Please could you advise where I would look to start investigating the possibility of training to become a canine therapist - ideally massage etc? I am a qualified Holistic Therapist with Massage, Aromatherapy and Hopi Ear Candling for humans, however I would like to pursue my career with dogs, cats and other animals. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Janine Osnowska, by email
Natalie Lenton, The Canine Massage Therapy Centre, says…
Firstly you may like to decide which particular area of therapy you are interested in.
To train in Canine Massage you are looking at around an 18-month study along with practical case studies and assessments; check out www.theicat.co.uk for more information on Canine Massage training. You will also be studying Canine Anatomy and Physiology alongside massage to gain a greater understanding of the body and common pathologies like Luxating Patella, Arthritis and Hip Dysplasia to help with your work and ensure that no harm is done. Masseuses work solely on soft tissue (muscle, tendon, ligaments and fascia) to help areas of pain, overcompensation and soft tissue problems that may be causing reoccurring lameness, pain etc.. Go to www.k9massage.co.uk to find out more on what a trained canine masseuse can help. You may like to attend a one day workshop (home use only) run by Canine Massage Therapy Centre to see if it is what you are expecting before embarking on a full course.
Other therapies like acupuncture are strictly performed by veterinarians (www.abva.co.uk) and is not a transferable qualification even if you are a human acupuncturist, to ensure that infection can be controlled and in case a needle breaks. You may however like to find out more about Acupressure, although I am aware that Tall Grass will not be coming over to the UK until 2011 to do more training, I have been told what a fantastic, and thorough, course they run, see www.animalacupressure.com for further information.
Again, aromatherapy may only be performed by a vet too due to the effect of the oils on the dog’s physiology.
Tellington TTouch involves body work and ground work exercises to help with rehabilitation of physical and emotional issues. It helps promote feelings of wellbeing and is often used when dealing with behavioural issues. See www.ttouchteam.co.uk for more information on their different grades of practitioner.
Canine Bowen is a nice gentle therapy but specifies that you must firstly be a human practitioner before you go onto work with animals (http://www.caninebowentechnique.com)
Hydrotherapy is a great treatment for rehabilitation but often depends on you setting up your own centre which can be costly. See www.hawksmoorhydrotherapy.com for more information on training to become a hydrotherapist.
Mctimoney Animal Manipulation (they aren’t under law allowed to call themselves chiropractors even though this is what we know them as). They state, ‘Under current legislation, the General Chiropractic Council (GCC) regulates the chiropractic treatment of humans. Only practitioners that are registered with the GCC can legally call themselves chiropractors and treat members of the public. Animal practitioners are not able to join the GCC as it is only concerned with human treatment. The use of the word McTimoney to describe the animal treatment DOES NOT imply that our Animal practitioners are chiropractors.’ This course takes around three years and involves adjustments that are fast to beat the body’s muscle reflexes to return the bone to its correct position and function, no force or stress is necessary as the small movements make use of the body’s innate ability to realign itself by simply reminding the bone where it should be naturally in order to achieve its full natural working capacity.
Reiki, or energy field healing, may also be something you are interested in and can typically take around six months to train. You will of course still need veterinary consent as discussed below.
If you are considering working with animals you should also be aware of the UK Veterinary Act 1966 which states that no one other than a vet can treat animals.
The Veterinary Surgery (Exemptions) Order 1962 was bought in to amend the veterinary act to legitimatise therapies performed by professionals on animals. This means that you must gain veterinary consent from your clients’ vet before treating the animal to ensure that there are no contraindications to treatment. This also of course depends on gaining the right training and also having insurance too before setting up in practice, it is quite normal for vets to check on your qualifications so they can ensure that their clients are being treated by a professional. Go to http://www.natural-animal-health.co.uk/Vet-act.htm for more info.
If you aren’t too sure which therapy you would be happy with doing you could always look at a general course like the one run by the Animal Care College, http://www.animalcarecollege.co.uk/courses.php?course_ID=22, which although it doesn’t qualify you to practice could be a good starting point for continuing professional education.
Best of luck on your path towards a new career, I can promise you it is worth it when you get there!
Susan Davies, from HandsOnHounds, says...
Well done for choosing canine massage therapy as a career. It is most certainly a rewarding and satisfying way to be involved in the wellbeing and general health of our canine friends. I have been a fully qualified canine massage therapist for around seven years now and still find that I am learning constantly. Do beware when researching training establishments that
you avoid the 'fast track' courses that claim you can qualify in weeks or days. These are positively dangerous and only serve to devalue the therapists out there who have trained properly and have taken the time to qualify with a credible training centre. There is only one course therefore that I fully recommend and that is the course run by Julie Boxall of ICAT - Institute of Complementary Animal Therapies. It is divided into three levels and will equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge you will require to treat animals with confidence and know-how. Each level involves two or three days of theory and practical sessions from which you practice 'at home' building case studies and building a case file for assessment. There are exams and practical assessments at the end of each level. It may take you 18 months to complete but it will ensure you are properly qualified. The details of ICAT are as follows:
The Institute of Complementary Animal Therapies
P.O. Box 299
Chudleigh
Devon
01626 852485 or 07977 359347
www.theicat.co.uk
Good luck and I hope you go on to train for a wonderfully satisfying career.
May issue
May issue
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
Alternative insurance?
Dear Dogs Today
Like many animal guardians now, I only use homoeopathic nosodes for my dogs {Cavalier King Charles Spaniels}.
Two of my boys were insured with the Kennel Club - like several companies, if you had not given the dog conventional vaccine, they would not offer cover if the dog developed the disease for which a vaccine was available but would cover for everything else. The renewals are through and I note that they have changed their wording so that you now have to vaccinate. This seems to be the industry standard now.
I know you have several holistic vets writing for the magazine and wonder if they have any suggestions of companies who will offer lifetime cover and do not require the dog to be vaccinated.
Other readers must also have come across this problem - I know I'm not the only one in this position!! Can anyone offer any advice please?
Thanking you in advance
Mrs Nicki Hughes
Nick Thompson, holistic vet, advises:
This is a very thorny issue. First I'd like to tell you where I stand on the vaccine issue, then have a look at the Kennel Club vaccination policy and finally look at your vaccination options.
I don't think nosodes can be equated with vaccinations. I don't think they were ever designed to give lifelong protection from infectious disease and so I don't advise their use in this way. I do use them to treat specific animals with specific problems, but this is very different from trying to prevent disease for life.
I always quote the work done with children in the slums in India where they use remedies to protect from diseases that they will never ever be vaccinated for as they are so poor and outcast. The results from a Dr. Banerjea, of the Bengal Allen Medical Institute, are as follows -
Polio - Not reliable
Tuberculosis - Wonderful
Diphtheria – 40 per cent success rate
Whooping Cough – 95 per cent success rate
Mumps – 70 per cent success rate
Typhoid – 90 per cent success rate
These, as far as I can find, are the most reliable large scale tests in the world on remedies protecting against disease. I say to my clients that this type of study has not been done on animals anywhere in the world. I follow with 'if you are happy to have 'unreliable' or only 40 per cent cover for your animal, then use a nosode, but I'm not.' I have seen animals die of Parvo who were only covered with nosodes. (I also know of animals who died of Parvo who were fully vaccinated, come to that.)
I am not happy that we have a truly logical and rational approach to conventional vaccination in the veterinary world in this country, but I feel there is a middle road between over-vaccination and under-vaccination. This is the road I try to find with each patient, on an individual basis. I use optimal nutrition, herbs, homeopathic remedies, titre testing and minimal vaccination with single vaccines, where possible, to reduce the effect of vaccine insults to the immune system and maximise immunological cover.
The Kennel Club state the following on their website:
You must keep your dog vaccinated against distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis and parvovirus or as advised by your vet. All vaccinations must be administered under veterinary supervision. Homeopathic vaccines are not acceptable. Furthermore there is no cover provided for these conditions in the event that the required vaccinations have not been carried out.
The first line allows your vet to minimally vaccinate, but maximally protect your animal as they see fit - using titre testing etc. There is no such thing as a 'homeopathic vaccines' in the third sentence, but I'm sure the Kennel Club assessors would contest if you made a claim for Parvo if you'd only used Parvo nosode as a preventative. The final line is not very precise as it does not state when the vaccines should be given and makes no allowance for titre testing (which is actually the only way you can ensure your dog has ‘taken up’ the vaccines administered by your vet).
As to your options, Pet Plan state you must keep your animal vaccinated, but do not specifically forbid homeopathic nosodes. The same is true for More Than, NFU and Direct Line, as far as I can see. Your other alternative would be to put £20-30 in the bank each month when they’re young and by the time things start going wrong, when they get older, you’ve got a fighting fund.
Catherine O'Driscoll, from Canine Health Concern, advises:
This is a common problem, and it's interesting that the Kennel Club insurance scheme now insists upon dogs being vaccinated annually, when once it did not. This can't be for any scientific reason, because veterinary bodies around the world (the American Animal Hospital Association, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association, and the Australian Veterinary Association) have announced publicly that we should vaccinate our dogs no more than every three years. World experts, such as Dr Ronald D Schultz, have actually stated publicly that we shouldn't need to re-vaccinate after the initial puppy shot. It makes you wonder about the financial ties between vaccine companies, insurance companies, and organisations such as the Kennel Club. It’s shocking that insurance companies should insist upon an unscientific revaccination policy, and especially puzzling when it’s known (and stated by the above bodies) that vaccines are not without harm, and should be administered as infrequently as possible.
Nevertheless, if you look around, there are some companies that will insure non-vaccinated dogs, although, naturally, they won’t cover against the diseases you might otherwise have vaccinated against. These include Tesco Pet Insurance (tel 0845 300 200), and Direct Line Pet Insurance (0845 246 8705). I called both companies just now to confirm that they still don’t insist upon annual shots.
Another option is to open a deposit account at the bank when you get a new puppy, and place the premium you would otherwise pay to an insurer into your account. If you are not vaccinating, and feeding biologically appropriate food, the likelihood is that by the time your pup reaches old age and starts to need to see the vet more frequently, there will be plenty of funds in the account to cover it – without the insurance company finding a reason not to pay out.
www.canine-health-concern.org.uk
Like many animal guardians now, I only use homoeopathic nosodes for my dogs {Cavalier King Charles Spaniels}.
Two of my boys were insured with the Kennel Club - like several companies, if you had not given the dog conventional vaccine, they would not offer cover if the dog developed the disease for which a vaccine was available but would cover for everything else. The renewals are through and I note that they have changed their wording so that you now have to vaccinate. This seems to be the industry standard now.
I know you have several holistic vets writing for the magazine and wonder if they have any suggestions of companies who will offer lifetime cover and do not require the dog to be vaccinated.
Other readers must also have come across this problem - I know I'm not the only one in this position!! Can anyone offer any advice please?
Thanking you in advance
Mrs Nicki Hughes
Nick Thompson, holistic vet, advises:
This is a very thorny issue. First I'd like to tell you where I stand on the vaccine issue, then have a look at the Kennel Club vaccination policy and finally look at your vaccination options.
I don't think nosodes can be equated with vaccinations. I don't think they were ever designed to give lifelong protection from infectious disease and so I don't advise their use in this way. I do use them to treat specific animals with specific problems, but this is very different from trying to prevent disease for life.
I always quote the work done with children in the slums in India where they use remedies to protect from diseases that they will never ever be vaccinated for as they are so poor and outcast. The results from a Dr. Banerjea, of the Bengal Allen Medical Institute, are as follows -
Polio - Not reliable
Tuberculosis - Wonderful
Diphtheria – 40 per cent success rate
Whooping Cough – 95 per cent success rate
Mumps – 70 per cent success rate
Typhoid – 90 per cent success rate
These, as far as I can find, are the most reliable large scale tests in the world on remedies protecting against disease. I say to my clients that this type of study has not been done on animals anywhere in the world. I follow with 'if you are happy to have 'unreliable' or only 40 per cent cover for your animal, then use a nosode, but I'm not.' I have seen animals die of Parvo who were only covered with nosodes. (I also know of animals who died of Parvo who were fully vaccinated, come to that.)
I am not happy that we have a truly logical and rational approach to conventional vaccination in the veterinary world in this country, but I feel there is a middle road between over-vaccination and under-vaccination. This is the road I try to find with each patient, on an individual basis. I use optimal nutrition, herbs, homeopathic remedies, titre testing and minimal vaccination with single vaccines, where possible, to reduce the effect of vaccine insults to the immune system and maximise immunological cover.
The Kennel Club state the following on their website:
You must keep your dog vaccinated against distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis and parvovirus or as advised by your vet. All vaccinations must be administered under veterinary supervision. Homeopathic vaccines are not acceptable. Furthermore there is no cover provided for these conditions in the event that the required vaccinations have not been carried out.
The first line allows your vet to minimally vaccinate, but maximally protect your animal as they see fit - using titre testing etc. There is no such thing as a 'homeopathic vaccines' in the third sentence, but I'm sure the Kennel Club assessors would contest if you made a claim for Parvo if you'd only used Parvo nosode as a preventative. The final line is not very precise as it does not state when the vaccines should be given and makes no allowance for titre testing (which is actually the only way you can ensure your dog has ‘taken up’ the vaccines administered by your vet).
As to your options, Pet Plan state you must keep your animal vaccinated, but do not specifically forbid homeopathic nosodes. The same is true for More Than, NFU and Direct Line, as far as I can see. Your other alternative would be to put £20-30 in the bank each month when they’re young and by the time things start going wrong, when they get older, you’ve got a fighting fund.
Catherine O'Driscoll, from Canine Health Concern, advises:
This is a common problem, and it's interesting that the Kennel Club insurance scheme now insists upon dogs being vaccinated annually, when once it did not. This can't be for any scientific reason, because veterinary bodies around the world (the American Animal Hospital Association, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association, and the Australian Veterinary Association) have announced publicly that we should vaccinate our dogs no more than every three years. World experts, such as Dr Ronald D Schultz, have actually stated publicly that we shouldn't need to re-vaccinate after the initial puppy shot. It makes you wonder about the financial ties between vaccine companies, insurance companies, and organisations such as the Kennel Club. It’s shocking that insurance companies should insist upon an unscientific revaccination policy, and especially puzzling when it’s known (and stated by the above bodies) that vaccines are not without harm, and should be administered as infrequently as possible.
Nevertheless, if you look around, there are some companies that will insure non-vaccinated dogs, although, naturally, they won’t cover against the diseases you might otherwise have vaccinated against. These include Tesco Pet Insurance (tel 0845 300 200), and Direct Line Pet Insurance (0845 246 8705). I called both companies just now to confirm that they still don’t insist upon annual shots.
Another option is to open a deposit account at the bank when you get a new puppy, and place the premium you would otherwise pay to an insurer into your account. If you are not vaccinating, and feeding biologically appropriate food, the likelihood is that by the time your pup reaches old age and starts to need to see the vet more frequently, there will be plenty of funds in the account to cover it – without the insurance company finding a reason not to pay out.
www.canine-health-concern.org.uk
Wee-lly pleased to meet you
Hi there
I just wondered if one of your doggy behaviour specialist can answer my question. I have a lovely Jack Russell x Fox Terrier bitch, just turned one year. She is a lively little character full of charm, and very inquisitive and full of intelligence. She loves people and always greets them, with a stream of urine unfortunately - thank god for kitchen lino!
Also another slight problem, we take her daily to the park, but from day one, she loves to run up to dogs whether male or female, but in 9/10 cases if they go towards her to fuss, she squeals loudly and lays on her back in the submissive state. A lot of owners think their dogs have hurt her and they have not even made contact with her. She wants to join in the fun, but I have found on a couple off occasions she has been attacked, maybe due to her being so submissive when the dogs approach her. HELP!!!
Kind regards
Tracey Jow
June Williams, COAPE Association of Behaviouists and Trainers, says...
While puppies and young dogs can have involuntary urination at times of stress and/or excitement, which they tend to grow our of, I would have her vet-checked as she is one-year-old. Make sure you never tell her off, let her meet visitors outside (saves cleaning up inside) and have her do something for the visitor in return for a reward (treat or toy game). For example, a sit or down or give a paw - something to engage the brain.
Outside, do not let her run up to other dogs. Running up is adolescent behaviour and not that polite. Call her back when dogs approach, pop her on the lead and have a more controlled meet and greet with selected dogs - calm, sociable, mature adults. Encourage her to stay upright.
From your description, I am not sure that she does want to join in the fun. The squeal is a learned behaviour, designed to get in first and is off-putting. The rolling on her back is behaviour designed to inform the other dog that she is not a threat. How much socialisation did she have as a puppy? Perhaps she had too much, rather then too litter, and with some rougher dogs. Practise with your friends and their sociable dogs. See if you can find some doggie playmates that will teach her that other dogs are not a threat and are fun. Does she ever play with other dogs? Maybe you need to try a different location if you always go to the same park for a walk.
Amy Hatcher, Canine Behaviourist and Dog Obedience Trainer, says...
It does sound like you have a quite a submissive little pup on your hands. The urination on greeting visitors is involuntary so it's likely that your pup is unaware of her actions. It's a sort of reflex. The best way to solve this is for the visitor to calmly walk in and not even look at your puppy for a few minutes - just until she has stopped jumping around. They can then calmly stroke. It sounds like a frustrating way to try to correct the issue but it does work and then you can go back to the original way your visitors would greet her and the urinating shouldn't return.
The key to the other problem is to make her feel she has no reason to submit to other dogs. You need to build her confidence up before she becomes fearful. The best approach is to walk in a group of calm gentle dogs if you can. When she does meet a dog try to spark up a conversation with the owner for a few seconds, this will give her time to realise the dog is not too interested in her- it is vital that you start with dogs that are extremely well behaved. A lot of dogs will be inclined to chase a small, lively, submissive pup so be choosey to begin with. After a week or so of longer meetings with new dogs you can then
start to be less selective and introduce livelier dogs to the mix.
Do you have a day care centre or dog walker near by? In many cases it makes a big difference if a dog can socialise in a controlled and calm pack without the owner being present as they learn to look around and see what the other dogs are doing instead of constantly trying to get their owner to protect them. You definitely don't want to put her in an out of control pack. A lot of the dogs at my new centre are in for extra socialisation so if you can get to Sussex fairly easily you are welcome to bring her along to meet my pack.
I just wondered if one of your doggy behaviour specialist can answer my question. I have a lovely Jack Russell x Fox Terrier bitch, just turned one year. She is a lively little character full of charm, and very inquisitive and full of intelligence. She loves people and always greets them, with a stream of urine unfortunately - thank god for kitchen lino!
Also another slight problem, we take her daily to the park, but from day one, she loves to run up to dogs whether male or female, but in 9/10 cases if they go towards her to fuss, she squeals loudly and lays on her back in the submissive state. A lot of owners think their dogs have hurt her and they have not even made contact with her. She wants to join in the fun, but I have found on a couple off occasions she has been attacked, maybe due to her being so submissive when the dogs approach her. HELP!!!
Kind regards
Tracey Jow
June Williams, COAPE Association of Behaviouists and Trainers, says...
While puppies and young dogs can have involuntary urination at times of stress and/or excitement, which they tend to grow our of, I would have her vet-checked as she is one-year-old. Make sure you never tell her off, let her meet visitors outside (saves cleaning up inside) and have her do something for the visitor in return for a reward (treat or toy game). For example, a sit or down or give a paw - something to engage the brain.
Outside, do not let her run up to other dogs. Running up is adolescent behaviour and not that polite. Call her back when dogs approach, pop her on the lead and have a more controlled meet and greet with selected dogs - calm, sociable, mature adults. Encourage her to stay upright.
From your description, I am not sure that she does want to join in the fun. The squeal is a learned behaviour, designed to get in first and is off-putting. The rolling on her back is behaviour designed to inform the other dog that she is not a threat. How much socialisation did she have as a puppy? Perhaps she had too much, rather then too litter, and with some rougher dogs. Practise with your friends and their sociable dogs. See if you can find some doggie playmates that will teach her that other dogs are not a threat and are fun. Does she ever play with other dogs? Maybe you need to try a different location if you always go to the same park for a walk.
Amy Hatcher, Canine Behaviourist and Dog Obedience Trainer, says...
It does sound like you have a quite a submissive little pup on your hands. The urination on greeting visitors is involuntary so it's likely that your pup is unaware of her actions. It's a sort of reflex. The best way to solve this is for the visitor to calmly walk in and not even look at your puppy for a few minutes - just until she has stopped jumping around. They can then calmly stroke. It sounds like a frustrating way to try to correct the issue but it does work and then you can go back to the original way your visitors would greet her and the urinating shouldn't return.
The key to the other problem is to make her feel she has no reason to submit to other dogs. You need to build her confidence up before she becomes fearful. The best approach is to walk in a group of calm gentle dogs if you can. When she does meet a dog try to spark up a conversation with the owner for a few seconds, this will give her time to realise the dog is not too interested in her- it is vital that you start with dogs that are extremely well behaved. A lot of dogs will be inclined to chase a small, lively, submissive pup so be choosey to begin with. After a week or so of longer meetings with new dogs you can then
start to be less selective and introduce livelier dogs to the mix.
Do you have a day care centre or dog walker near by? In many cases it makes a big difference if a dog can socialise in a controlled and calm pack without the owner being present as they learn to look around and see what the other dogs are doing instead of constantly trying to get their owner to protect them. You definitely don't want to put her in an out of control pack. A lot of the dogs at my new centre are in for extra socialisation so if you can get to Sussex fairly easily you are welcome to bring her along to meet my pack.
Friday, 28 August 2009
Park and ride
I am after a dog pram for my Border Collie, who can walk, but only for about 15 minutes. Does anyone know of any companies I can source a stroller from?
Dianne Evans, by email
Dianne Evans, by email
Monday, 24 August 2009
Back to basics
Oh how I wish I had a dog that pulled on the lead! Forwards that is, but not backwards! I have a problem with my 10-year-old male neutered Westie, which is really spoiling our walks. He persistently yanks my arm backwards. This is because he has noticed an interesting smell and wants to stop to investigate, but it's driving me mad.
At the same time I walk my eight-year-old female spayed Westie, who walks nicely on the lead and when I am walking with my husband and I take the female dog, the walk is altogether different because she is less interested in stopping. The male dog has recently pulled my husband's arm backwards with such force he really hurt his shoulder. This dog is very strong and sometimes it is unbelieveable that a small dog can pull with such force.
I have tried everything I can think of - standing with him until he has finished and wants to walk again, telling him 'no' firmly every time he wants to stop to sniff, yanking him forwards regardless of what he wants to do, trying to keep the lead slack and gently encouraging him to walk forwards again, and keeping his lead really short, so that he has no opportunity to pull my arm backwards.
Is the male Westie too old to retrain in the art of walking nicely and not pulling backwards? I would be prepared to take him back to training classes if you thought this would be helpful.
Jane Hull, by email
At the same time I walk my eight-year-old female spayed Westie, who walks nicely on the lead and when I am walking with my husband and I take the female dog, the walk is altogether different because she is less interested in stopping. The male dog has recently pulled my husband's arm backwards with such force he really hurt his shoulder. This dog is very strong and sometimes it is unbelieveable that a small dog can pull with such force.
I have tried everything I can think of - standing with him until he has finished and wants to walk again, telling him 'no' firmly every time he wants to stop to sniff, yanking him forwards regardless of what he wants to do, trying to keep the lead slack and gently encouraging him to walk forwards again, and keeping his lead really short, so that he has no opportunity to pull my arm backwards.
Is the male Westie too old to retrain in the art of walking nicely and not pulling backwards? I would be prepared to take him back to training classes if you thought this would be helpful.
Jane Hull, by email
Thursday, 20 August 2009
Where can I get a waterproof coat?
Is anyone able to recommend a supplier of waterproof coats for my 10kg mongrel who has a whippet-type build? Last winter I bought a well-made (not cheap!) padded coat with a waterproof outer. Unfortunately water seeped up the non-waterproof lining! I work as a dog-walker and therefore Misty spends at least half a day each day walking for 30 or 45 minutes at a time, and travelling between customers in the car. I love the look of Ruffwear's Cloud-Chaser Coat, but this doesn't appear to be available in a 'whippet-fit'. Any suggestions would be very gratefully received.
Claire Murison, by email
Claire Murison, by email
Monday, 17 August 2009
Clouding the issue
I have an 11-year-old Border Collie who is very fit and healthy. However, recently I have noticed her eyes clouding over. Could this be cataracts? It doesn't seem to have affected her sight in any way, but it is concerning me.
Chris Whitehead, by email
Claudia Hartley, Animal Health Trust senior clinician in ophthalmology, says…
As dogs age, like us, their lenses harden. We call this ‘nuclear sclerosis’ and it is the reason that we need reading glasses as we get older. In dogs, as they don’t have the visual acuity to read, even when in their prime, it doesn’t have any observable visual effects for them. It can make their lenses appear slightly grey or blue though, and this apparent cloudiness can be mistaken for cataracts. Your vet can distinguish between the two for you as nuclear sclerosis will still give a clear view of the retina whereas cataracts obstruct this view so to be sure it would be wise to book an appointment with your vet. Some dogs will develop senile cataracts so this is a possibility, but as your dog appears to be seeing normally I would suspect that this may be nuclear sclerosis.
Chris Whitehead, by email
Claudia Hartley, Animal Health Trust senior clinician in ophthalmology, says…
As dogs age, like us, their lenses harden. We call this ‘nuclear sclerosis’ and it is the reason that we need reading glasses as we get older. In dogs, as they don’t have the visual acuity to read, even when in their prime, it doesn’t have any observable visual effects for them. It can make their lenses appear slightly grey or blue though, and this apparent cloudiness can be mistaken for cataracts. Your vet can distinguish between the two for you as nuclear sclerosis will still give a clear view of the retina whereas cataracts obstruct this view so to be sure it would be wise to book an appointment with your vet. Some dogs will develop senile cataracts so this is a possibility, but as your dog appears to be seeing normally I would suspect that this may be nuclear sclerosis.
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