Health Problems Of Older Schnauzers Article

Ed and Sue McDonough were thrilled when they learned they'd passed muster with the adoption coordinators at Yankee Golden Retriever rescue, a Massachusetts organization dedicated to helping the dogs for which it is named. There was just one catch: they would be 90th on Yankee's waiting list if they insisted on having a golden in perfect health. The McDonoughs soon learned, however, that there was a way around the delay. If they were willing to accept a disabled pet, they were told, the adoption process would speed right along. In fact, a blind dog named Alex had been writing for a home for more than three months.

The McDonoughs consulted with their veterinarian, who advised them that they were too busy to cope with the challenges posed by a sightless canine.

But wily shelter workers had seized the moment, dispatching a photo of Alex to the couple's home in Natick, Massachusetts. The McDonoughs and their daughter, Tracey, could not resist paying the five-year-old orphan a visit. "They trotted Alex out, and it was an instant love affair for all of us," Sue remembers.

Loss of sight is not always linked to faulty genes, of course. Injuries and tumors can end in blindness, and cataracts are common in diabetic dogs, sometimes leading to secondary glaucoma. Another disease, suddenly acquired retinal-degeneration syndrome, results in rapid, irreversible blindness; its cause is not known, and it is found in all breeds. A condition called dry eye, if left untreated, results in an invasion of brown pigment and blood vessels into the cornea and produces a field of view that is much like the one seen through a muddy windshield. Old age can also lead to loss of sight, though it is not a natural occurrence in advancing years.

Almost without fail, the news that a pet faces permanent blindness comes as a blow to an owner. Yet veterinarians say that an afflicted dog generally makes a good adjustment and can go on to have a long and enjoyable life. "Dogs do not generally sit around and feel sorry for themselves," says Noelle McNabb, a veterinary ophthalmologist on staff at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston, a division of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals/American Humane Education Society (MSPCA/AHES). "They think, `Well, I want to go outside. How's the best way to do that?' They just strategize and facilitate how to get what they want." A bit of retraining, McNabb and others point out, can make a world of difference.

Take Alex, for instance. When he joined their household, the McDonoughs quickly realized that he did not behave with a sense of loss. "He's taught us there's nothing he can't do," remarks Sue. In unfamiliar territory, Alex tends to lower his head and walk gently and slowly. At the beach, Ed attaches a long lead to his collar, and he swims with abandon. Alex enjoys playing ball, thanks to his keen sense of smell and his acute hearing.

Nowadays it is not unusual to find owners like the McDonoughs--animal lovers who are devoted to pets with a wide range of health complications. Many people treat dogs as members of the family and tend to be attuned to physical changes in their companions. This is fortunate because a number of breeds--poodles, cocker spaniels, huskies, and schnauzers, to name a few--are prone to eye disease and should be carefully watched. The pug, which has protruding eyes, is at risk of developing cataracts, glaucoma, corneal ulcers, and other problems. "This is a dog that, along with vaccines and a general physical examination, always, always should have an eye exam every year," says McNabb. She goes on to suggest that every owner pay particular attention to the following warning signs:

An increase in discharge from one or both eyes

Abnormal squinting or blinking

Pawing or rubbing at the eyes

An appearance of whiteness, opacity, or redness in the eyes

While nothing can be done for the kind of degeneration that thins the eye's retina, many dogs respond well to the latest medications and surgical techniques for cataracts and glaucoma. But successful treatment often depends on catching the problem at the onset, says Nancy B. Cottrill, a veterinary ophthalmologist at Rowley Memorial Animal Hospital in Springfield, Massachusetts, an MSPCA/AHES facility.

Unfortunately, dogs don't exactly dedicate themselves to making early detection easy. In fact, they can be experts at hiding what is wrong. Cottrill recalls one particularly upbeat patient cheerfully wagging his tail while being examined for an agonizing laceration of the cornea in one eye.

To buttress their call for careful eye monitoring, the experts warn that a delay in proper treatment of cataracts or glaucoma frequently results in near or total blindness. And there are plenty of cases out there to bring the point home.

Karen Secular, who lives in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, has traveled a winding road in an effort to save at least some sight in her black-and-white cocker spaniel, Oreo, who suffers from inherited cataracts. The six-year battle, she says, offers a cautionary tale.

Oreo was four when cataracts developed in his left eye. Secular noticed a bluish white cast. The protein of the lens had changed, making it opaque and preventing light from reaching the retina. Her veterinarian referred her to a colleague with an interest in eye diseases.

It turned out that, as is common with the condition, Oreo's eye was inflamed because protein from the lens had leaked into the eye. Secular was misinformed that surgery for cataracts was not successful in dogs. Instead she was directed to put a topical medication into Oreo's eye, which she did off and on for the next four years. Nevertheless, he was losing sight in the eye. Then, a year and a half ago, cataracts began to develop in his right eye, and his vision declined markedly. More recently, Secular and her family took a trip and left Oreo at a kennel for a week. When they returned, she was horrified to see that her dog's left eye was enlarged and covered with a blue film. Her veterinarian advised her to take her pet to Cottrill immediately.

The ophthalmologist delivered the bad news chronic inflammation in Oreo's left eye had led to glaucoma. The buildup of fluids had raised pressure, caused intense pain, and damaged the optic nerve; the eye would have to be removed. Cottrill was somewhat more optimistic about the right eye. So long as tests showed that the retina was still attached and the optic nerve was not damaged, she would be able to remove the cataract and implant an intraocular lens, which would preserve some of Oreo's sight.

Secular has moments of anger at herself for failing to take Oreo to a veterinary ophthalmologist sooner. Cottrill told her that, over the years, the dog had lost nearly all of his sight; Secular had simply adjusted to the gradual decline, warning him of a step or a closed door, and had not realized how serious the problem had become. "You ask yourself the `what ifs,' but it's useless to go down that path," Secular says. "You have to move on."

Veterinarians say that feelings of guilt, sadness, and helplessness are common among people whose dogs go blind. Some, she says, grapple with the difficult question of whether it would be kinder to euthanize a pet than ask it to go on under such difficult circumstances. Cottrill and McNabb advise their clients to take time to mourn the loss of the animal's sight and then review their options. They also point out that information on the subject is available on the Internet, and they urge owners to buy Caroline D. Levin's Living with Blind Dogs. A Resource Book and Training Guide for the Owners of Blind and Low Vision Dogs, which offers a variety of coping techniques.

McNabb notes that Levin's book proved critical to the future of a basset hound that went blind from inherited glaucoma. Sensing there was a problem, the owner had brought her pet in for an exam. But it was a couple of weeks too late to prolong sight in the first eye. Then the second eye was affected, and McNabb employed both medication and surgery in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent blindness.

To relieve the pain from the pressure, the decision was made to remove the interior portions of the eyes, a procedure known as enucleation, which can succeed if the shell is healthy. Prostheses would be implanted to give the basset a more normal appearance. Still, the owner was devastated by her pet's blindness and doubted whether she could provide him with a good life.

After McNabb persuaded her to take a look at Levin's book, the client decided to give some of the author's suggestions a try. She glued textured rubber onto the stairs to ease her pet's trip around the house. At playtime, she threw a ball with a bell so that the basset could hear where it was. When McNabb saw her client six months after the operation, the woman beamed and said her dog was enjoying life to the fullest.

For many people, giving a blind dog a home just adds a challenge to the pleasure of having a pet.

Barbara Gibson decided to adopt a blind dog named Rusty when she read about him in Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue's newsletter. Rusty's previous owners had abused him by throwing balls at him and placing furniture in his path. The hostile environment had turned Rusty into an aggressive, frantic dog.

Gibson, who already had two older goldens, knew that what he needed was reassurance and a quiet, consistent atmosphere. After Rusty came into her home in Darien, Connecticut, Gibson would lead him around and say "bump" when he approached a chair, sofa, or table. It wasn't long before he had the layout down pat. These days, the furniture is generally left in the same place; if an object is moved, Gibson shows the change to Rusty. She also talks to him constantly. He has learned to back up when she says "back." When she wants him to come, she calls his name and taps her thigh to indicate her location. When preparing for a walk, she tells him, "It's time to go out now. Let's get your leash." Rusty quickly goes to the door, where he sits and waits.

One thing she says has helped Rusty is the constant presence of other dogs. For the first six months he was with Gibson, her 11-year-old golden, Dugan, played a lead role in his life. During walks in the woods, Rusty, whose blindness is caused by underdeveloped retinas, would follow Dugan, staying right at his ear. He could hear and smell where Dugan was. Sadly, Dugan died this summer, and Gibson is working to fill Dugan's void by talking Rusty through their outings so that he will once more handle the woods with confidence.

Gibson's relationship with Rusty, she says, has a special chemistry that is both fascinating and rewarding. "He's wonderful," Gibson says. "He's a great pet. He is a sweet, devoted dog."

Pam Sacks is a contributing editor for Animals.