Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How fast do dogs lose vision with sudden retinal degeneration
By Washington, Demitrius R et al.·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2021·Department of Clinical Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Canine sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome: Owner perceptions on the time to vision loss, treatment outcomes, and prognosis for life.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog diagnosed with sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS) can lose its vision very quickly, often within two weeks. Many owners reported that their pets experienced some recovery in vision when treated with a combination of therapies, but side effects were common. While dogs with SARDS generally did not live shorter lives than other dogs, they were more likely to develop kidney and respiratory issues later on. If your dog is showing signs of vision problems, it's important to discuss treatment options and potential side effects with your veterinarian.
People also search for: dog sudden vision loss treatment · SARDS in dogs prognosis · dog kidney disease after SARDS
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Canine sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS) causes blindness for which there are no proven effective treatments. We aimed to clarify the time to vision loss, treatment response/side effects, and prognosis for life in dogs with SARDS. METHODS: An online questionnaire was administered to owners of dogs with a historical diagnosis of SARDS. Mortality data were compared with a published purebred reference population. Select parameters were analyzed statistically using general linear model with least square means, two-sample t tests, and chi-squared or Fisher's exact tests. RESULTS: Responses from owners that stated that their dog visited an ophthalmologist and had electroretinography performed (n = 434) were analyzed. The majority of owners (65.4%) reported the time from vision disturbance to complete vision loss as <2 weeks; 19.4% reported >4 weeks. Onset of systemic clinical signs to complete vision loss was >4 weeks in 44.5% of responses. A higher proportion of owners reported some vision recovery with combination treatment (14.4%) compared with monotherapy (3.2%, P = .0004). Side effects of treatment were commonly reported. Dogs with SARDS did not have a shorter lifespan than the reference population but had higher incidence of kidney disease (P = .0001) and respiratory disease (P = .0004) at death. CONCLUSIONS: Dogs with SARDS have a rapid onset of vision loss. In the owner's opinion, treatment is unlikely to restore vision and is associated with systemic side effects. The potential for systemic pathologies that arise after SARDS diagnosis warrants further study.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33377263/