Dr.D Michael Mi h l R Reinhart,
i h t
be. She’s avoided the dreaded hip dysplasia, but she has
i
A
it is male or female. Gender does play a role in the life
span, but retrievers usually have a 12- to 13-year life
expectancy. Some will last longer, some less, depending on a lot of
variables.
Washington School of Medicine and Texas A+M College of Veterinary
and by providing samples of their dog’s saliva to test their DNA. The
research team said their hope is to “quickly expand knowledge of
aging not just in dogs, but humans, as well.”
Canines live shorter lives, but they get the same diseases as
humans, so this research may help to understand how genes, lifestyle
The goal of this study of 10,000 dogs more than 10 years of age is
to see if life expectancy can be improved.
Q
winking her eye a lot, and we thought she had something
in her eye. We were wrong; she’s just been diagnosed
and then is removed through a drainage angle in the corner of the
eye. That drainage angle is not working properly, so
and pressure begins to
build. When the ocular
pressure exceeds 25,
there is glaucoma. This pressure
causes serious pain, usually
indicated by a swelling to a red,
are usual signs.
A
There Th are a variety i
of
that can be done, but the
end result will be blindness.
Dog breeds that
commonly develop
glaucoma include Spaniels,
There is primary
glaucoma and also
secondary glaucoma,
which results from
The goal of medical treatment for glaucoma is to decrease the
of choice. Latanoprost is used to increase the drainage from the
Once vision is lost, there are several procedures that can be done:
•
•
•
Of these three procedures, eye removal is most common.
the right. She went totally blind, and I used an NSAID (nonsteroidal
If we could only respond to our tragedies as well as our pets do, life
Dr. Reinhart is the owner of Jacaranda Animal Hospital, located
at 725 Shamrock Boulevard in Venice. For more information or to
schedule an appointment, call 941-497-1676, or visit the clinic
online at www.JacarandaAnimal Hospital.com.
Q
Ask the Vet
o
prope
beg
When o
exceeds
pr
usually
a
d th i
/www.JacarandaAnimalhospital.com