Questions re cataract surgery

[CindyJoCunning]

I am thinking about getting cataract surgery for my newly diagnosed (and blind) Schnauzer. Are you glad you did this and did it go well?
thank you,
Cindy

[k9diabetes]

Re: Questions re cataract surgery

Bringing this back to top - had copied or moved it from another thread so it got a little bit lost.

[jen0m]

Hi there - Honey my Westie had cataract surgery on both her eyes last Friday. I had her checked before Christmas & everything was fine, then I noticed her sight loss just over 2 weeks ago. There are only 2 opthamology vets that carry out cataract surgery in Ireland & thankfully one is here in Dublin. He examined her last Wednesday & said that her cataracts had progressed very rapidly & that she would be blind within a matter of weeks. Honey being blind is the thing I dreaded most when I got her diabetes diagnosis so I booked her in for the surgery last Friday. The vet says that the surgery has been a success - he can see clearly through to the back of her eyes & I've noticed that Honey is better in herself & can see me now. Her eyes were a little swollen & blood shot afterwards but I expected her to be a lot worse? There is major aftercare involved between drops and tablets but everything is worth it to me if she can see again. There is risk involved so you have to weigh it up. But Im so glad I got it done for her sake. We're one week down tomorrow & there's a huge improvement in her already. We're back to the vet tomorrow for her one week check up. There's also the financial cost. I have insurance for Honey but because she is 10 her insurance will only cover 65% of the cost. The cost of her surgery is €3800 so I have to come up with €1200 or thereabouts. But the money will come & the vet is understanding about it. I hope this helps.

Jen

[spiritdog6]

Re: Questions re cataract surgery

My dog Sidekick had the surgery and we both were thrilled with the results. To me it is a miracle.

It doesn't come cheap, and if you have multiple Eye Specialists interview a few.
The costs will vary and other things. One vet wanted to keep the dog overnight which was more $$ the other didn't. I dropped him off in the AM blind, and picked up a seeing dog in the PM same day.

For us it was absolutely a must. He was so deflated blind, scared and not coping at all.

Good luck!!!!

[amydunn19]

Re: Questions re cataract surgery

Maggie had cataract surgery and has done really well. Luckily, she had no complications with the surgery. You have to be stringent with the drops for a few weeks after, but it was the best decision for my girl. Her surgery was five years ago.

[k9diabetes]

Re: Questions re cataract surgery

I don't like to be a dark cloud but do want to be sure that you know that there is a complication rate of about 10% that I have seen borne out among dogs on the forum over ten years.

In those cases, glaucoma or other complications developed and the eye(s) ultimately had to be removed.

Of course, the same thing can happen if you don't remove the cataracts. No guarantees either way, unfortunately.

But it's not just a theoretical risk. I've seen it happen in a number of dogs over the years, and that has to weigh in the calculation, particularly when considering the expense since additional treatment and possibly surgeries are required when the complications are bad.

The cost seems to vary tremendously from ophthalmologist to ophthalmologist.

While you don't want to overpay, you also want to feel comfortable that the person doing the surgery is really good and will carefully monitor your dog's blood sugar. As with cosmetic surgery, you sometimes get what you pay for if you pay way less than average.

A good ophthalmologist is a great resource - worth finding even if you decide not to remove the cataracts.

Natalie

[jen0m]

I don't like to be a dark cloud but do want to be sure that you know that there is a complication rate of about 10% that I have seen borne out among dogs on the forum over ten years. In those cases, glaucoma or other complications developed and the eye(s) ultimately had to be removed. Of course, the same thing can happen if you don't remove the cataracts. No guarantees either way, unfortunately. But it's not just a theoretical risk. I've seen it happen in a number of dogs over the years, and that has to weigh in the calculation, particularly when considering the expense since additional treatment and possibly surgeries are required when the complications are bad. The cost seems to vary tremendously from ophthalmologist to ophthalmologist. While you don't want to overpay, you also want to feel comfortable that the person doing the surgery is really good and will carefully monitor your dog's blood sugar. As with cosmetic surgery, you sometimes get what you pay for if you pay way less than average. A good ophthalmologist is a great resource - worth finding even if you decide not to remove the cataracts. Natalie

I agree. I had to weigh up the complications of the surgery itself, and even now one week later I still worry that something may happen as it's early days yet. I had the choice of getting one or both of Honeys eyes done so I opted for both as I felt that the likelihood of both failing would be slim so at least she'd still be able to see. The vet did go through all the risks with me beforehand and discussed the 10% failure rate to me explaining that it could be MY dog that is in the 10% failure rate. The after care has to be followed to a T and these first few weeks are crucial for healing.

[bgdavis]

Re: Questions re cataract surgery

Hi,

If you want to read about a dog that experienced complications after surgery, here's Criss Ann's story:

http://www.k9diabetes.com/forum/showthread.php?t=83

Bonnie and angel Criss Ann

[jjefferjo]

Re: Questions re cataract surgery

If I had it to do over again I would not and if asked the response is till the same, I have an excellent Opth team for Eddie and I could not and cannot ask for a better team- but I would not do it again un-less I am guaranteed without a doubt that it will be 100% successful REPEAT 100% successful and we all know that will never happen as with all things there are risk of failures and procedures that just tank.
I am in Healthcare and have been for 35+ years and I still get thrown for a loop on what is not supposed to happen.

Do the your own research, be sure you understand the possible consequences, know your dog, understand K9 Diabetes well, and know your Opth
Only my opinion
Jj and Eddie

[jen0m]

Hi, If you want to read about a dog that experienced complications after surgery, here's Criss Ann's story: http://www.k9diabetes.com/forum/showthread.php?t=83 Bonnie and angel Criss Ann

Thanks for posting that link - it's good to know what to look for as regards complications. Criss was a little fighter! I think nothing is 100% without risk for any procedure - dogs - humans...... Once there is an anaesthetic involved with anything there is an automatic risk but I think the main thing is to educate yourself and weigh up the pros and cons for yourself and your dogs particular situation. If Honey did not have the surgery she would go blind. So I have done my best for her to go ahead with the surgery. If her sight deteriorates due to glaucoma or other complications at least in my heart I have done as much as I can possibly do. We had her posts op visit with the vet earlier today. Her pressure levels are up a little but nothing that the vet is concerned about. However I am keeping a close eye on her (excuse the pun!) I have worked in healthcare too the last 25 years so I'm well aware of what can go wrong even with the simplest of things & I always think everyone should read up, inform themselves & ALWAYS ask questions before you make a decision about anything!

[eileen]

Re: Questions re cataract surgery

I gave Mildred her sight back in 2005. For the remaining 7 years of her life she had the most wonderful vision without another eye issue as a result of her cataracts.

Her surgery as well as recovery went off without any complications.

It was the most incredible experience in watching her rediscover her world in the days and weeks following her surgery.

This was very early on when I was very new to the disease and hadn't learned of the many negative issues that can come even with the surgery.
Over the years I have read of quite a few that go on to have other serious complications.

Altho there was a local Vet that performs the surgery I decided instead to go with a Board Certified Ophthalmologist with a great reputation thru out California.
I believe it was his experience and expertise that played a large role in the fantastic results for Mil.

[amydunn19]

Re: Questions re cataract surgery

When I got Maggie's eyes done, she was still what I would consider a young dog, 8 years old. That was a major factor for me and her opthamologist said her age was a factor for him as well. He is reluctant to perform the surgery on older dogs because the risks just are too high for complications. He had a list of criteria to determine if a dog was a good candidate and the day we got our consult, not a single dog that went in before us was deemed a good candidate. He looked at all the factors and had an entire questionaire to determine if we would be capable of taking care of her post-op. That almost scared me off from doing it - I was terrified I would mess it up.

If Maggie had been even a couple of years older, then I probably wouldn't have done it.

[cashmyhorse]

Re: Questions re cataract surgery

We decided to do cataract surgery for Little Boy In December. He was diagnosed with diabetes March 2013 and lost his sight quickly around November 2013! I was so nervous about doing the surgery because of course there are no guarantees that they will survive the anesthesia, but my vet was so thorough with the pre-surgery testing I felt confident Little Boy would do well. He sends his patients home the same day as he feels they do better at home, and the first night was a little rough, but I have ZERO regrets!!! Little Boy has done fantastic and has his sight back!!!! My only issue during the healing was his bg numbers had been very high due to the steroid eye drops. We are now almost 2 months post op and he is on only 1 drop of three meds once a day and his numbers are starting to go down, although still higher than before. I was wondering if anyone else has had this issue with higher bg numbers due to the steroid drops? Also does 5 units seem like alot for a 10lb dog??
Little Boy 7.5 yrs
Chihuahua 10lb
Humulin 5 units am/pm

[peggy0]

Re: Questions re cataract surgery

forbins BG skyrocketed while being on the eye drops. They are steroids so yes its to be expected. I adjusted his insulin to deal with him. As you decrease them, they BG will drop Glad he did so well in surgery. Forbin did great as well