So my one year old female recently developed juvenile cataracts and I'm planning on having surgery done to repair them soon. I was wondering if anyone else has had their dog undergo this surgery and if there is anything I can do to make sure the surgery goes as well as possible. A big concern of mine is paying for the surgery just for her to develop scar tissue in a few years and go blind anyways, is there anything I can do to lessen the chances of that happening? If anyone has experienced this procedure with their dog I'd really appreciate hearing how the process worked out for you.

I am sorry I can not be more helpful BUT we had glaucoma which proceeding rapidly to eye removal. (Overnight from start of pressure buildup to diagnosis). I know it does not help to say don't worry what ever happens the dog will adjust. But they will.

I just wanted to say that Butkis lost one eye at 9 years old. And then until he was 16 he saw a eye doctor to monitor the other eye for gluacoma and the pressures. He had no depth preception or periphrial (sp) vision but he got along great even when we brought a puppy into the house at about 14. I think if you have come to terms with the money that you are doing the right thing. But other than that I can not offer any help hopefully you get a good optamologist that can offer good preventative advice.

I just took her to an veterinary ophthalmologist this morning and she is still there getting tests run to see if she is a candidate for surgery. According to her vet the chances of her developing glaucoma after surgery are about 5% (there's a 20% chance without surgery) and her chances of having retinal detachment after surgery is 5-7%. I know the chances of her having complications after surgery are relatively low but it's still unnerving because I don't want her to lose her vision, especially after dishing out a lot of money I don't have for her surgery.

Sorry I don't have anything to add, but I wanted to know if the cataracts are bad enough for the vet to really push surgery? Does she have cataracts in both eyes? How much is it affecting her vision?

I just ask because 2 of my dogs have juvenile cataracts, they both have it in both their eyes too. And while it does obstruct their vision they have not gotten worse over the years and the vet doesn't want to put them through surgery so long as they can live life well enough with them. The vet monitors their eyes each time we bring them in and thankfully they're not getting any worse...so far (the two dogs in question are 8 years old and 6 years old currently and have had JC since they were young adults due to bad breeding). Sure they have a hard time seeing things and finding things based on vision and they have a hard time seeing in the dark but they can live a good enough life that our vet doesn't want to do surgery.

Good luck, and keep us updated. I know in the back of my mind that this is something I may have to deal with if they get worse in my girls. Hopefully someone else can be of more help to you.

She does have them in both eyes but they are definitely bad enough for surgery. Her left eye isn't quite as bad but I can actually see the clouding in the pupil of her right eye without a light or anything and it covers almost her entire pupil. I have also noticed that she will bump into walls, especially on her right side. I walk her every day and over the past week she has started to trip over curbs 2 or 3 times in a walk. She still seems to be in high spirits though, and I'm hopeful that she will be a good candidate for surgery and all goes well. From the research I've done about cataracts they can be pretty harmless, but you should definitely have them routinely checked in case they begin growing because then they can pose a threat. My pup's developed very quickly though, and typically the sooner they are treated the better the results are.

I just want you to know I am so happy you are being proactive - on your other post you mentioned you think it was the breeders fault. I would tend to agree with you and I'm glad you identified that. If you can, please let them know anyway so any other puppy owners can be warned. If you know any other owners, you may want to inform them

Perhaps you could look into helping the breed and sending off samples eventually. I know the Siberian Husky Club of America has an ongoing study on Juvenile Cataracts.

http://www.shca.org/shcahp4i.htm

It may be something to look into.

In my opinion, I think surgery is the best option. Thank you for beign a responsible owner and realizing this was happening in the beginning.

Oh just had a thought on my expierence some drugs are cheaper and the same at the regular Rx places we used to get glaucoma eye drops at the Kroger pharmacy for the same price as the opthamalogist add he was far away so it was easier to get a scrpt filled at a human rather than vet location. Not sure if you would have continued meds but ask the pharmasist (sp) what it would coat ans they can check and it will go to what ever points program you might have.

Keeps us informed and good luck.

I wish it was a matter of just giving her eye drops but cataracts can only be cured through surgery, though there are a few kinds of cataracts that go away naturally but those are really rare and she doesn't have that kind. So surgery is her only option if I want her to continue to be able to see. I was just informed by her vet that her tests came back and she is an eligible candidate for surgery, so I've already set a date for her surgery. As to informing the breeder, they weren't a professional breeder and they told us that they only planned on having the one litter which I'm sure they've sold all of the puppies by now because we got her around a year ago so I don't really see the point in telling them just because they were planning on breeding any more. I'll keep yall updated on her progress, she is set to have surgery on the 11th of next month.

heres a few pictures of her if anyone wanted to see her. I havn't gotten the time to make a signature yet but if I ever get around to downloading photoshop again I'll make one.

It doesn't matter if they were a professional breeder or not- this is a genetic problem they are most likely unaware they are breeding into their puppies. Don't just assume it's too late- you could prevent future puppy buyers from having to go through this exact same thing you are dealing with by telling them what's going on with your dog. Of course it may not make a difference, but you will never know if you don't try.

She looks so happy!

So pretty and happy.
The commenton the drugs was for if she had any maintanence drops after surgery like gluacoma patients. Hopefully it is just surgery and monitor. Ours was surgery monitor and drugs.

I didn't mean that it didn't matter because they weren't professional breeders, I was saying that they were only going to breed the one litter so they weren't going to be selling puppies to anyone else. I will try to get in touch with them just in case they decide they are going to start breeding more. The problem is that I don't have any of their information. I got her from my sister who moved out of state, and was unable to keep her so I never had any contact with her breeder. I have no idea whether or not she still has their information but I do know that they were only planning on breeding just the one litter. But like I said, I will do my best to get their information just in case so that no one else has this problem. Sorry, I didn't mean to seem like I was neglecting the possibility of someone else buying a puppy that may be prone to having problems.

That's good to know then, my vet told me she will need to have daily eye drops after surgery for the rest of her life to avoid inflammation.

Hey! I am going through a similar situation with my husky and I was just wondering how the surgery went for you. I have tried to talk to as many people as I can about their experiences but I have not talked to many people that have had the surgery done. How is everything going for your her now?

I am currently going through the Juvenile Cataracts issue with my 11 month old Female. I was wondering if anyone had any update son how there pups are doing after surgery? Also I was handed a very large estimate for the surgery. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on fundraising to get help. We have started a Go fund Me Page but are trying to use all the new Husky Family Connections we can. Any help or ideas would be great.

So sorry to hear this......I know Blue Pearl is a place that does this type of surgery, not sure if they are national or just in Michigan, something to look into I suppose. The other idea is to look at Universities that may be local, they may do the surgery for a bit less money, look for veterinary schools. lastly I think there is a credit card called Care Credit, gotta look it up, but they can help with vet expenses. I wish you luck, your pup is so adorable.