The excellent company Animal Eye Care LLC defines PRA as “a genetic, inherited disease of the retina (the “film” in the camera), which occurs in both eyes simultaneously.” 

What you should understand is that PRA is incurable and a recessively inherited genetic flaw. In essence, dogs with this recessive gene are simply “programmed” to eventually go blind as the eyes deteriorate. The only good news is that PRA does not cause dogs any pain. Think of this as the ocular equivalent of male pattern baldness. So is pet health insurance even a consideration? Surprisingly, having good veterinary pet insurance may help offset some costs associated with this disease. We’ll get to that later. 

Signs and Symptoms: PRA advances through stages. Early signs include progressive night blindness. A dog which seems to see ok in daylight might begin exhibiting signs of advancing PRA by missing steps on nighttime walks or “tripping” off of curbs. My personal experience with a PRA pup involved her barking at such things as mailboxes, bicycles and trashcans at night because she couldn’t make out what they were. She had no such problems during the day. 

Another symptom of PRA might be your dog’s glowing eyes. Even a healthy animal, when facing light at the right angle at night, might appear to have glowing eyes, but if it’s something you’ve never seen before and are beginning to see with more frequency, you should consider getting your dog’s eyes checked. 

As your dog advances through stages of PRA, the impact to its vision will become more and more apparent even in the day time. Inevitably, the disease leads to blindness. 

Is Your Pet at Risk: PRA is recognized in over 86 dog breeds; too many to list here individually. It is important to remember that simply having one of these breeds certainly does not mean your dog will suffer from PRA. This is an inherited disease and qualified breeders work hard to minimize the passing of this disease to their stock. 

Important Action: Do not self-diagnose. If you believe your dog may be exhibiting signs of PRA, immediately seek the services of a qualified veterinary professional. Other ocular conditions can result in similar symptoms. If you just ignore the symptoms and assume your dog is suffering from an incurable genetic disease, you might be missing an actual treatable illness and also missing the window of opportunity to affect an early treatment. 

Dogs with PRA should not be bred. If you purchased your dog from a breeder, contact them to let them know that your dog has the disease. 

Be a loving owner. Blind dogs are just as loving as ever and can lead perfectly happy lives, adjusting well to their condition. Don’t project your own sadness on your pet. Your pet has no such hang-ups and will contentedly go about its life if you let it. Keep your routine, modifying it only enough to accommodate your dog as its condition deteriorates. Move furniture infrequently so your dog can memorize its terrain. Try to eliminate low, sharp corners against which your dog might hit its eyes. 

Treatment: Though there is no cure for PRA, nutritional, antioxidant therapy may delay the onset of blindness. Consult with your vetrinarian.

How can veterinary pet insurance help with PRA: As stated, progressive retinal atrophy is incurable. Carrying pet health insurance may help offset the costs associated with initial diagnosis or with oral antioxidant nutritional therapy that has shown some promise in delaying the progression of the disease to blindness. Additionally, dogs suffering from PRA may develop cataracts late in the disease. While the removal of cataracts will not alter the inevitability of blindness, cataracts can cause pain or damage to the eye. Surgical removal of the cataract can result in significant pain relief and may be covered by your veterinary pet insurance plan. Be sure to ask questions about cataract surgery when you contact a particular pet insurance provider to ensure they will cover the expense.