Hi there!

I have a 1.4 yr old Husky named Luka. Over the last few weeks I have noticed his left eye (his brown one) becoming more and more cloudy. I work for an Ophthalmologist and was suspicious of cataracts. But I was unsure given he is so young, but indeed today my Human Ophthalmologist looked at his eye and indeed he has a dense cataract in his left eye and the start of one in his right (blue eye).

The Dr. I work for states he is certain Luka cannot see much out of his left eye. I feel like the cataract is changing daily. I have an appointment with a dog ophthalmologist but cannot get in until 3/14/18. So far his quality of life has not been impacted but I feel so sad for him. He is so young and has so much more puppy life ahead of him.

Has anyone had this issue with a Siberian Husky this young? I contacted the breeder because I feel they should know and state this is the first time anyone has complained about an eye issue with any dog they have purchased. (hard to tell if this is honest or not)

Thinking of proceeding with cataract surgery for Luka.

Thoughts, opinions and experiences would be GREATLY appreciated.

thank you!

Hi, sorry hear that you've run into one of the banes of some Huskies.

If you search for cataract (Oh, shoot, look at this search) and you'll find a few others who have been where you are now.

At the risk of sounding callous, you'll find that most seeing dogs who have gone blind - for lack of any other way to phrase it - don't seem to be bothered. Like their human counterparts, they just adapt. People who have had dogs go blind, for any reason, find that the pup behaves much like 'his old self', of course they don't move furniture around at random and use other normal precautions but the dogs seem to just naturally turn to their other senses. The reason for this aside is that if you have to wait - finances for cataract surgery can be extreme - you're going to be more bothered than he will be.

Take a look at one of my favourite sitesx and they'll tell you a lot about cataract surgery. Since you work for an ophthalmologist I won't bore you with any more details ... as in humans, the success rate is in the 90% range; beware of too much (any!?) exercise after surgery. (( And as an adult human who has had cataract surgery in both eyes, I can tell you (what you already know) that it's a real blessing. ))

The best of luck to you (oh nameless one) and Luka.

Thank you. I appreciate the quick response! I am going to read up on the site you provided. Yes sight is a blessing and my little guy loves to roam and explore- I would hate such a precious gift to be taken from him so young. I’ve been told surgery runs anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000 an eye. Hoping to maybe do one eye and he’ll do just fine from there on out with one. Lots of questions for the Ophthalmologist coming up- hope they are ready for me since I understand a lot about the eye.

Name is Aimee. Thank you again! I’ll post more after I hear back from the Doctor in hopes to help someone else who has to go through this.

Sincerely bummed but hopeful.

Update- went to animal ER last night as Luka was pawing at his eye. Knowing what I know about eyes I was afraid he was having elevated eye pressure which could of been possible Glaucoma. Panicked - I took him in. I NEEDED to know if he was in pain and what his eye pressure was. The doctor told me his eye with the cataract pressure was 6 and the other 18. (Normal is 10-20). 6 is low even for humans and could indicate inflammation. She thinks he may have UVeitis which is an infection in the anterior chamber of his eye and if left untreated can cause permanent vision loss and cataract. Which makes sense, but she’s not a specialist and wanted me to be seen ASAP by one. He goes to see the dog ophthalmologist today at 12. I am hoping for more answers.
Praying to save the vision is his good eye: ????????

Some back story here- the canine flu has swept through Reno NV like the plague over the last few months and Luka caught that from daycare- he was treated immediately and quarantined at home for 3 weeks with lots of love. But this is when this all started- warning anyone who reads this that if your dog becomes ill -PLEASE keep watch for noticeable changes in their eyes. I am not sure if these two are related and will find out for certain what’s going on today but maybe this will help someone else going through this.

Prayers for Luka.

Hereditary juvenile cataracts are a known problem in huskies so I rather doubt the flu had anything to do with the cataracts. Uveitis - suppose its conceivable. Glaucoma is also an issue for huskies.

I'm sorry you and your pup have to experience this. Hoping for the best and glad you are on top of things. Good luck - you're probably already done at the doggie opthalmologist - will be looking to see how things went.

Thank you! I appreciate your knowledge regarding known eye issues. I had no idea when I was shopping for a husky that they were prone to such horrible eye problems. Only 10:30 AM on the west coast- will update this forum as soon as I know more.

Results are in... Juvenile Cataracts. I can either let him go blind or choose to do surgery which can have complications within itself. Cost is $5300. Does anyone know of anyone who’s had this done on their animal? Stories? What about a blind dog- do they still live happy lives?

Yes there is someone here who had cataract surgery...I'll search.

Amy, it's in the link Al provided, above. third one down...mssuchy. Very last post is Haley giving the one year after surgery update.

Thank you thank you!!! I started a gofundme pagefor Luka’s surgery since it’s $5400. Hoping to reach my goal so my baby can see again. Thank you everyone for your support.

Wishing Luka all the best

Thank you for your support.

I just wanted to come on here again and thank all of you for the help and support you have provided me in this difficult time.

Well, come on Aimee there's an update on your GoFundMe page, how come that's not here, too??

Aimee wrote:

Update 1:
Luka goes in on March 23rd for all his pre-testing and blood work. Then Surgery on March 29th for new peepers. I am a very nervous Mama. Thanking everyone again for the support and love.

I am so sorry! You're right- I need to update this too. Yes Luka goes in on March 23rd for a retinal exam and an ultrasound on his eyes to determine which lens to put in his eyes. I am noticing him bumping into things more often. My Vet told me no doggy day care prior to his surgery to prevent any accidents or injuries happening. I will be posting post op photos after his surgery.

Thank you guys!

Afternoon everyone!

Just wanted to give an update on Luka. I picked him up just a few minutes ago from the dog ophthalmologist. Dr Steele said he passed his pre-cataract testing with flying colors  The Doctor also said that the angles in his eyes (drainage system) were all nice and open. The Dr said she was pleasantly surprised given that Huskies are prone to Glaucoma. So this is great news. As long as his pre-op blood work come back good then we are having cataract surgery next thursday on both eyes. I start pre-medicating Luka’s eyes starting Sunday up until his surgery. I have to give him 4 different eye drops several times a day I will update everyone after surgery next week. Thank you guys!

Good luck to both of you!

I just got some news this morning that Luka's Ophthalmologist went into pre-termed labor. (happened Sunday) SO now his surgery is post poned until June/July. I am beyond bummed, and my grandmother died this morning I'll update again when we schedule the surgery again. ... I'm really sad today.

I'm sorry about your grandma. That does make for a tough time. Luckily, waiting a little longer for the cataract surgery shouldn't bother anything.

Thank you Jenn, yes that is true about it not bothering anything. Just when it rains it pours you know? I guess on one hand it's better to have the surgery after she's had her baby incase there are any complications that arise afterwards. They told me today they may not have a back up doctor at all for the month of April. I appreciate your condolences about my Grandma. Thank you.

Hi everyone! Just an update- the dog ophthalmologist had her baby last Thursday. They will start contacting people who were scheduled for surgery to get back on the schedule end of July for surgery in August. Luka’s cataract in his right eye has progressed to the point where he is blind in both eyes now
but I still have him on eyedrops twice daily to control pressure. He is doing surprisingly well using his hearing to get around. I’m pretty impressed. He’s continuing to go to doggy daycare with all his friends, and the people there look out for him. Thank you all again, another update soon as I hear anything.

I just got a call today from the dog ophthalmologist. I bring Luka back for his pre-cataract testing again on Tuesday 6/5/18 and they will then give me surgery dates for either end of July/early August. More than excited to get this over with so my baby has his sight back. He will have new peepers just in time for his 2nd birthday. I have raised $3,600 for his surgery and I cannot believe it!! Forever in debt to everyone who donated towards my sweet Luka I hope everyone is doing well and I will post some post op photos and update you on the progress. Thank you Husky family.

Fingers crossed all goes well. Glad that you are able to do this for him. It can be a real burden but it's going to be a whole new lease on life for him. Good luck!

My baby is scheduled on July 26th for bilateral cataract surgery, We are excited. Thank you all for the kind words. I'll post an update after surgery.

Bilateral!! Ouch!! She'll really be blind for - what? How long?? How do you plan on keeping her 'calm' until the patches can come off?? Good luck on that one!

In the confusion of the first few days at home I don't expect to hear much from you, but please do let us know how it all goes. Actually, since you've been talking, a "step by step" from the time you take her in to the Dr's through recovery to healed would be a very nice addition to the forum for others who might be facing the same thing.

When I had my cataract surgery done, I had the option of doing both eyes at once and had to say (emphatically) "NO!" Without glasses I've been essentially blind since I was in 2nd grade but there was no way I was going to let them do both eyes without knowing what the results were going to be.

(( If I knew then what I know now, I'd have shanghaied a friend to do the driving and had both eyes done ... it's fantastic to be able to see again!! ))