Lab Who Went Blind Over Two Weeks and Is Drinking More
by Karrie
(Lake County, Ca)
We were having a party in the second week, she was being her normal silly self when she started tripping over our guest feet then she got really quiet and clingy and her eyes rolled back and were covered by a lower pinkish red lid. It took about 20 or more minutes for this to stop.
She had 3 seizures we witnessed in the past two years and I thought this might had been one too except her body didn't shake.
She is also on thyroid medication and has been increasingly thirsty and her face appears thinner.
Does anyone have some ideas what could be going on with her?
She's not on seizure meds because it made her so doped out, she is on thyroid meds, her weight has dropped and her thirst has increased. The eye discoloration came on very quickly and she seems to have gone blind in two weeks. At about 5 years of age she sufferd from heart worms and was successfully treated. I also noticed right after her monthly heart worm pill (Trifexis) she became I'll, vomiting, tired, and loss of appitite. It took about two weeks to bounce back, then this started to happen. Most Labs we have had or have known live around 10 years, is it just getting close to her time or is there something else going on that could be easily fixed?
We have called our vet and she referred us to a vetinarian eye specialist which I have not been able to get a hold of yet. If anyone has had similar experiences with their Labs please let us know!
Sudden fogging of both eyes in a dog who is losing weight and drinking more is very suspicious for diabetes, which can cause cataracts to form within weeks. Please have bloodwork and a urine test done within a day or two, and go the same day if she vomits, stops eating or seems weak.
The episode at the party, with her eyes rolling back and the third eyelids covering them, may have been another seizure. Mention it, along with the thirst and weight loss, to your vet. If diabetes is confirmed and treated, cataract surgery can often restore sight. Sudden blindness with clear-looking eyes can also come from retinal disease, which the eye specialist can check.
See cataracts in dogs for more on diabetic cataracts.
This is general information, not a diagnosis. Please follow your own vet's advice.
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