Diabetes and blindness

[Machman79]

Good evening , I have just joined and my 11 year old Westie Ozzy has just been diagnosed with diabetes . I read with horror that with this they have a 75% chance of going blind within 1 year . I read that cataracts is the first sign so does anyone know if there is anything that can be prescribed to help reduce the chances or what their personal experiences have been with regards their dogs going blind? Many thanks and regards

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Diabetes and blindness

hi to you and Ozzie

i.ve not read that 75% diabetic dogs go blind.
mine did in 6 months. Riliey did very well running and playing normally.
getting regulated with a good quality food and having the food meet up with the insulin is important. staying around 250 us/ 16 cd for the better part of the day is good.
although cataracts can be removed some return.
theres eye drops to use daily you can ask your vet

tell us more about Ozzy.

[Annemieke]

Re: Diabetes and blindness

Hi, I just want to reply that our dog( 9years) has diabetes one year now . His eyes did become a little bit more grey. But he shows nothing that he can't see well. In daylight and in the dark evening he sees everything. Hope for your dog the best. Most important I think is to get the bloodglucose levels in good range.
We used 14 days sensors in the beginning and it helped us so much to understand diabetes and curves. Because we couldn't get a blooddrop to test in the beginnig.

[Pippi's Mama]

Re: Diabetes and blindness

Hello! Welcome to the group!

My little Pippi was diagnosed with diabetes 1 year and 6 months ago when she was 10 years old. So far, she can still see really well and doesn't seem to have cataracts. Her eyes look a little bluish, but I think this is something called "nuclear sclerosis" that all older dogs have when they reach a certain age.

In low light, I can see the reflection of her Tapetum Lucidum (the reflective lining behind the retina). The glow in her eyes looks either green or red. That’s why I don’t think she has cataracts – because the light is reflecting back to the retina. She has no problem seeing in the dark, and she can see the rabbits on our walks before I do. LOL.

When Pippi was first diagnosed, and I first read that 75% of diabetic dogs go blind within 6 to 9 months of diagnosis, I was scared to death that she was going to go blind. I still worry about it, but so far, so good.

As the others have mentioned, the key to lower the chances of your dog going blind is to get him regulated so that the blood glucose levels stay within the 250 to 100 range most of the time. So you need a dogfood that will work well with the insulin you use. It is important to use a glucometer so that you can check your dog’s blood glucose levels frequently to make sure everything is going o.k. I’m very diligent about this. It is also good to exercise your dog at basically the same time every day.



Do you use a glucometer? Have you done any blood glucose curves on Ozzy to make sure his bg levels are in a good range?

[Raysaint]

Re: Diabetes and blindness

Don't get too worried based on the "75% chance." There's no guarantees either way.
My dog is 3.5 years diabetic now (wow, time flies) and has had a slight cataract for most of that time, and it hasn't really progressed.

All you can do is keep his blood sugar relatively consistent and in a decent range. I personally don't think any topical products will do much to prevent it, and it may not happen anyway.

I believe help comes from the inside, so I feed my dog little bits of good eye health foods: sweet potato, wild blueberries, pumpkin, green beans.

[Susan M]

Re: Diabetes and blindness

Hi,
When my dog Max was diagnosed with diabetes one of the first things i was told was that he would go blind and that it would most likely happen in less then a year.
He was diagnosed over two and a half years ago and is not blind. He developed a small cataract in one eye early on but so far has not gotten any worse.
The thought of him going blind really freaked me out until someone on this forum posted a link that helped me understand how dogs "see" with their noses. It was very interesting and worth checking out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7fXa2Occ_U

[k9diabetes]

Re: Diabetes and blindness

I suspect after many years involved with canine diabetes that 75% is in the ballpark. Dog’s eyes tend to be very sensitive to high blood sugar, leading to destruction of the lens. Our dog lost his vision to cataracts within weeks of losing control of his blood sugar after a honeymooning period. But he, like most dogs, adapted well and it didn’t slow him down at all. They learn to navigate pretty well usually.

This is the main common side effect of diabetes in dogs. If you go to the forum’s main website, you can see a video of Chris, our diabetic dog, having fun and there are links to information about diabetes-induced cataracts and surgery to restore vision.

Have to be a bit brief as I am working on my phone.

Natalie

[YukiesMom]

Re: Diabetes and blindness

When Yukon was diagnosed with Diabetes the vet told us he would be blind within a year. He started forming Cataracts within 8 months. He never really went blind, had his peripheral vision. Two years into his diabetes at 15 years old he started to rely on me for a lot more things, but he still knew his surroundings.