Question:
My dog is getting increasingly blind. There is still some light in the eye,
but the milky cataract gloom says enough. Is there in Holland a veterinaire
who does cataract surgery on dogs?
Answer:
Almost certainly, but you might get further by talking to your vet and
the Dutch veterinary hospitals. It might also be possible if you cannot
find someone in Holland to take your dog to another country - Germany,
France and the UK are all possible places. However to take the dog to
the UK is complicated because of the regulations which allow you to
bring a dog in without 6 months quarantine. It involves chipping, anti-
rabies shots, a proven response to them and worming, all in the right
order at the right time. If you go this route (to the UK) make sure you
get solid information before planning the trip.
I asked the veterinary ophthalmologist about the possibility of having the
mature cataract removed, since my dog is otherwise in very good health. But
he advised me to leave it alone. It seems that dogs, unlike humans, do not
recover well from cataract surgery.
Despite my dog's cataract, which must limit his vision in the center of that
eye, he doesn't seem to be bothered by lack of vision. He never
inadvertently bumps into furniture inside the house, and he seems to be
quite able to avoid twigs and branches when I walk him in the woods.
