Dog cataracts...are they removed by a regular Vet or an animal eye specialist? Any clue as to the cost?

Our 9 year old Dalmatian, Spike has lost a lot of his vision due to cataracts. Just wondering if anyone has had cataract surgery done for their pet, what kind of Vet does this surgery...and a 'ball park' cost. It's a hard decision, at his age...and on our (fixed) budget...if we should have his vision restored.

If money was no object, it would be a 'no brainer'...but we're trying to determine life expectancy, a quality life for him..and what's affordable for us. Love to hear from anyone who's had it done for their pet Dogs.

Similar questions: Dog cataracts removed regular Vet animal eye specialist clue cost.

One of my elderly dogs has cataracts. Cataracts are removed by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist. We don't have one in our town, but there is one that comes down from San Antonio one day a week to one of the clinics in town.

Our Shar-pei had to be checked by him for genetic eye problems so we met with him for that. It is expensive, not as expensive as human surgery, but it is expensive. The surgery can cost from $1500 to $3000 and typically will require several days stay at the vet hospital.

The question may be how well your dog is doing with poor vision. Dogs do use their vision, but the sense of smell is the most important sense for them. We chose not to subject Short to surgery and he seems to be doing fine.

Bear in mind that cataracts tend to look worse than they really are. If a vet uses an ophthalmoscope and can visualize the retina well, then the dog can see out equally as well. The second factor is that dogs use their noses more than their eyes for recognition of objects.

If you notices two male or female dogs approach each other, the first thing they do is to sniff each other’s tail area to tell what sex each is. That is, unlike us, just observing the other individual is not enough. So dogs can go on living health happy lives despite having the blurred vision of cataracts.

If you don't do the surgery your dog might need eyedrops to control inflammation, but he might not. This how one site explains it:"Immature and mature cataracts cause a serious reactive inflammation inside the eye (Lens Induced Uveitis, or LIU) that must be medically treated, whether or not surgery is performed. Cataract surgery is an elective procedure.

If surgery is not performed, lifetime anti-inflammatory eye drops are required, as well as periodic eye re-examinations. LIU can lead to complications such as glaucoma or a detached retina, and LIU decreases the success rate of cataract surgery. There is a best window of time in which to perform surgery.

The earlier the cataract can be removed, the better. "There are risks to the surgery as well that you need to consider. In addition to the risks posed by anaesthesia there are the following potential problems:"Scar tissue.

All dogs develop some intraocular scar tissue. Excessive scar tissue will limit vision. Glaucoma.

Glaucoma (increase in eye pressure) occurs in 30% of all dogs who have cataract surgery. Glaucoma not only can cause complete vision loss, but also may require the need for additional medications or surgery. It can be painful and cause loss of the eye if uncontrolled.

Retinal detachment. While re-attachment is sometimes possible, the success rate is low and this complication usually results in complete vision loss. Intraocular Infection.

While it is rare, it can cause loss of the eye (i.e. Surgical removal of the eye) as well as complete vision loss. " Our vet rarely recommend removing cataracts in a dog.

He does say that a good way to slow the development and progression of cataracts is to supplement your dog's diet with vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol acetate) and vitamin C (ascorbic acid). It is also a good idea not to rearrange the furniture as your dog will remember where things are and navigate without much difficulty as long as things stay the same and he had his sense of smell. Suggestions for making life easier for a blind dog:Place barriers across staircases, over hot tubs and around pools, and restrict activity on balconies if your pet could fall through the guardrails.Do not allow dogs to run free.

Establish a known location for the food and water bowls and guide your pet to them if necessary; do not change his environment. Use a harness or leash to walk your dog for better guidance and control. Sources: My Life with Dogs AND http://www.animaleyecare.net/diseases/cataract.htm AND http://www.2ndchance.info/cataract.htm AND http://www.petplace.com/dogs/blindness-in-dogs/page1.aspx .

Depends I would definitly steer you to a board certified opthamologist - they will have the equipment and more experince -- cost is variable - I sent a dog to a university and the cost was about $ 800 - the last dog I sent to a private veterinary opthamologist it cost about $ 1200 -- I would say $1000 would be close to average-- remember though you are just trying to improve spikes vision so you really don't have to remove both cataracts-- one is usually enough .

Bright Eyes NAC eye drops were originally developed to treat humans but they work equally as well with pets and all other animals. Cataracts in dogs is very common as they age and again, especially if they have diabetes. In fact, seventy-five percent of all dogs diagnosed with cataracts will develop cataracts within one year of the first diagnosis and it can develop very rapidly, literally overnight in some very severe cases.

Because of age, other complications, and the costs involved, it is not always possible for pets to undergo cataracts surgery and our Ethos Bright Eyes drops for pets provide an excellent and natural alternative to help restore your pets vision back to full clarity once again. They even work on kangaroos! :)JOEY JUMPS FOR JOY!

There’s one extremely happy kangaroo in the Broome Wildlife Sanctuary down under. The kangaroo was almost blind due to cataracts but, thanks to Ethos Bright Eyes Drops for Pets, from Ethos Schweiz LLC in Geneva, the kangaroo can now see again. For more information see: http://petdrops.com com.

That's a good thought about only needing to do one eye...just so Spike can function and get around better. Thanks so much for your answer.Helen.

2 yes they would be a veterinary specialist - your regular vet can probably suggest one or most large referral clinics and universities with vet schools will have an opthamologist --- depending on your area of the country you may have several to choose from -- .

Yes they would be a veterinary specialist - your regular vet can probably suggest one or most large referral clinics and universities with vet schools will have an opthamologist --- depending on your area of the country you may have several to choose from.

I also have a dog with fatty tumors on his legs. How much would it cost to remove them at a regular vet office? " "How much does it cost to take my dog to the vet to have her puppys.

I also have a dog with fatty tumors on his legs. How much would it cost to remove them at a regular vet office?

How much does it cost to take my dog to the vet to have her puppys.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.