Pup's vision question

[Early Riser]

Our 8 week old blk. lab pup will follow us around but is prone to getting sidetracked by bushes, trees, etc when we stop moving. She occasionally runs into things. We have also noticed that if we get her interested in a toy she will loose sight of it if only thrown a few feet. She seems to find it by scent. From what I can tell she can see movement of my arm or legs from a distance of at least 20' but her acuity seems poor. Our vet said he couldn't see any cataracts. I am wonderning if this problem is likely to be developmental or something congenital. How can I find out? Should I wait to see how things develop over the next month or so?

[This message has been edited by Early Riser (edited 06-11-2004).]

[duckbuster]

I would recommend that you take her to have her eyes certified by a vet. Here is the # for the eye vet in St. Louis Park right off hwy 7, near downtown mpls. 952-929-8299, his name is D. Olivera.

GOOD LUCK

[LABS4ME]

D.B. gives you good advice! All pups should make a visit to Dr. Olivero (or other opthomologist) to have their eyes screened between the ages of 8 - 16 weeks. Puppies eyes aren't fully developed in the sense that they can mark moving objects very far away... Usually I throw puppy bumpers 10-15 feet while holding them still so they can "watch it down". I think the visit to Olivero will answer your questions and you'll know where you stand as far as the pups eyes go. He is a veterinary opthmologist, so he's going to look for more than cataracts. There's retinal dyslplsia, retinal atrophy, and other eye disorders that will be checked. If cleared you will be able to recieve a CERF number for your dog.

Good luck!

Ken

[Early Riser]

Thank you for the information. I will call Dr. Olivera.