I’m sharing my experience as a long-term client. I brought my dog here for approximately three years, starting when he was about six months old. From early on, it was known that he had a congenital eye condition affecting both eyes.
At his initial visit, when he was about six months old, I was told that he would develop glaucoma and that eye removal would eventually be necessary. I brought him in every three to four months for eye pressure checks and was prescribed multiple prescription eye drops, which were adjusted and increased over time. I was consistently told that his pressures were elevating. At later visits, glaucoma was discussed as an established diagnosis.
Eventually, I was told that one eye’s pressure was too high and that it would need to be removed. I was also advised to remove the other eye at the same time, even though that eye was still in a normal pressure range and both eyes were still functional. Cost efficiency related to anesthesia was mentioned, and I was told that dogs generally adapt well to blindness and that owners tend to be more upset than the animals themselves.
As a pet owner, the thought of removing one eye was already extremely difficult. Being advised to remove both eyes and permanently blind my dog, despite the fact that he was not showing signs of pain, could see well, and his eyes appeared fine to me, did not feel right.
I chose to seek a second opinion from another veterinary ophthalmologist, who told me clearly that my dog does not have glaucoma. He explained that my dog’s elevated eye pressure is consistent with his congenital eye condition, that he was not even in pain, and that his eyes otherwise appeared stable.
It has now been nearly a year since that consultation. Since that time, my dog has not been on glaucoma medication and has not needed eye removal. His eyes no longer appear irritated, he scratches them far less than he did when he was on the eye drops, and he seems noticeably more comfortable overall. His vision has remained intact, and he is able to catch balls in the air, which he was not able to do before.
I’m grateful that I sought another opinion before making a permanent decision. Despite my dog’s known medical history and the fact that he was not in pain and could still see perfectly fine, irreversible recommendations were still made. Based on my experience, I would advise pet owners to seek a second opinion or consider avoiding this practice altogether when facing serious or irreversible recommendations
