Page 1408 - Cote clinical veterinary advisor dogs and cats 4th

Optic Neuritis 711.e3

• GME: possible lifelong immunosuppressive • If the animal is untreated or unresponsive to Client Education
therapy (p. 647) treatment, optic disk atrophy and attenuation If blindness occurs, provide client with a client
VetBooks.ir Recommended Monitoring PEARLS & CONSIDERATIONS ment for a Pet That Is Blind. Diseases and Disorders
of retinal blood vessels will occur with time.
education sheet: How to Change the Environ-
Monitor clinical signs (i.e., vision and optic
disk with or without secondary retinal
lesions if intraocular optic neuritis) within Comments SUGGESTED READING
Nell B: Optic neuritis in dogs and cats. Vet Clin
24 hours of the animal commencing medical • Suspicion or confirmation of optic neuritis North Am Small Anim Pract 38:403-415, 2008.
treatment(s) and at least weekly for the first warrants referral to or consultation with a
month (reassessment intervals depend on veterinary ophthalmologist or neurologist. ADDITIONAL SUGGESTED
the cause and response to treatments). If the • Early diagnosis and appropriate aggressive READING
cause appears to be idiopathic and there is no medical therapy are paramount to limit Meekins JM: Acute blindness. Top Companion Anim
response to prednisone within several days, damage to the optic nerve(s). Med 30;118, 2015.
the dosage may be decreased. If improve- • GME (i.e., meningoencephalitis of unknown
ment is noted, continue as described under origin [MUE]) is thought to be the leading RELATED CLIENT EDUCATION
treatment. cause of optic neuritis in dogs; however, many
dogs with optic neuritis and normal physical SHEETS
PROGNOSIS & OUTCOME exams at presentation do not deteriorate, Consent to Perform Cerebrospinal Fluid Tap
even if there is no improvement on steroids.
• Prognosis depends on underlying cause • Consultation with a veterinary neurologist Consent to Perform Computed Tomography
(CT Scan)
and time between onset of blindness and is recommended. How to Change the Environment for a Pet
treatment commencement.
• Prognosis for return of vision is generally Technician Tips That Is Blind
poor, and blindness is usually permanent. Be sure to mark cages to alert staff to animal’s AUTHOR: Chantale L. Pinard, DVM, MSc, DACVO
• In cases that do respond to treatment, recur- blind status because these patients may appear EDITOR: Diane V. H. Hendrix, DVM, DACVO
rences may occur if medication is decreased to be aware of their surroundings. Ideally, place
too rapidly or if duration of therapy is blind patients in a floor-level cage to avoid falls
inadequate. from an open cage door.

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