has changed. I strongly feel I was poorly advised by my vet at the time. They can do it, but should they? We pour money into our pets as they age. I would advise to save your money on this particular thing. Even when it's not an issue of money, dogs get along well with low or no sight as other people here have said. Ask your vet what they would do if it was their dog. Remember that dogs "see" mostly through scent, not vision. "Dogs don't have nearly as good vision as humans, in general, so being blind really doesn't affect them too much." See... I found some garbage on the internet to support me. Good luck with your decision. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuphel Posted August 4, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2019 thank you for the replies. I will try the castor oil (couldn't hurt....I see it's used by humans for themselves and animals, re: Google) I'll be happy if it helps her at all. I also take to heart your advice not to submit her to surgery, and be thankful that she will likely be resilient and continue to age gracefully. She's pretty healthy otherwise, so I'll just be the best companion I can for her, and we'll support each other in our 'golden years'. Thanks again for the support. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvsdawgs Posted August 5, 2019 Report Share Posted August 5, 2019 Was given Vitamin A drops for my dog's eyes by the vet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyjillin Posted August 7, 2019 Report Share Posted August 7, 2019 On 8/4/2019 at 6:16 PM, stuphel said: thank you for the replies. I will try the castor oil (couldn't hurt....I see it's used by humans for themselves and animals, re: Google) I'll be happy if it helps her at all. I also take to heart your advice not to submit her to surgery, and be thankful that she will likely be resilient and continue to age gracefully. She's pretty healthy otherwise, so I'll just be the best companion I can for her, and we'll support each other in our 'golden years'. Thanks again for the support. Dry eyes is going to be her only problem so any drops will do to keep them moist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedros Posted August 9, 2019 Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 On 7/30/2019 at 7:27 PM, happyjillin said: I've had many dogs get to old age and they all get cataracts eventually. Their sense of smell and hearing compensate mostly.Don't change your furniture positions. Our last old dog lived to 19 years went blind,deaf and had arthritis but still played with the other dogs and had a good time until he couldn't get up the stairs anymore. If you care about your dog leave it alone and don't torture it with surgery if you really care for it. I agree. Blind dogs can manage very well. Their sense of hearing and smell are better than ours and they remember where things are. Don't put your dog through the stress. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuphel Posted September 5, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2019 cafemeditteraneo: I have faithfully administered the castor oil to Chita nightly for a month as you recommended. There may well be a difference. My question is: should I continue to administer it, or stop, now that the month is over? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmh Posted September 5, 2019 Report Share Posted September 5, 2019 I have a little 17 year old dog who lost an eye.. who know how and he is fine with one eye.. Dogs adapt very quickly, do not submit your old dog to surgery, he does not have to read the paper so he will be ok.. Surgery is more traumatic at an old age.. Let him live with one eye.. he will be ok.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cafemediterraneo Posted September 6, 2019 Report Share Posted September 6, 2019 22 hours ago, stuphel said: cafemeditteraneo: I have faithfully administered the castor oil to Chita nightly for a month as you recommended. There may well be a difference. My question is: should I continue to administer it, or stop, now that the month is over? Thanks. If you are happy with the results you can either stop or continue for another few months and see if there is additional improvement....can you still see any clouding? some people seem to have used it for up to 6 months,but you have to be your own observer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea Posted October 5, 2019 Report Share Posted October 5, 2019 Reviving this topic for new information. I have an 11 year old dog with cataracts. Dr Ladron has a relatively new treatment that stops the growth of cataracts. It's been out for about a year. It's a daily pill. I'd recommend anyone concerned about cataracts in their pups see him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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