eye removal old dog?

13 years ago

My 12 and 1/2 year old lab mix has a tumor in her eye which has caused secondary glaucoma. Vet and specialist say the eye is blind and will become increasingly painful and that it should be removed. I'm wondering about the pain of the surgery and also her age... recovery, how much longer she really has to live. She is medicated for thyroid and takes Proin for loose bladder. Other than that the doctor thinks she's relatively healthy. The surgery is not super cheap. between 1300-1700 depending how long the eye removal takes. If she was young this would be a no brainer, but I'm just wondering when to call it quits on major surgery for older pets. My heart is breaking either way...

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Comments (5)

nigelsgarden
13 years ago
Glaucoma is very painful and there's no way for them to let you know how much they're hurting. Personally, I'd do the surgery since it sounds as though she's pretty healthy. The loss of one eye won't be a big deal to her and you'll be surprised how fast she recovers.
socks
13 years ago
Isn't there a medication to help with the glaucoma pain or control the development of the glaucoma? My friend's dog takes some kind of medication.

You'll have to take your financial situation into account when making the decision as well as your emotions, love for your dog. So sorry you have to face this decision.
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PlantsAndYarn
13 years ago
I totally understand where you are at right now. In April our vet found an abdominal mass in our 11 1/2 yr old Shar-pei. We know he had a very good full life, so we passed on treatment. We did not want what little time he had left to be in pain & suffering from the surgery. We took him home & enjoyed him as he was. He was with us for about 6 more weeks. His last weekend was the best he had in a long time. He acted like he did when he was a puppy, giving no indication it would be his last day. He passed on a Sunday evening.
Good luck in reaching a decision.
lzrddr
13 years ago
Difference between last dog described and your dog, is your dog is in pain. Glaucoma is one of the more painful conditions dogs can endure. I would strongly recommend enucleation.. I have never had a dog not recover from it rapidly and with few if any complications. It is a relatively simple surgery. The cost seem fairly standard, but you could probably find a cheaper surgeon somewhere (though perhaps less skilled).
ksnooz7
Original Author
13 years ago
I have just scheduled the surgery. Soonest available date is 2 weeks from now. I have her on pain meds and will continue until the surgery. I was aware of the pain issue and would never had let her go to long with either decision. I love her dearly and I believe this is not her time. It was a tough call however because of her age and size. The surgery also includes, chest xray, bloodwork and they want to sew back her other (good eye) eyelid because her eyes are sunken from having masticatory myositis 3 years ago. Thanks for your comments. If it was a more invasive or serious, less fruitful surgery I think my answer would be different. I did talk to her about it and told her this was the last time for this kind of thing. LOL!