Vet Q & A : For Sight

Q: my veterinarian says that my 10-year-old poodle is developing cataracts. What will I have to do once he’s totally blind.? ---- A.S A: As long as you don’t change the furniture arrangements or take him out of his familiar surrounding, he should do quiet well. Dogs and cats rely more on their senses of smell and hearing than they do on vision.

If the blindness is associated with a painful condition such as uncontrolled glaucoma or uveitis, an inflammation inside the eye, the problem must be resolved. Cataracts and retinal degeneration of a hereditary nature are both non-painful conditions, however. If an eye problem is suspected, the sooner it is diagnosed and treated, the better the chance for an uneventful recovery.