cataract

Question
My dog has one eye.  The other is blind with cataract.  The surgery estimate is $3000.00!  Do you know of any vets that do eye surgery at a reasonable price? I would take her anywhere in North America.
Thank you

Answer
Hi Norbert,

I'm sorry to hear of your dog's condition. I do not know the fees of surgery. They probably vary depending on location.
You could contact various veterinary ophthalmologists, and "price shop". Here are a couple of web sites to help you locate a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist:

http://www.acvo.org/public/Publicdatabase.asp
http://www.blinddogs.com/eyevet.htm

Have you discussed possible payment options with your vet? Many times, you can work out a payment schedule, and pay your bill over time.

There are a few veterinary financial assistance programs available, but I don't know how long the application process is. You can get info here:

http://www.imom.org/
http://www.help-a-pet.org/home.html
http://www.aahahelpingpets.org/root/
http://www.thepetfund.com/
http://www.petsamaritan.org/Medical/
http://www.pawssf.org/clienteligibility.shtml
http://www.uan.org/index.cfm?navid=28
http://www.oslf.org/general.htm
http://www.angels4animals.org/index.html

There's special credit you can apply for and get a loan when your pet needs a surgery:

http://www.carecredit.com/
http://www.citibank.com/us/cards/cardserv/healthcrd/

You do have another option. As cruel as it sounds, you can let nature take it's course. Blindness occurs slowly, giving the dog time to adjust to it's gradual loss of vision. While that may not be an option for a human, dogs can and do adjust very well to loss of sight. Vision ranks #3 in importance compared to smell and hearing to your dog.

These web sites might be a help:
http://www.blinddogs.com/
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/16885/helping_your_blind_dog_navigate.h...

While it's certainly nothing you'd ever wish for, your dog can learn to get around and live happily for many years without sight. To help a blind dog get around, there are specialty products such as this:
http://angelvest.homestead.com/


I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,
Patti