Near-sightedness in dogs

[Helmsdale]

Has anyone noticed near- or short-sightedness in their dogs?

I noticed that my 5 years old Springer was relying on scent for finding objects to retrieve. On short distances, say 30 yards he'll go by sight, but when on any long distance retrieve, he'll bowl out in the general direction and hunt for it by nose.
Depending on the wind direction, he often overshoots the dummy and, and finds it by quartering back into the wind. With a strong headwind, he'll be onto it like an arrow. He never fails, but it's noticeable that he doesn't see the object, even when I can see it (albeit with specs). As a result, almost every long 'fetch' with the wind turns into a blind retrieve, and he responds to my arm signals - so he can see me okay, although I might look like a manic semaphore signaler to any onlooker. On the positive side, it has definitely developed his nose and his response to guided retrieves.

As a precaution, I had him examined by a vet, just in case anything serious was causing it, but he got a clean bill of health. The vet said that many dogs are short-sighted, and it's believed that some breeds, including Springers, are more prone to it than others. Dogs can't read eye charts of course, so measuring any defect is difficult (and probably expensive). My dog is happy and efficient at what he does, so it's not worth taking it any further, but I'll keep an eye on it(!) in case his sight deteriorates. I've since experimented with scented tennis balls of various colours, just out of curiosity. Although there is a marginal improvement with yellow balls, there doesn't seem much difference in his sighting ability between red, blue and green. I'd be interested in hearing observations from others about their dogs' eyesight.

[scotsgent]

Only that my dog lost an eye a few months ago. Despite my initial fears that her useful life would be severely curtailed I am astounded to observe that she seems to have suffered absolutely no loss of performance.

I have seen her flush a rabbit from a patch of rashes but not see it go if its on her blind side, but within a second or two then runs along its scent-line. I think when one sense diminishes another grows stronger.

I believe a one-eyed spaniel. won a test at the Moy game fair in August?

Just an observation. Cheers, Terry

[Helmsdale]

Yep, I don't think the functionality is too impaired. But I should have mentioned that I'm having my guy DNA-tested for PRA, on the vet's advice.

[Rascal]

Some dogs do mark better than others whether that's down to their eyesight or not I guess it would be pretty difficult to say. My own thoughts are that it's very often down to the focus and desire of the dog....It also depends on their view of the retrieve as it's easy to forget they sit a lot lower than us so what is easily visible from our height advantage is not so to them.

Just remember though the more you handle a dog on a seen retrieve the less they rely on their senses and the more reliant they become on you... I tend to start short and gradually build the distance and try to keep my gob shut, stick my hands in my pockets and let the dog work it out. It might take slightly longer initially but with a keen dog they do learn..

Hope your dogs tests are ok..

Rascal

[Sgurr]

Have you considered having the BVA Eyetest for your dog? http://www.bva.co.uk/Canine-Health-Schemes/Eye-scheme/
The point is that the Eye Panellists are seeing far more of the conditions such as Multifocal Retinal Dysplasia and Progressive Retinal Atrophy than the general vet and can often diagnose at an earlier stage. If your user name, Helmsdale, is an indication of your geographic location then your nearest specialist is Tony Wall who is brilliant. His main clinics are at Inverness but he does go out to Orkney and Shetland.

If you are considering breeding your dog, then yes, the DNA test for PRA Cord 1 - but there is another form of PRA in ESS (much rarer) with as yet no DNA test. A clinical examination by a BVA specialist is £56, much the same cost as the DNA test, but it will cover all the conditions mentioned above plus Glaucoma and Cataracts.

[Helmsdale]

Thanks for that Spurr. The vet offered to get the tests done, but experience tells me that it's usually a lot less expensive (and probably more thorough) to find an expert and get them done myself. Your info seems to support that view. Actually, I'm not in Scotland but I'll check out the link.

[Sgurr]

Just to add, if on a BVA Eyetest the dog is found to be clinically affected for PRA, then the Animal Health Trust will do the PRA Cord 1 DNA test for free as part of their research. Hoping your dog is not affected, of course.
For the test results to be recorded, your dog has to be microchipped or tattooed and you have to take the KC Reg document with you to be stamped by the specialist - obviously you can be referred to a specialist by your vet but the referral fee is usually about £20 and then the consultation fee. With the BVA Eyetest, you just book it yourself at a Clinic or directly with the specialist and it is a fixed price - results go to the Kennel Club and are available on MyKC.

My Glen (ESS) had a trauma injury which totally slumped the retina in one eye - picked up by Tony Wall who assured me that the dog was not in any pain and there was nothing to be done other than monitor every 3 months to check that the tissue was not decaying. Glen was blind on one side but adapted really well. Sheila Crispin (another BVA specialist) photographed it with a fundus camera at the second check and for the third check we saw Tony Wall again - and the retina had re-attached naturally. So things may improve for your boy, but they do adapt to the situation and as said earlier the nose works better!