Iowa Vets Restore Dogs’ Sight


A research team at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine says it has reversed blindness and restored sight to two dogs diagnosed with sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome, a disease that affects as many as 4,000 dogs each year in North America.
The experimental treatment, which involved treating the dogs with intravenous immunoglobulin, is the first of its kind, according to the college.
The researchers, who wanted a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that cause SARDS, worked with the University of Iowa’s Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences to conduct genetic testing of SARDS tissue, cross referencing the results with the university’s database of genetic information from different human ocular diseases.
“We saw that the molecular profile of SARDS eyes is very similar to immune mediated retinopathy in humans, which is usually antibody induced,” said Sinisa Grozdanic, DVM, ISU veterinary ophthalmologist and research team leader. “That was the key factor.”
Immune-mediated retinopathy in humans was not treatable until about 10 years ago when IVIg was found to show results in some patients.
However, not every dog is a good candidate for this treatment, Dr. Grozdanic said. Dogs with severe cardiac or kidney disease cannot tolerate IVIg. The treatment also won’t work in a dog whose retina degeneration is advanced.
“Once a dog gets SARDS, the retina degenerates quickly, so it’s important that the dog is treated with IVIg very soon after diagnosis,” he said. “Usually dogs that have SARDS for longer than two months have severe retinal changes. The sooner it’s treated, the better chance it will work.”
It is still unknown how long the treatment will last.
“It could be anywhere from a few weeks to a few years,” Grozdanic said.
Before a dog can be considered for the SARDS treatment, an optical coherence tomography scan is needed to confirm the condition of the dog’s retina. Currently, Iowa State University’s Veterinary Medicine Hospital is the only veterinary institution using this diagnostic technology.

----------------------Readers Comments

what amazing information. I would like to know more. I guess the best place to start is at the University of Iowa.I will pass along more information as I get it. Thank you
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