SARD

We had two fosters (Max & Rex) who were two brothers that were surrendered when their elderly owners got sick. The daughter was happy to meet me 1/2 way to get rid of them. I am pretty sure they had the same parents but were from different litters. These two hit the jackpot with DINK owners and a fawn sister and a black brother to play with.

I got a call from Rex's mom this past Saturday saying that Rex was having some serious vision problems. They had noticed some things and their pug sitter had too. His eyes were wildly dialated, he would sometimes miss some stairs, and he would not see his food bowl when they put it down. But he wasn't really running into stuff, but I think that this was because he has 3 other pugs to follow around and he knows the layout of the house. They took him to their regular vet and were referred to TN Vet Opth Clinic with Dr. Laratta. Rex went today and he was diagnosed with SARD. I have heard of this and read up on it some, but it is just different until you personally know a dog effected. I just googled it and some articles say that it can be liver related and other articles say there is not explaination. Dr. Laratta gave her a book that has information on SARD and how to help you dog adjust to being blind. Crystal was pretty upset about it, I think that she was holding out hope that it was something that could be medically/surgically treated. I know that Rex will continue to have a great life and he'll adjust, but it is just sad that this has to happen at all.

Have anyone had a dog with SARD? Besides going through the 10,000 pages on google does anyone have any good articles that I can pass on to Crystal and Paul?

here is one site to try:

http://www.blinddogs.net/

this is part of a great site for canine support for various conditions, diabetes, blindness etc.

If you don't find the info there, just post and ask, they have lots of knowledgable people there.

Joan

Thanks Joan. Dr. Laratta's office was on the eye specialist list. The tips & suggestions are great!

www.animaleyeclinic.us/PDF-AEC-SARD.pdf -

Jana--you may have seen this one, but I found it helpful. I haven't had a SARD dog, but know one other person who has.

What does SARD stand for? I'm going to guess some kind of retinal dysplasia?

I have nothing to add other than for Crystal and Paul.

Thanks Joan!

akc0104 wrote:I have nothing to add other than for Crystal and Paul.

Lisa, I'll let her know. You could hear her voice trembling when she called me yesterday to tell me the bad news.

Oh no!! I love Max and Rex!! I hate to hear this news, but you are right, they are in the very best of hands with Crystal and Paul.

How ironic as my fiirst pug was Rex wha got SARDS at age 7. It stands for sudden aquired retinal degeneration. From what all I read back then there was no other parts of the body involved. And there is nothing you can do about it sadly.

Jana,

It is something I have not experienced, but Dr Laratta has an office here in Nashville. I actually see the female doctor at the clinic, but I have only heard good things about him

Okay, a little more. For some reason SARDS is such a weird thing. For my Rex before he went blind he gained a ton of weight and peed in the house; which he had never done before. My vet them said this happens to a lot of SARDS patients. And, for a few of them I have known, they seem to have problems with differing day and night sometimes. I've heard of a couple others having trouble sleeping at night. It's hard for me to explain, but for some reason to me this is a different blindness and seems to affect them differently, as in their personality too. I don't mean to be a downer, but I have seen this happen.

But - I also babied my Rex when he went blind, and now I know that wasn't the right thing to do. I didn't teach him things I should've and babied him more. i do of one SARDS baby that even still goes on walks! My Rex could never of done that, but again, probably mu fault.

I learned a lot with him and have such a soft spot for blind dogs and now know that so many of them can go on to live a fairly normal life.

I am glad he's gonna be given a chance to live a good life. Someone I know on another forum (not PV) euthanised her relatively young Pug when he developed this and I could NOT understand why she didn't give him a chance. HORRIFIED me. She is still a regular poster on the other forum, with her new Pug (at least she got her from rescue) and I have never felt really kindly towards her since.

Brenda wrote:
I learned a lot with him and have such a soft spot for blind dogs and now know that so many of them can go on to live a fairly normal life.

I don't know anything about SARD, so I can't help you there.

Just wanted to second what Brenda has said. Angel gets around pretty well since she lost her eyesight. She can find me in the house very easily, and finds the kitchen faster than I can walk there (HA!).

I was really worried about her being blind - I would not have adopted a blind dog, etc. thinking it'd be too much for me to handle. She wears her harness for "steering" purposes, and sometimes I have to pick her up and bring her back inside b/c she gets stuck bouncing between the trees and the fence. We do just fine!

Pugs are so tough! Bella is our blind diabetic, and we have to put her on a lead outside, as she will run into trees, side of the house etc. She is fearless, its incredible. She can find her way around the house pretty well, but gets so excited outside I don't let her loose till she has settled down a bit.

Bella was with the same owner from a puppy, and at 10 she went blind (don't know why), and "owner" took her to rescue and dumped her. I found her online, and never will figure out how someone could do that. Esp to a blind dog, as she was at the rescue for several months, and then here, so being blind it was not like gettiing used to a place that you had once seen.

But she is happy and hungry just like any other pug.

Blind pugs rock! I have Hazel who has no eyes and I had Pete who was blind from PRA and many other issues. Never stopped either one of them and Pete went on to be a terrific therapy dog.

And Joan--Hazel is much like your Bella. A total busy body and our ricochet pug--bing, bang, boom when she gets revved up. I keep waiting for her to slow down as she's somewhere between 9 and 11, but so far, no signs of it.....

northernwitch wrote:Blind pugs rock! I have Hazel who has no eyes and I had Pete who was blind from PRA and many other issues. Never stopped either one of them and Pete went on to be a terrific therapy dog.

And Joan--Hazel is much like your Bella. A total busy body and our ricochet pug--bing, bang, boom when she gets revved up. I keep waiting for her to slow down as she's somewhere between 9 and 11, but so far, no signs of it.....

Yes you do know what I mean. John always says we have our own personal pinball machine!! Does you little one have no eyes at all? Bella has only one, but no sight at all.

aw, poor dog! that must be very difficult. since there is unfortunately nothing that any meds can do, just giving him lots of love and helping him adjust to things around the house since he cant see is best i think. ive never had personal experience, but just make your home safer by not having anything sharp that he could bump into or fall down into. good luck! ..lots and lots of for this guy!