Prognosis is GOOD!

Call me a slacker-mom.  I totally neglected to update our readers after our visit to the ophthalmologist for Nugget last Thursday.  But let's be real for a minute - this canine companion needs his own secretary.  Between vet visits, testing for his therapy dog registration and getting all of his forms mailed off and now responding to therapy visit requests, I'm in the process of Googling "How to Train Your Doodle on Email Basics" (because if you can't find it on Google, it's not possible, right... and it's about time this Doodle earns his keep!).
So last Thursday, I left work early (not unlike having a human child, right?) to take my Nugget over to Carolina Vet Specialists to see Dr. Grover, the ophthalmologist.  Nugget was his usual ham-self, entertaining people in the waiting room and relishing in all of the belly-rubs and compliments he received.  He was actually very well-behaved in the exam room.  He's very tolerant of being poked, prodded, having his paws touched, his face touched, his mouth opened, etc.  It took Dr. Grover less than 5 minutes to complete his exam but cost me MORE THAN $100!!!  WTH!?!?!  His conclusion is that Nugget's cataracts are hereditary, meaning he was likely born with them.  It is possible that they've progressed some since birth, but he believes it's highly unlikely they will progress any further.  In his experience and he's old (sorry, Dr. G), he said he's only ever had to perform cataract surgery twice on Golden Retrievers who presented with hereditary cataracts that actually progressed to the point of drastically affecting the dog's vision.  Nugget is fortunately nowhere near that level.  At this point, we're not going to schedule surgery.  Since Dr. White knows what to look for, we'll just continue checking in on them at our yearly check-ups to ensure there is no further progression.  Needless to say, I was extremely relieved to learn we probably won't be needing surgery.  Yes, cost was going to be a bit of an issue, but the thought of putting my sweet Nugget through that was just tearing me apart.  
And really, the Doodle is probably going to be a very half-assed secretary, let alone a decent guide dog for my visually impaired Nugget!