spyda62 Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 I have just got home from the vet with my nearly 9 year old Shar-pei x dog Tank. She has what I thought were cataracts on her eyes. When my vet had a look, she said that her pupils were not contracting at all and that she could see right to the back of her eyes. She has ruled out PRA, cataracts, and diabetes, she has taken blood tests that we will have the results for middayish tomorrow. She said that she has never seen anything like this before and wondered if it was neurological? Maybe brain lesions? Tank is not showing any symptoms of not being able to see. Her health is good although she has dropped a bit of weight lately. (approx 1 kilo in about 2 weeks). I was pretty shocked (and upset) at what she was saying, as I really thought it was going to be something relatively simple and didn't ask anywhere near as many questions as I should have Has anyone else experienced this in their dogs or heard of anything like this before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimax Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 In humans, dilated pupils that don't constrict under light can be a sign of neurological issues. If your vet has never seen it before, I suggest finding another vet or specialist. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ams Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 I am sorry Tank is unwell. I've no experience re the eyes but 1kg weight loss in a week can be quite a significant weight drop depending on the size of the dog. I hope the blood work comes back unremarkable and Tank recovers quickly. Has your vet considered Glaucoma? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyda62 Posted July 17, 2013 Author Share Posted July 17, 2013 My vet said we will wait and see what comes back in the blood tests and then she will do a referral to a specialist. She did not think it was Glaucoma. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Not trying to worry you but I have lost one of my dogs to a brain tumour, he had many other symptoms too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyda62 Posted July 17, 2013 Author Share Posted July 17, 2013 Not trying to worry you but I have lost one of my dogs to a brain tumour, he had many other symptoms too. What other symptoms did he have Dogmad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 The first sign that anything was wrong was when he disappeared one day on a walk (an off leash park in Sydney), he'd been right behind me with the other dogs and then suddenly he was gone. This was a walk we'd taken many times and this particular dog was a Fox Terrier, super smart. I called him many times - no response so started walking back towards my car (a long way) and met people on the way who said he'd passed them like he was running in a panic and wouldn't stop for them. I eventually found him standing near my car. I'd had him for over 2 years and this was a strange thing for him to do. He was a very active, out there character, obsessed with balls. Over the next 2-3 months other things happened gradually, all out of character/normal behaviour, including: biting me unprovoked on 3 occasions sitting very quietly for long periods, appearing depressed - he was always on the move normally falling when jumping between the two sofas and other times (he was super agile normally) lost interest in his ball becoming aggressive on occasions with one of my other dogs who'd been his best friend urinary incontinence I took him to 3 different vets with the symptoms and they all said brain tumour, one of his eyes didn't look right but my vet said the only way to truly diagnose was an MRI at great expense and you couldn't operate because he wouldn't be the same dog, even if it was possible. When the urinary incontinence started about 2 weeks before I let him go, he didn't even know it was pouring out of him, he appeared unaware. We had good days and bad days at that time but the last straw was him going for my face suddenly, he just missed my eye. I loved him dearly and he was only about 7-8 years of age. He'd had a terrible life before I got him and that made it all the harder to accept. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*kirty* Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Are there any other symptoms? Cloudiness? Redness on the whites of her eyes? How is her vision around obstacles etc? Have they checked her blood pressure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mixeduppup Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 I've seen it in dogs with brain tumours and neurological disorders as well as dogs with varying degrees of blindness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Have you checked how well she finds her way around in unfamiliar territory? Often blind dogs will still find their way around their homes perfectly well simply by memory and smell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 I have also seen it in a dog where the muscles in the eye have atrophied due to old age and just couldn't do their job quite right. The dog was given a clean bill of health and told to continue on his way. It was diagnosed by a specialist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyda62 Posted July 18, 2013 Author Share Posted July 18, 2013 Tanks vision appears to be okay. She is not stumbling into anything. Last night she walked up and down the steps fine in the dark. I put a few obstacles out in the yard and she moved around them no worries. She has got some cloudiness in her eyes which is why I thought she may have cataracts. Kirty no...her blood pressure was not checked. I will get it done...thanks for the suggestion. All her blood tests came back as normal yesterday. She is booked to go the the eye specialist on Wednesday (earliest app I could get). Dogmad...So sorry for your loss. Thankfully Tank is not showing any of those symptons at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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