[mjohnson]

Hi. This is my first post, though I've been reading the list for months. I have a female tri basset, Weezie (originally Louisa, but we all call her Weezie!); she's nine months old; we got her from a breeder of show dogs, a Basset Hound Club of America member, etc. I did my research.

We worship the Weeze! And we worship her pug brother, Moochie (18 months).

Question: we got Weeze at 3 months; at about 4 months, we noticed that one of her eyes seemed smaller than the other--as she grew, the difference between the two eyes increased; we took her to the vet last week, and they diagnosed a cataract in the center of the small eye but said they had no idea why the eye was so very small. She did appear to have some vision in the small eye, despite the cataract. The vet recommended taking her to a veterinary opthalmologist, which I will do once I have the $$ (should be soon); but the vet said it did not seem like an emergency since the affected eye has never bothered her.

I know I need to contact the breeder (I've been hesitant to do so ... for some reason). But I wondered if anyone had any experience with something like this. If so, I would love to hear what you think.

Many thanks in advance. This site is great.

Marian

 

[Mikey T]

Diseases of the Lens and Cataract Surgery

Genetic defects are the most common cause of cataracts in dogs. A large number of breeds are affected and the time of onset varies markedly  ...

Puppies and kittens may develop cataracts as a consequence of nutrient (presumed amino acid) deficiency. Nutritional cataracts rarely occur unless puppies are orphaned within the first 2 weeks of life and fed milk replacer exclusively. Cataracts may or may not regress. Rarely cataracts may be seen after exposure to certain drugs or electric shock. Dogs in the terminal stages of sensory retinal atrophy commonly develop cataracts secondary to the toxic by-products of retinal degeneration. Cataracts may also occur secondary to inflammation (anterior uveitis), persistent vascular remnants (persistent pupillary membranes and hyaloid artery remnants), or trauma (lens capsule penetration).

Nutritional Lens Opacities in Two Litters of Newfoundland Dogs

It has been postulated that a deficiency of the essential amino acids arginine and phenylalanine produces cataracts in dog, cat and wolf puppies raised on commercial, as well as experimentally produced, milk replacers (1–5).

CANINE CATARACTS

 

[Barbara Winters]

Sorry to hear about Weezie-great name BTW. My first suggestion is contact the breeder ASAP-that's one of the advantages of buying a pup from a reputable breeder as they will work with you to resolve problems.

I did read an article GLAUCOMA AND CATARACTS - CAN WE ELIMINATE THEM? that said

Spontaneous cataract absorption:
Young dogs less than 3 years with rapidly progressing cataracts may undergo spontaneous absorption negating the need for surgical removal, but lens induced uveitis must be managed. This may require topical and systemic therapy.

I think I've only heard of one basset with juvenile cataracts so I don't believe it's very common. It is important as soon as you're able to see a veterinary ophthalmologist.

Even getting a basset from a BHCA show breeder is not a guarantee that a dog won't have health problems. Every breeder has had dogs with some sort of health issue. Again the breeder would want to now about this and hopefully will be able to assist you.

Keep us posted on Weezie.

[ February 06, 2005, 11:46 AM: Message edited by: Barbara Winters ]

 

[pinehawk]

never have truer words been spoken Barb.getting one from a BHCA Breeder is no guarantee.let the breeder know ASAP,if it was a litter that i bred,i would want to know so those 2 dogs would not be in my breeding program.