cataract surgery

[dansky]

My dog is a 12 year old male havanese and about 4 months ago was diagnosed with diabetes. He has developed mature cataract and can barely see. I want to do surgery to remove the cataract however the doctor says that there is a 20 percent chance that the surgery wont succeed. These are good enough chances for me however, my dog is very easily agitated and i am afraid if the surgery doesnt go well and he gets glaucoma he wont let me give him insulin shots because of the aggressive side affects of glaucoma. He currently has a good quality of life however he is not completely blind yet.

Question: has anyone been in the same dilemma?, will glaucoma make it harder to give my dog his shots? and will his temperament get much worse?

Any advice will help, I am very worried, thank you

[CoCoMom]

Re: cataract surgery

I felt the same way about my CoCo losing her sight - frightened and I wanted the surgery now!! But this is what I learned. A lot of the problem of her being blind was ME. In her own home, in her own surroundings, she did great. In the beginning there was some adjustment - she walked into walls, tripped over shoes, etc but once she learned her areas she became a little rocket - full speed ahead. Give your baby some time - he may adjust really well and surgery will be unnecessary. I wish you the best, whatever you end up doing. CoCoMom

[Imagekind]

Re: cataract surgery

I considered cataract removal for my dog. I placed him on presurgy antianflamatory drops which induced glaucoma. My inclination was to stop the drops...the vet put him on glaucoma drops instead. This didn't make sense to me. After 2 months of torturing myself and my dog contemplating removing his eyes or putting him to sleep I took a common sense leap of faith and stopped the glaucoma drops. Within 24 hours his eyes returned to normal and have stayed that way thank God!

He was diagnosed with diabetes and about six months later he cried. I had never heard him cry before. He was going blind. Within a few days his sight was gone. I was like you and wanted to help him because he was coping with so much.


He had a bad reaction to the insulin. I'm actually looking for Sophie and Jesses mom I wanted to ask her some questions. My dog completely broke down when he was placed on insulin. I am considering changing to Vetsulin but my vet won't give me a prescription he wants me to see a specialist.