Dear Dr. Forsythe: My toy poodle is 10 years old, and has had cataracts (they are visible) for a couple of years. Now he is bumping into things and fearful of unknown places. I am wondering about surgery; it’s expensive, but if it would give my Pip a much better quality of life, I’d consider it. I was told that sightless dogs do very well, but would like your opinion, thank you.
Susan
Dear Susan: It’s great that you’re willing to consider cataract surgery for your Pip. I imagine this companion is a real “Pip,” so why wouldn’t you want to do the best for this little buddy? I wouldn’t want to see my little friend gradually go blind and start bumping into things and get more afraid of his surroundings. While it is true that blind dogs do adjust well using their other senses, I also think that pets in general have to tolerate many things much more than they should have to: toothaches, sore joints and earaches that often go on much longer than owners would have let them had they known how bad the conditions really were.
The down side is that the surgery is expensive: From initial assessment through the final recheck you may spend between four to six thousand dollars. But the good news is that cataract surgery is routinely performed by specialists, and the outcome is excellent.
Dr. Rebecca Burwell, a veterinary ophthalmologist in Santa Rosa, agrees with me that it is important to differentiate between true cataracts (which are caused by disease) versus “nuclear sclerosis” which is a normal aging change in senior pets. Other diseases such as diabetes can be associated with development of cataracts, so careful monitoring of your pet is important when vision problems arise. And should you decide against moving forward with the surgery after all this advice, please, never ever rearrange your furniture. Your vet, your pet and the memory of Helen Keller will be most grateful!
Dr. F.
Dear Dr. Forsythe: My cat is recovering after he was shot a few weeks ago. I suspect it was one of my neighbors who was irritated with him. Thank God he survived the injury and is recovery physically, but he has been acting very strange ever since the incident happened. Since that time, I only let him go outside with supervision, but he’s been acting very strange ever since he came home from the hospital, crouching down, and not wanting to cuddle. He is trying to go back to the fence, where I think he was shot. Do you have any advice on how I can help him get back to his old self or will he stay in this altered state from now on?
Concerned mom
Dear Mom: I’m so sorry to hear that another cat person in Sonoma has had to go through this ordeal with their beloved pet. Why do so many people think the way to handle an irritating feline is to pick it off with a pellet gun?
I would recommend that you offer a large dose of love, patience and interaction with your wonderful pet as he tries to recover from what I can only suppose was a dreadful, scary and painful incident. I would also make every attempt to keep him inside from now on in order to increase his chances of survival. But if the strict indoor lifestyle is not realistic for him, it may help calm him down to get some Feliway spray and liberally spray all the common areas he frequents, such as the fence line, the patio and other common areas. Feliway is a sprayable liquid pheromone that has a natural calming influence on cats. Please let me know if this product helps, and do not take your eyes off your cat, with all the pellet-gun-toting hunters gunning for feline “trophy,” it’s a wonder more poor pussy cats aren’t falling prey. Good luck and please keep me in the loop.
Dr. F.
