Re: [pyrnet] Pyr eyes

["Janice Swenson" <janices@austin.rr.com>]

On 18 Dec 2000, at 19:38, mklimek wrote:
> Having lived with dogs with this condition it
> does impair the vision. It does not blind the dogs but it does cause some
> problems. The dog who went through the maze was mine and yes she went
> through the maze but she did have some vision problems. 

I'd also have to disagree they don't have vision problems.  That's 
what really clued us about Sonny.  I couldn't get him through a 
draft course which is something like going through a maze or 
anything that required like going around obstacles and he shies off 
from people and objects when they come in from certain directions. 
The detaching in his retina corresponds to the angles he shies off 
from which is peripheral vision.  It took 3 of us, all with extensive 
training experience, one day when I working him on figure eights in 
obedience and we all clued when he shied off from someone who 
he knew way too well to shy off from and one had experience 
working with visually impaired dogs so had seen this type behavior 
before.  And when this happened I knew nothing about this 
disorder.  And only found out about it when I was given a paper on 
it by the eye vet who first checked him.  And I think there is 
confusion or misdiagnosis because the first one I went to referred 
to it as a retinal dysplasia.  

And I will tell you they confuse the training people cause I suspect 
there's been others seen around here and they don't correspond to 
the definition of a shy or timid dog.  They've been referred to as 
spooky or strange.  When I found out that he had eye problems 
and others were known in the breed I notified all the people I knew 
involved with training that eye problems were showing up in pyrs 
and they should really look at them twice when seeing problems 
and questionable ones have the eyes checked.  


Janice, janices@austin.rr.com
Lana & Linsey (newfs), Sonny (pyr)  
http://home.austin.rr.com/janices
Hutto, TX