Hi all, Just wondering if anyone could throw in some opinions with a problem I'm having with my 3 year old Labrador Retriever, Lucius. This post might be a long one but stick till the end! Ever since we had Lucius from 8 weeks, he has always been an unwell dog. It took us months to put weight on him, the food the breeder gave us was making him sick and multiple vet visits later (3 times in a month) we found out he had food allergies. So, we quickly put him on some hypoallergenic food, he didn't take to it and the vet recommended raw feed. This worked great, and when he hit 1 year old we changed it to a dry food that he is still on to this day. Diet-wise, he is all healthy - so long as he doesn't eat dog biscuits off the floor at the pet shop and get really sick. More recently (I'd say since he was around 2 years and 8 months) his vision has been getting bad. He's always been a bit funny with his eyes (they get quite sore during the pollen seasons) but recently its gotten bad. When I let him out at night for his final pee break, he seems to be getting a little lost / confused at where his is. All I can describe it as is that he gets to halfway down the garden, stops and refuses to move even to pee or poop. Last night I had to walk down the garden to get him because he wouldn't come in. He doesn't seem to recognise I'm there unless I talk to him or let him sniff my hand. Once he realises he's not alone, he walks two paces ahead, pees, then walks back to where I am standing and walks beside me right until he gets inside. This has happened for the past 5 months or so. We did take him to the vet, who couldn't see anything wrong with his eyes - no cataracts - but said he doesn't have the correct equipment to check everything. He suspects PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) but says this might not be what he has, although he is showing a lot of symptoms for it. The vet recommended to wait a month, come back and if his eyesight has gotten worse or not improved then we are going to a specialist. He's my first Labrador and although not my first dog, he's my first large breed. He's my best friend and I couldn't be without him. I was wondering if anyone had similar issues concerning their labs, as I say hes young (3 years) and has always been a bit clumsy, just wondering if its something heredity or something else.
we aren't sure. Im sorry to say we got him from a pretty bad breeder, he was kept in a shed as a puppy we didnt get to see the rest of the litter except his brother as we wanted a boy, and we only got to see the mum. She was pretty eager for us to buy him.
I hope so too, its so nerve wracking seeing him suddenly get so lost outside. We're helping as best as we can but will have to wait and see what the vet says.
Its a shame your vet doesn't have the skills to assess him properly. I would be pushing for some specialist advice
We are going to see a specialist next month hopefully, the specialist is only an hour away so we can get there easily. Our veterinarians is very small, only one vet in the practice and three nurses or so. As long as we find out what is wrong, I mind whether he goes to a specialist.
Hopefully it won't get worse, but even if it does, most completely blind dogs get around quite well, much better than humans. Our first Lab, Ginger was diabetic, and most diabetic dogs get bad cataracts very quickly. Ginger did not, but we learned a lot about blind dogs because of her diabetes and a couple of friends diabetic dogs that did go blind.
You can buy the genetic test for prcd-PRA from Optigen for $130 http://www.optigen.com/opt9_price_page_new_format.html#tier1
I think I would be paying for the DNA test to confirm whether it is PRA or not rather than wait for a specialist appointment. Early diagnosis at least helps you planning for your boy's future.
I'm sorry to hear this, it must be really frightening and worrying for you. I agree, a quick diagnosis will be very helpful, as you will know what you are dealing with. It's not knowing that is so scary... Once you know what you are facing, then you can come to terms with it and make plans. In the meantime, although I have not had a young dog with poor eyesight, my very old dog Billy couldn't see well toward the end of his life, and easily got confused, so I kept him on a lead when I took him down the garden for his last pee in the dark. This helped him feel connected to me and more secure.
That's a rotten shame, him having these problems. I hope you can get something sorted and that it isn't PRA. Nevertheless, he's a beautiful dog.
I agree, I did start walking him on the lead at night, his day vision is fine, except he is a little jumpy if he doesn't recognize something. I hope we get to see the specialist soon though.
Thank you. Hes such a sweetheart, definitely the sweetest dog but hoping these issues can be treated or managed. He's very young so Im hoping for the best.
