A cataract is a clouding of the eye's lens, which ranges from minor impairment to almost total blindness. The opacity develops slowly and progresses from blurred vision to the point where nearly all functional vision is lost. Surgery is the only option for curing cataracts in both people and dogs. However, oral nutritional supplements can slow the development of cataracts in your dog.
Instructions
Consult with a licensed veterinarian about which nutritional supplements are right for your dog. These supplements support eye health with multiple antioxidants and also alleviate some inflammation. A couple of the most common supplements are Ocu-Clear and Thorne Small Animal Antioxidant. Both supplements have a mixture of vitamins and antioxidants.
Read the information on the nutritional supplement carefully. A dog's body is able to use only a certain amount of the resources in a supplement. The rest will merely go to waste.
Administer the nutritional supplements orally to your dog. If your dog won't swallow the pills, try putting them into some sort of food such as a hamburger patty or a small block of cheese.
You can customize your own mixture of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals according your veterinarian's suggestions. The most common supplements used to treat cataract in dogs are vitamin A, mixed carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, grape seed extract, milk thistle extract and alpha lipoic acid. Note that this step accomplishes the same thing as administering a comprehensive cataract supplement to your dog such as Ocu-Clear or Thorne Small Animal Antioxidant.