Cocker Specific Discussion > Oldies (Over 9s)

Light/dark sensitivity. Comments please!

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zenon_bass:
Particularly noticeable at the moment, due to early walks in cooler woody areas, is Millie's sensitivity when approaching shade from a sunlit area. It has varied from cautious to very sudden full stop with rigid stance.  There's usually nothing in the way, occasionally a bramble or grass stem sticking up.
She only takes seconds to recover and gain confidence again.

In January this year the vet announced that he couldnt see any blood vessels at the back of her retinas.  Have I understood correctly that she is suffering from PRA? (Being my first cocker, this condition is 'new' to me.)

Anyone else have a dog with similar symptoms?

elaine.e:
My first Cocker, Josh, showed the same behaviour when he was losing his sight to cataracts in old age. When walking from bright sunshine into shade he would flinch or stop, as if he suddenly thought he was walking into a solid object.

My 11 year old Cocker William has his eyes are checked every 6 months because he has Dry Eye. He also has cataracts that make him squint a bit but don't cause him any real problems and aren't at a stage where they need surgery at the moment, and perhaps never will be because they haven't worsened in the last 3 years. The ophthalmologist always checks for PRA too but no signs, and he's now at an age where it would probably already have happened if it was going to. She says his retinas "aren't the best" but he doesn't have PRA!

I think if Millie was mine I would go back to the vet now and have her eyes checked again. If she has PRA there isn't anything that can be done to save her sight, but if it's cataracts (like Josh) or something else there may be some options to help save her sight.

Most dogs that lose their sight adjust pretty well. When Josh lost his he was already at an age where his walks didn't include running, so I was still able to walk him off lead with care because I could see possible hazards and redirect him from them. The one thing that scared him was when other dogs approached at speed and barged into him, he was still comfortable with polite dogs. At home I kept the furniture in the same places and made sure I didn't leave things laying about that he might fall over. He was still a happy boy despite his blindness.

I hope Millie doesn't have PRA, but if she does she should adjust as her sight deteriorates. But if you take her to your vet again, and have a referral to an ophthalmologist if needed at least you'll know what's happening and can plan accordingly.

edited to add - I've just looked at your first posts on COL and have calculated that Millie is about 14 now? That's roughly when Josh started to lose his sight to cataracts. Surgery was discussed but decided against because of his age and a heart problem. However, I know of a Cocker of similar age who had successful cataract surgery. She belonged to someone who no longer posts on here, but I'll see if I can find the thread and post it on here for you.

elaine.e:
Here's a link to the thread about Meg, who had successful cataract surgery in old age. Hopefully this will take you to the right part of what was a 4 page thread about other health problems as well as cataracts.

http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=74651.msg1106936#msg1106936

Scroll down to near the bottom of the page and you'll find a joyful post from Meg's owner about Meg getting her sight back.

zenon_bass:
Thanks Elaine, that's so useful!
You are correct, Millie will be 14 in mid August. Much of what you have described eg thinking  she is walking into a solid object, being concerned when other dogs hare towards her is Millie to a T!  Like your dog, she is happiest with those very polite dogs of her own size or smaller. She doesnt go far from me now, and if she does, it has to be windmill arms so she can see movement. We are always in safe walking areas and the lead goes on earlier now than when I first knew her at 10yrs old.

Millie had an op this time last year to remove a burst histiocytoma; I felt confident that she was strong enough to withstand going under.  This year I'm not so sure, should that be the recommendation. But Millie can still enjoy an hour's walk in the woods, even if she's glad to see the car at the end!

I have had reservations recently about M's vet and had held off asking about an ophthalmologist referral.  But feel much more confident having read your post. Many thanks for your help!

Ben's mum:
I took Ben who is 12 to see our senior vet a couple of months ago as he kept stopping and staring, and also sometimes seems disorientated, I wasn't sure if it was dementia or sight problems.  He is often worse at night.   The vet said there were some changes in one eye to the retina and some early cataracts, but advised us to leave alone if they were not causing too many problems.  To be honest I have just done that and not followed it up. Ben has also gone very deaf so we tend to use hand gestures which he has no problem understanding and I have just noticed that we have to use 'windmill arms' as you describe it  :005: to make sure he sees us (love that definition)

I've also noticed that sometimes Ben struggles with perception of distance from objects, do you have any issues with Millie with this? I hate to see sometimes Ben turns and catches himself on a piece of furniture if he misjudges the distance his spatial awareness seems to have changed slightly.

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