H E A L T H W I S E
Ad v i ce an d i n fo rm ati on o n c a n i n e h e a l th i s s u e s
Glaucoma: Not an Adoption Deal Breaker By Laur el P or t er f ield
T
he health needs of a senior pet did not scare me off when I selected Bear, a black Miniature Poodle, from the shelter. I thought he was between 7 and 12 years old. But it wasn’t until I’d had him for several weeks that I understood how he might have ended up in the shelter. Bear was going blind. He bumped into walls and was afraid to go outside. It turned out that Bear had glaucoma, pressure on the eye, which resulted in inadequate fluid drainage.
A Disease of the Optic Nerve My primary vet at Lake Forest Animal Hospital, (www.LakeforestAnimalHospital.com) said Bear’s condition was chronic and had been untreated, and this had damaged his optic nerve, resulting in blindness. Further, he said that glaucoma is common in certain breeds, such as Samoyeds, Cocker Spaniels, Poodles, Chow Chows, and Siberians. Many dogs affected by glaucoma will become blind in the affected eye within the first year, regardless of intervention. He referred me to Dr. Smith, a veterinary ophthalmologist, at Animal Eye Care (www.animaleyecare.com) in Gaithersburg, where I learned more about the disease and possible interventions, and Bear got a full evaluation. It appeared Bear was blind in both eyes.
6 Northern Virginia Dog
| Spring 2012