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-   -   What could little specks on my puppies pupils? Vet saw this and says it's cataracts (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=618583)

  • Dec 10, 2011, 03:12 PM
    Ibatar
    What could little specks on my puppies pupils? Vet saw this and says it's cataracts
    My vet says my dog has something (probably cataracts) on her eyes. My puppy shows no signs of eye site problems and can follow a red lazar dot with ease! The breeder who is very well known, says she has never encountered a problem and for me to get a second option. The vet did seem some what "unsure." My puppy is an Aussie/Border and I am wondering is this could be just pigmentation specks which is found in both breeds.
  • Dec 10, 2011, 07:38 PM
    shazamataz
    It could be a number of things unfortunately and I'm surprised your vet could not give you an answer, I would seek a second opinion.

    Marks on the eyes could be from cataracts, pigmentation as you say, scratches on the lense, infections, eye diseases like PRA, etc.

    Does she seems bothered by her eyes at all? Any weeping or discharge? Does she seem to have trouble seeing at night rather than during the day?
  • Dec 11, 2011, 04:24 PM
    paleophlatus
    You are fairly vague as to just where these spots are, so I'll just try to cover the possibilities as I can imagine them. The pupil is just a space, that hole in the iris which the light passes through. The lens is behind the pupil and focuses the light onto the retina. This is where cataracts are located. The exterior, colorless structure of the eye covering the entire iris is the cornea. Anywhere on the cornea you may see a silvery, 'pin-striping' condition of the eye, (corneal dystrophy), that sometimes is mistakenly called cataracts. It is harmless and a lipid, presumably causeing no vision problems. It frequently will go away, in time, but I'm unaware of any specific cause.

    Cataracts are a problem involving the lens. The protein structure in the lens begin to change and clump, eventually involving the entire lens. When 'mature' it takes on a gray, sometimes opalescent translucency. In older dogs, with aging (6-8 years is typical) comes a slight, even greying of the 'capsule' surrounding and containing the semi-liquid lens. This is frequently mistaken for, but is not a 'cataract', and only affects sight in poor light. (or so the dogs say) Sometimes there are colored spots in the iris as well, which may be pigment, blood vessels, or? Any structure within the eye can become a problem, and usually presents with something obviously abnormal, and often painful for the animal.

    The best advice for learning what your spots actually are is to go to a vet that is more comfortable with eyes and their problems.

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