Poodle Eye Diseases: PRA, Cataracts and Eye Testing

A Poodle that suddenly walks into the door frame in the evening, or a haze you spot in a photo before you notice it in real life: in a breed that often lives well into its teens, the eyes need attention sooner or later. Two conditions can end in blindness, PRA and cataract. For the first there is a DNA test; for the second there is not, and that shapes what you can expect from a breeder.

What the list says, size by size

The ECVO, the European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists, lists per breed the eye conditions known or suspected to be inherited. For the Poodle, not every condition applies to every size:

• Cataract: clouding of the lens, in all sizes. The mode of inheritance is unknown and there is no gene test.
• prcd-PRA: retinal degeneration from around three years of age, in Toys, Miniatures and Standards. DNA test available.
• rcd4-PRA: a late-onset form, typically at 10 to 12 years, in Miniatures, Mediums and Standards.
• Glaucoma: raised eye pressure linked to a narrow drainage angle, in Miniatures, Toys and Mediums. No gene test.
• Distichiasis: extra eyelashes that can rub on the cornea. Common in all sizes.
• Day blindness (cone degeneration) in Standards, with a DNA test, and optic nerve hypoplasia in Miniatures and Toys.
• Rarer: corneal dystrophy, persistent pupillary membranes, microphthalmia and punctum atresia.

Size labels differ: the FCI recognises four sizes with the Toy at 24 to 28 cm, while the AKC caps its Toy at 10 inches across three varieties, as does the UK Kennel Club; see Poodle sizes. Watery eyes with brown streaks are not on the list at all. That is usually a drainage issue; see Poodle tear stains.

PRA: first the dark, then the daylight

In prcd-PRA the rods in the retina, the cells for low light, deteriorate first. The first sign is night blindness: hesitating at dusk, refusing to go down a dark hallway. The cones follow, and daytime vision fades too. Signs usually appear from around three to five years, and the dog can end up completely blind. There is no treatment.

It is, however, preventable. The prcd form is autosomal recessive: a puppy is only affected if it inherits the faulty variant from both parents. A cheek swab tells a breeder whether a dog is clear, a carrier or affected. A carrier should only be bred to a clear partner, never to another carrier or an affected dog. Two parents tested clear cannot pass this form on.

Cataract: common, and no test

With a cataract the lens turns cloudy and light no longer reaches the retina. The small sizes stand out here, and most of the figures below are about them. In a North American study, 10.2 per cent of Toy Poodles had cataracts. In a study from Seoul National University covering 561 small dogs with cataracts diagnosed between 2002 and 2007, Toy and Miniature Poodles made up 112 cases, or 20 per cent, with an odds ratio of 2.6, and females were affected twice as often as males. Inherited cataract can already be visible in puppies of 8 to 12 weeks, yet in Miniature Poodles the average age at diagnosis in that study was 9.6 years.

There is no DNA test for cataract in the Poodle. The only safeguard is a yearly eye exam of the parents, which only catches cataracts that are already visible.

Watch for diabetes. Poodles are predisposed: Swedish insurance data showed 24 cases per 10,000 dog-years in Poodles against 13 across all dogs. In a study of 200 diabetic dogs, half developed cataracts within about six months, 75 per cent within a year and 80 per cent within 16 months. An older Poodle that drinks and urinates far more than usual has an eye question too. A healthy weight lowers the diabetes risk.

Haze or cataract?

Nearly every dog over seven develops a blue-grey sheen on the lens. This is nuclear (lenticular) sclerosis: the lens hardens with age, but light still gets through and vision stays almost normal. If your vet can still see the retina with an ophthalmoscope, it is usually sclerosis rather than cataract. Sudden cloudiness or bumping into things calls for a vet visit. More in senior Poodle care.

When it is an emergency

A red or cloudy eye that your dog squints with in pain, a dilated pupil, or one eye that looks bigger than the other can all point to acute glaucoma. Call a vet straight away, out of hours if need be. Without rapid pressure relief, the eye can go blind within 24 to 48 hours.

Surgery or not

Cataracts can be operated on. In phacoemulsification the cloudy lens is broken up and removed through a small incision, usually followed by an artificial lens. Beforehand the ophthalmologist checks with an ultrasound and an electroretinogram (ERG) that the retina still works, because a new lens is pointless in a dog with PRA. Vision improves in more than 90 per cent of cases. Inflammation is the most common complication; the most serious are glaucoma (around 5 per cent) and retinal detachment. Fees differ a great deal between clinics and countries, so ask for a written estimate, and look at Poodle pet insurance before anything shows.

Living with less sight

Dogs lean heavily on their nose and ears. The key rule for a visually impaired dog: keep your home laid out as it is, food and water bowls included. Put a gate across the stairs, make a sound before you touch your dog, and give the nose work with sniffing and scent games; Poodle brain games has ideas.

What to ask a breeder

Alongside a patella evaluation, a responsible breeder has the parents examined by a veterinary ophthalmologist and DNA-tested for prcd-PRA. In the US the exam is done by an ACVO-certified ophthalmologist and recorded through the OFA's CAER eye certification; in the UK it runs through the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme, and across Europe through ECVO panel ophthalmologists. The DNA test is a one-off, but the eye exam is repeated every year for as long as the dog is bred from; in European practice a result is valid for twelve months. Ask for results from both parents that were valid on the mating date. If a breeder is vague about this, walk away. More in our breeder checklist and Toy Poodle health.

In short

• prcd-PRA starts with night blindness, usually from three to five years. It is untreatable, but a DNA test rules it out.
• Cataract occurs in every size, most often in Toys and Miniatures. With no DNA test, the parents' yearly eye exam is the only check.
• A bluish haze in an older dog is usually harmless sclerosis.
• A red, painful eye with a wide pupil is an emergency.
• Cataract surgery improves vision in more than 90 per cent of cases.