[music plays]>> Kelly Runyon: The condition is common in humans, but our canine companions can get them, too.

On this episode of the Paw Report, we're joined by Greg Reilly of the Honey Creek Animal Hospital in Terra Haute, Indiana to talk about cataracts.

Dogs of all ages and breeds can develop this eye problem, and coming up we'll talk about treatments, so stay with us.

[music plays] Production of the Paw Report is brought to you by... >>Rameen Karbassioon: Dave's Decorating Center is a proud supporter of the Paw Report on WEIU.

Dave's Decorating Center features the Mohawk SmartStrand Silk Forever Clean carpet.

Dave's Decorating Center, authorized Mohawk Color Center, in Charleston.

Okaw Vet Clinic in Tuscola and Dr. Sally Foote remind you to properly take care of your pets, and are happy to help support the Paw Report on WEIU.

Okaw Vet Clinic, located at 140 West Sale Street, in Downtown Tuscola.

More information available at okawvetclinic.com.

And thanks for joining us for this episode of the Paw Report; we are joined by Greg Reilly of the Honey Creek Animal Hospital over in Terra Haute, Indiana, and his good buddy Moppet.

Thank you for joining us and making the journey over to Charleston.

>> Greg Reilly: Thank you.

>> Kelly Runyon: I have a little story about Greg, now; Greg and I met probably 20 plus years ago.

>> Greg Reilly: That's true.

>> Kelly Runyon: When I was a morning anchor at a commercial station-- >> Greg Reilly: True.

>> Kelly Runyon: In Indiana, and I coerced him to come on the air.

>> Greg Reilly: True.

>> Kelly Runyon: And he was talking about pet adoptions and should I tell the viewers that you nearly got sick the first time you were-- >> Greg Reilly: May as well-- we may as well.

>> Kelly Runyon: You were on TV.

Well, he-- he did fantastic job and here we are-- here we are again today.

>> Greg Reilly: Here we are again.

>> Kelly Runyon: Same chairs, different station, different backdrop, but we appreciate you joining us.

>> Greg Reilly: Yes.

>> Kelly Runyon: And bringing Moppet, here, who's not a stranger to TV either.

>> Greg Reilly: Not a stranger on TV, she goes on WTHI in the morning.

She's my dog prop, so-- and you know, really quickly, that was what 2001 I think we were doing this together?

>> Kelly Runyon: Oh, it was a long time ago.

>> Greg Reilly: So, someone still looks good, someone still looks kind of hagged out, that'd be me.

So, you look great, anyway.

>> Kelly Runyon: [Laughing] Well thank you, and thanks for joining us for this episode.

>> Greg Reilly: Yes, thanks for having me.

>> Kelly Runyon: We're going to talk about cataracts in canines and also a little bit about glaucoma.

So, we'll start with what is a cataract?

>> Greg Reilly: A cataract is formed within the lense of the eye, and over a period of time, it could be rather quickly, could be a long period of time, that lens that is filled up with water will build up protein and the protein within the lens of the eye will start sticking together and eventually will become like a cloud, almost like a white cloud.

And that's what basically is the form of cataracts.

>> Kelly Runyon: What is not a cataract, because sometimes it can be confusing, you know, if there's an eye-- >> Greg Reilly: Right.

>> Kelly Runyon: You know, an eye issue and-- >> Greg Reilly: Right.

>> Kelly Runyon: Immediately if you think-- see it's milky or something it may not necessarily be a cataract.

>> Greg Reilly: Right, there's something that's called a nuclear sclerosis, and that's just basically an age problem within a dog.

So, a lot of people will see that and this lens will eventually will have changes due to age and will kind of have, like I say, a bluish-grey look about that.

That's not truly cataract, and the dog could still see perfectly fine.

>> Kelly Runyon: And you kind of talked about it when you defined what a cataract is, but I guess, you know, if I'm a pet owner I want to know why did my-- I've had a dog that's had cataracts, why did my dog develop it?

>> Greg Reilly: Well, there's three ways that really a dog can come down with cataracts and you know, one obviously is age; another one is going to be disease, like say, diabetes.

If your dog does come down with diabetes or if your cat has diabetes, there's a very good, high chance, of them coming out with cataracts.

Let's say a cat that has leukemia or feline aids, that's another reason why they may come down with cataracts.

The third one would be trauma where, you know, unfortunately, you know, your dog gets outside and there's an accident and gets hit by a car or something like that, that can also lead to cataracts also.

>> Kelly Runyon: I had a yellow lab that had developed cataracts and it was-- and maybe it's just something that I didn't notice over time, but my yellow lab was very connected to me and really suffered from separation anxiety if she wasn't around me.

And I went on a trip and she was-- was taken to a kennel.

And it seemed like after that experience, it spawned, you know, her eyes started changing.

Can stress, anxiety, depression, so to speak, spawn cataracts in animals or is that just something that I just-- just coincidently happened?

>> Greg Reilly: Right, I would say that would be very hard to define.

I had a very good friend that has a Australian Shepard by the name of Ruby, and my friend Colleen was having some personal problems where she was just day-boarding Ruby with us.

And literally within 24-hours this cataract just built up.

So, hypothetically, it is a probability that, you know, maybe stress could bring it on, but basically the overall symptom of the protein that's building up within the lens, that's still non-negotiable.

I mean, that's still going to happen whether or not it's brought on by stress or not, you know, it could be-- it could happen, I can't rule that out.

>> Kelly Runyon: So, I bring in my pet to your animal hospital, how do you go through the diagnostic testing, you know, to see for sure if a dog has the problem?

>> Greg Reilly: Usually the owner will say something along the lines of that, "I don't really think," let's say Moppet over here, "is doing too well, she's bumping into things, she's having a hard time getting around, she seems to be, say, hesitant walking down the hallway or down some stairs."

And you can kind of take a look at the eye.

So, basically, I've got a couple of props here for us.

>> Kelly Runyon: You can let Moppet down, she can-- >> Greg Reilly: We're going to let Moppet down?

>> Kelly Runyon: She's-- she can run around the set while we talk about this.

>> Greg Reilly: All right, so we have an eye right here, I'm going to let you hold that.

>> Kelly Runyon: Okay.

>> Greg Reilly: Okay, and if you would take a look at the eye, we have the cornea, which is going to be this top part right here.

You're going to have the sclera, which is your white part of the eye.

You're going to have your iris, and then your pupil, okay?

And you're pupil basically forms, more or less, as like, say, a camera for the eye, and that's going to help focusing the images that you're seeing that gets projected to the back of your eye.

So, when we put the cornea back on, what will happen is that you'll have a clear lens that just goes right behind the pupil, just like that, and over a period of time, there are three things that forms of cataract.

One is called an insipient cataract, which you barely even notice and that'll be something along like this, okay?

And you'll start seeing the protein, unfortunately, will start building up right around the edges of the lens and maybe a little bit towards the middle if we can get a shot of that, okay?

We'll have an immature cataract, where you have a little bit more forming and then eventually you'll have a mature cataract where you'll have a classic, complete white lens.

There's not a whole lot of light that comes through the lens to the back; the dog's vision is kind of cloudy and really fuzzy, and has a really hard time walking around.

>> Kelly Runyon: And it's almost-- I-- it looks like a milky cloud.

>> Greg Reilly: Indeed, absolutely.

>> Kelly Runyon: Now, how are they treated?

I come in, I bring my dog and maybe I have various stages.

>> Greg Reilly: Right.

>> Kelly Runyon: How-- are there different types of treatment that can be done to assist the pet owner?

>> Greg Reilly: There's really only-- as far as I know, really only one type of treatment and that's going to be basically surgery.

And what you would need to do is, you know, go to your veterinarian, and your veterinarian would confirm, indeed, that your dog has cataracts.

They would call a veterinary ophthalmologist or a specialist or sometimes a university, like let's say, University of Illinois at Purdue, and they'll schedule a surgery.

And what they'll do with the surgery is that they will go in and they will remove the lens that is clouded, okay?

And then they'll put in a replacement lens.

And this replacement lens could be either plastic or could be a acrylic.

The nice thing about it, over time, and with proper treatment- with eye drops and medication- the vision will be restored and you'll have a brand new dog.

>> Kelly Runyon: Now, do you have to wait until the severity of the cataract before surgery is done?

>> Greg Reilly: Not necessarily.

>> Kelly Runyon: You don't have to wait until it's actually-- >> Greg Reilly: A mature cataract, I don't believe so.

>> Kelly Runyon: How well will my dog see after the surgery is performed?

>> Greg Reilly: You know, with the proper medication and time and rest, vision should be pretty much restored almost completely.

>> Kelly Runyon: And how long will that regime of medicine and treatment have to go on after the initial surgery?

>> Greg Reilly: Usually about a month, sometimes a month and a half or so.

>> Kelly Runyon: And is cataract surgery-- is it an expensive-- >> Greg Reilly: It can be, yeah.

>> Kelly Runyon: An expensive feat for somebody?

>> Greg Reilly: [Laughs] It can be; it can be.

And that's basically-- >> Kelly Runyon: In the thousands?

>> Greg Reilly: Easily, easily, and that's just due to the equipment that the veterinarian has to spend to buy, the amount of training the veterinarian has to go through.

Let's say you go to vet school, okay?

And you graduate; you don't get to learn, you know, how to remove a cataract lens or anything like that.

That's something completely different where you're going to have to specialize in that one area only, so that's even more schooling.

And as a result, obviously, more cost.

>> Kelly Runyon: Sure.

>> Greg Reilly: On you, the student.

>> Kelly Runyon: Is it common in both eyes if one eye has a cataract, should I expect that my dog's other eye is going to have the same problem?

>> Greg Reilly: Not necessarily, yeah that's a very good question; not necessarily.

I mean, there will be one time where one dog-- one eye will have a cataract problem, a mature cataract, and the other eye will have, like they say, an incipient cataract where it's, you know, not really forming.

But, on that note, if the dog does have, say, diabetes, chances are both eyes coming down with cataracts is pretty high.

>> Kelly Runyon: What if I elect not to have the surgery?

>> Greg Reilly: Okay, well basically, I mean, you know, that's certainly an owner's prerogative.

Usually the dog still will have a good life now that-- one of the problems that it can happen is that this lens within the eye can become detached and will float around.

And that's called a luxation, and sometimes when it's floating around it can cause some severe pain within the eye itself.

And that's when you probably want to start thinking about maybe doing surgery and removing a lens.

>> Kelly Runyon: Again, take me through the surgery.

So-- >> Greg Reilly: Okay.

>> Kelly Runyon: There are actually-- and you can use this as a description-- >> Greg Reilly: Sure.

>> Kelly Runyon: You did it-- you discussed it ever so briefly, but is it-- how long is it?

And then what exactly do they do?

>> Greg Reilly: I'd imagine there's probably an incision that's made along with the sclera.

I think we're going to have some video, hopefully, later on that will show how the process is actually done.

The lens itself will be removed out of the orb of the eye, and a new lens, a replacement lens, will be replaced with that.

And it'll be an artificial lens obviously; it'll be either like I said plastic or acrylic.

The acrylic ones seem to be doing pretty well.

>> Kelly Runyon: What are some of the risks?

You mentioned some detach-- well, that's risk if you don't have it done.

But are there risks if I decide to have it done and everything seems to be going well?

>> Greg Reilly: You know, certainly there's a lot of complications, you know, first and foremost is, you know, if your dog is healthy enough to have the surgery performed.

If the dog is really old, like let's say we have a, you know, your lab and it's 12-years-old, you may want to start thinking about is this a necessary procedure done on your dog given that, you know, she's 12-years-old, what are the chances of something happening during surgery?

So, some of those things should be taken into consideration before surgery is performed.

>> Kelly Runyon: Do you have any memorable cases that have come through your office?

Any dogs or stories maybe that you could share with our viewers to maybe-- if they're-- they're in the process of thinking about this maybe some words of encouragement that you could give them.

>> Greg Reilly: Well, I can certainly use a client of mine, a friend of mine, her name is Colleen Chesnut.

She had a dog-named Ruby who came down with cataracts literally within 24 hours.

And Ruby is literally Colleen'’’s soul mate, so to speak, I mean, those two are inseparable.

They went over to IndyVet over in Indianapolis where Dr. Cline performed a surgery.

She did a fantastic job, you could really see the difference before and afterwards, and Ruby is completely a new dog.

I mean, she's just fabulous.

>> Kelly Runyon: Success story, and that's what we like-- >> Greg Reilly: It's a success story, yeah.

>> Kelly Runyon: To hear.

>> Greg Reilly: Definitely.

>> Kelly Runyon: You know, we've talked a lot about cataracts, but I think it's also important that we talk about glaucoma.

>> Greg Reilly: Sure.

>> Kelly Runyon: What is the difference between cataracts and glaucoma?

>> Greg Reilly: Glaucoma is basically where fluid is built up within the orb of the eye, and that can also cause-- be caused by cataracts.

So, the way you can measure, say glaucoma, is fluid is built up and that's called an intra-ocular pressure or IOP.

And the way you measure it is this wonderful little device called a tonometer, and we have this little gadget, wonderful toy right here.

And that way you can measure the pressure within the eye.

The way the pressure in the eye is built up is there is a filtration narrowing or a filtration angle within the cornea and your iris.

And it's really kind of hard to explain, maybe a little bit complicated on how that works.

But what the fluid does is that it keeps the eye- inside of the eye- nice and sterile, it keeps it clean, it keeps it moist and functional.

And what happens is when that angle, this little duct valve, we'll just say, becomes clogged or plugged up, that's where the fluid starts building up in the eye.

>> Kelly Runyon: And this happens over time or is it something-- I mean, is it very similar to a cataract where it could come on, I wouldn't say rather instantaneous, but it could come on rather quickly?

>> Greg Reilly: Right, it can come on rather quickly depending on, you know, the problem of that filtration angle.

So, you know, the other thing that can possibly happen is that if your dog does have, like let's say cataracts, and I had talked about how the lens could possibly detach itself and could be floating around.

If the lens were to come up across that duct, that could also be plugging up the duct and that also will build up pressure within the orb of the eye.

>> Kelly Runyon: So, how is this device used on the eye?

So, if I bring Moppet into your office and you need to test that, how exactly is it utilized?

>> Greg Reilly: You know, that's a really good question, and to be honest with you, I really don't know.

>> Kelly Runyon: That is a device, yeah.

>> Greg Reilly: [Laughing] This would be from a specialist that they would be able to determine, you know, whether or not the pressure of the eye is normal or she's gaining pressure within her eye.

>> Kelly Runyon: How does-- specifically, how does glaucoma affect the eye?

Is it a vision-- visually?

So, your pet would have a hard time seeing?

>> Greg Reilly: Right, right.

>> Kelly Runyon; So, your pet would have a hard time seeing?

Very similar to-- to a cataract.

How do I know that my pet has glaucoma?

>> Greg Reilly: Really the big probably thing that you would start noticing is that the eye itself will start changing color.

The sclera, or the white part of the eye, will become reddened.

The actual cornea itself and the eye org will start becoming enlarged.

It's a very painful condition for the dog or cat.

>> Kelly Runyon: And treatment?

I mean, is it surgery again?

Or is there medicine?

Or-- you know, I mean, when you're talking expense for people, I mean-- >> Greg Reilly: Right.

>> Kelly Runyon: Unfortunately, we all love our pets.

>> Greg Reilly: Right.

>> Kelly Runyon: A lot of people treat them as our children.

>> Greg Reilly: Right.

>> Kelly Runyon: But sometimes when you consult somebody about this, are there more than one options?

>> Greg Reilly: There's really two options, and it possibly may be more.

One is obviously a surgical option where they can go in and try to alleviate some of the fluid that's being built up within the eye.

Probably the easiest and the less expensive option would be say, something called enucleation or that's just the eye is completely removed and the optic nerve is sutured together, more or less.

The eye flap would be sutured down onto the dog and then the normal eye would be fine, more or less.

>> Kelly Runyon: Let me ask you this, what about breeds?

When we're talking about cataracts and glaucoma, what type of dog is Moppet here?

You know, you see fat or flat-faced animals, there's large breeds, there's small breeds.

Is it-- is it particular, and if it is particular to certain breeds, why?

>> Greg Reilly: Well, I should probably tell everyone what Moppet exactly is other than she almost looks like a-- >> Kelly Runyon: A mop.

[Laughing] >> Greg Reilly: She does look like a puppet, really, on Sesame Street.

But she's a Brussels Griffon, and as far as I know I don't think she's predisposed to having cataracts or glaucoma.

Although I may be wrong on that, but some of the things, like say for cataracts, we would say Boston Terriers for one, Poodles would be a good one.

Let me see here, Bichon Frise, Miniature Schnauzer, would be others, but realistically pretty much almost any breed of dog can come down, but those breeds, usually, are more predisposed than others.

>> Kelly Runyon: And when you say predisposed, what do you mean?

Because most of those breeds are small breeds.

>> Greg Reilly: Right, predisposed means that you have a higher chance of that dog coming down with cataracts as opposed to say a mutt more or less.

>> Kelly Runyon: And it's just along the lines, the breeding lines.

>> Greg Reilly: Correct, yeah, hereditary, correct.

>> Kelly Runyon: And do they develop them at a certain age or is there-- I know you mentioned there could be some disease involved, but let's say that there's not disease involved.

Is it something that's age related just to that particular type of dog?

>> Greg Reilly: Correct, they can have it when they're actually born and it could resolve itself over a period of time.

Normally, it's when your dog becomes geriatric or older that's when the protein within the lens starts to build up a little bit more quicker.

>> Kelly Runyon: Consult me as somebody that's coming into your office.

I'm just torn on what to do.

Maybe my dog is middle-aged, maybe it's older, I'm not really sure what the-- what the best advice would be.

>> Greg Reilly: Right.

>> Kelly Runyon: And our animals can't talk to us.

>> Greg Reilly: Right.

>> Kelly Runyon: So, one thing that's scary is you don't really know what they can see and what they can't see.

>> Greg Reilly: Right.

>> Kelly Runyon: What would you tell me or viewers out there that are just there-- I wouldn't say panic mode but they're-- >> Greg Reilly: Concerned.

>> Kelly Runyon: Very concerned.

>> Greg Reilly: Sure, you know, I think probably the best thing that they should probably take in consideration is their lifestyle.

If the dog seems to be, you know, or cat seems to be relatively okay and happy, you know, whether or not you should question pursuing say, surgery because it is going to be expensive for cataracts.

If the dog seems to get around pretty good and most dogs usually will get around, you know, in a house they're familiar with pretty well, most people usually will forgo the surgery and just let the dog live out its, you know, normal life.

If they do want to pursue surgery, that's when we would refer them to an ophthalmologist, a veterinary ophthalmologist, a specialist, and they can-- whether or not-- advise whether or not the dog would be a good candidate for that surgery.

>> Kelly Runyon: You also see, you know, we've spent the-- all of our time really and we have just a few minutes left here.

Do you see very many cases in cats or is that a totally different ballgame?

Can they develop both cataracts and glaucoma as well?

Is it specific to certain breeds of cats?

>> Greg Reilly: Right, right.

They can but the big thing with cats is that if a cat is perfectly healthy, they can live a normal life without developing cataracts or glaucoma.

It's usually a predisposed-- or not, pardon me, a predisposed disease, but like let's say if they have diabetes they would be more prone to coming down with it.

Or if they have like say, feline AIDS or feline leukemia.

There's usually an underlying disease that will cause the cataracts.

If they're perfectly healthy like, you know, some of my cats that I've had, they usually don't come down with cataracts.

>> Kelly Runyon: Oh, very interesting.

Well, Moppet, Greg, thank you so much for joining us for this episode of the Paw Report.

>> Greg Reilly: Thank you.

>> Kelly Runyon: You know, very enlightening, you know, having a dog that was exposed to cataracts, it's scary because you just want so desperately for them to look at you and stare at you and stare into your eyes.

>> Greg Reilly: Sure.

>> Kelly Runyon: But a lot of times they're off wandering because, you know-- >> Greg Reilly: Absolutely.

>> Kelly Runyon: The vision is blurred, so some good advice, some good information obviously.

Hopefully we help some pet owners out there make an important decision in their pet's life.

>> Greg Reilly: Hopefully.

>> Kelly Runyon: Thanks for joining us.

>> Greg Reilly: Thank you.

>> Kelly Runyon: And thank you for spending some time with us here on the Paw Report.

We'll see you next time.

Did you know full episodes of the Paw Report are on YouTube?

They can be accessed at youtube.com/weiutv.

Then, just go to the Paw Report playlist, and select the episode you want to see.

More information about the show is also available 24/7 on our website at weiu.net, under the television tab.

Many times throughout the year, we're reminded to honor and thank our fallen heroes and veterans who have served to fight for our freedom.

But one dog is raising a voice to honor the canines who've served along the men and women of our country.

In this Paw Report extra, Wendy Land has the story of one dog's tribute to that.

[Howling and singing] >> Moe Disney-Griffits: They are soldiers, too; they fight just as much as we do.

Definitely unsung heroes, that's for sure.

>> Narrator: But not unsung anymore, Belle is your ordinary Great Dane.

She loves tug-of-war, long walks, romping with her brother and sister and giving hugs all 125 pounds of her.

But what makes her extra-ordinary is her love for this country and those who have fought for it.

>> Moe Disney-Griffits: While I sing for our fallen heroes, she sings along for all our canine fallen heroes.

>> Narrator: When Belle wears her American flag bandana, she knows she has a job to do.

>> Moe Disney-Griffits: And she simply goes into that job that it's her duty, which I think she feels.

>> Narrator: And she may only be two-years-old, but she looks wise beyond her years.

>> Moe Disney-Griffits: She was a puppy and just would follow me to my little studio at home and instead of jumping up and down and making a fuss, she started humming along and then before we knew it we had her singing along with me every time I sang.

>> Narrator: Now, Moe sings with Belle to honor fallen heroes human and canine.

[Singing and howling] >> Moe Disney-Griffits: I also recognized when she started just singing along with me that we couldn't forget our canine warriors.

They have been there alongside, and they've often been lost with their trainers.

She came with a gift, as a gift, and with a gift I believe.

And the way that she has helped with us being kind of a shiny spot in all the sadness because she touches everybody's heart.Production of the Paw Report is brought to you by... >>Rameen Karbassioon: Okaw Vet Clinic in Tuscola and Dr. Sally Foote remind you to properly take care of your pets, and are happy to help support the Paw Report on WEIU.

Okaw Vet Clinic, located at 140 West Sale Street, in Downtown Tuscola.

More information available at okawvetclinic.com.

Dave's Decorating Center is a proud supporter of the Paw Report on WEIU.

Dave's Decorating Center features the Mohawk SmartStrand Silk Forever Clean carpet.

Dave's Decorating Center, authorized Mohawk Color Center, in Charleston.

[music plays]