Cataracts

[Abby's Mom]

I thought I would share a link from Dr. Becker regarding cataracts;

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites...blindness.aspx

[jesse girl]

Re: Cataracts

i have wondered why some dogs dont get them or it takes much longer and sometimes without the really good numbers that you would think you would need to prevent them or hold them off for a bit

I wonder if the type of food can have an impact

it would be nice to correlate the dogs that have not received them with a dx over a year to see if there is any commonality between the bunch

jesse has not had perfect blood sugar she lives in a dry environment a partial raw diet she has good tear production no grains except for a recently added dog biscuit snack gets good exercise , lays around most of the day when there is nothing to do purebred beagle jesses dx is almost 2 years 7 years old now

a friends dog is developing cataracts after 3 year dx excellent blood sugar normal range prescription food no exercise but can be very active inside the house small high energetic dog dont know the breed . added drops for an eye problem outside of cataracts 9 years old now

I have also wondered with diabetic dogs that live a full life is there any that do not develop cataracts at all . that percentage maybe very small and would like to know what they did i have a hard time believing it is just a role of the dice and is there somethings that can help to improve the odds

[Abby's Mom]

Re: Cataracts

This is what I have noticed.....

Abby has her sight, not good BG regulation, as you all know with some of those numbers that I post.

I have provided a raw diet, for most of the time. I do give her bilberry, Fish oil, Vit E and Vit C. I do not give her any eye drops (I did try the Can-C, but didn't see a difference), so she has not been taking any.

Her eyes will show up as cloudy sometimes, when her levels are high, but it doesn't stay, or adhere (or at least it seems). Sometimes, the house is dark, and she navigates through doors, and down the steps and around objects that may be there, so she definitely sees even in a dark room.

She does get exercise (1/2 hr walk in the AM only).

[farrwf]

Re: Cataracts

Great information ...

[Cebe]

Re: Cataracts

I was with Dr. Becker until she talked about dogs getting diabetes because of weight issues. My zoe was and still is at an ideal weight. It was not a cause of her diabetes.

Otherwise, I like this Dr. Becker. She does give extensive information.

Both Zoe and Inky (my cat) have the condition she described where the pupil turns blue from age. Zoe might be developing cataracts, but I cannot tell. She still catches balls, chases squirrels, and threatens the mailman viciously. So, I think she's fine for a while. I do anticipate that she may develop cataracts, but unless she is in pain, I do not plan to do anything about them.

What could cause her to have pain in her eyes associated with her diabetes? I know others have posted about their eye problems, but it's still not clear to me if there's anything to worry about on that front - whether she will be in pain. If she's in pain, I will address it.

[Abby's Mom]

Re: Cataracts

I was with Dr. Becker until she talked about dogs getting diabetes because of weight issues. My zoe was and still is at an ideal weight. It was not a cause of her diabetes.

Otherwise, I like this Dr. Becker. She does give extensive information.

Both Zoe and Inky (my cat) have the condition she described where the pupil turns blue from age. Zoe might be developing cataracts, but I cannot tell. She still catches balls, chases squirrels, and threatens the mailman viciously. So, I think she's fine for a while. I do anticipate that she may develop cataracts, but unless she is in pain, I do not plan to do anything about them.

What could cause her to have pain in her eyes associated with her diabetes? I know others have posted about their eye problems, but it's still not clear to me if there's anything to worry about on that front - whether she will be in pain. If she's in pain, I will address it.

I think Dr. Becker was indicating that if your Dog is over weight, it may be more of a risk for diabetes. Perhaps minimizing the occurence. I do not know about the pain associated with cataracts, but perhaps there are other eye problems, such as dry eye that can occur due to the cataracts.

[hiwaygal]

Re: Cataracts

When Buddy was diagnosed with diabetes, his cataracts came up REALLY fast, like within 30 days and he went blind over a weekend.

He didn't adjust well to the blindness so I took him to a veterinary opthamologist. He told me that Buddy's cataracts appeared to be a fast growing type and that if they continued to "grow" they can put pressure somewhere (the optic nerve?) and cause pain for the dog.

Ultimately, we ended up doing the cataract surgery because I was concerned that with our luck, we'd end up with the painful cataracts.

Don't know if that's what you were asking about Cebe, or if you meant something different. I'm not sure what else can cause pain...but I suppose there could be issues with some kinds of pressure (glaucoma) and dry eyes.

[Shellie]

Re: Cataracts

While informative...what a depressing article! I try NOT to think of Hank's cataracts worsening even tho I know they are and will. I know..head in sand... it works for me! LOL

But anyhow...the advice is great regardless of the depressing part. Thanks!

[HarrysMom]

Re: Cataracts

Harry never developed cataracts despite not being in good diabetes control, Cushing's and being on a not-so-great low-protein/high carb Royal Canin MP. His opthalmologist speculated that dogs with lenticular sclerosis (blue haze to the eyes due to hardening of the lenses from the aging) seem to be resistant to forming diabetes cataracts.

I should add that I did put Harry on Ocu-Glo a few days after his diabetes diagnosis. I am not sure if it worked, but since Harry was such a visual dog, I wanted to do anything possible to prevent the cataracts.

[Cebe]

Re: Cataracts

Zoe is not very regulated and she has that blue haze. Frankly ive been surprised she hasn't developed cataracts yet.

What is the supplement you were giving?

[SandyL]

Re: Cataracts

Sometimes it looks like Tiggy has the same blue haze, at other times her eyes look crystal clear.... But I'm with Shellie, my heads in the sand right beside her lol

Sandy

[jjefferjo]

Re: Cataracts

Ed has been on Occu glo since going blind, I did not discover it until afterwards, but after reading the ingredients, I just decided that it still was great way to ensure he was getting a great mix of good supplements.
HJe gets one in he Am along with fishoil on days when he doesn't get them at the same time he runs higher, go figure maybe it is the vit E and the fishoil working together- who knows

[Patty]

Re: Cataracts

My ophthalmologist had the same theory about the lenticular sclerosis. The fibers become so densely packed that the water retention/edema that typically occurs with cataract formation can't take place. (As sorbitol accumulates with high blood sugars, the osmotic pressure changes. It draws water into the lens and changes the structures.)

This is a good article on identifying the nuclear or lenticular sclerosis http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm....jsp?id=201597

[Shellie]

Re: Cataracts

Sometimes it looks like Tiggy has the same blue haze, at other times her eyes look crystal clear.... But I'm with Shellie, my heads in the sand right beside her lol

Sandy

Head in sand is a happy place to be.