Dog Cataract Surgery Cost (2024 Guide)

Cataract surgery for dogs can cost anywhere from $2,700 to $4,000. Several factors can influence your total price, including your location, pre-surgery procedures, each eye’s condition, and post-surgery evaluations and medications.

Let’s take a closer look at each factor affecting dog cataract surgery costs.

Pre-Surgery Procedures

Your dog needs to be diagnosed before scheduling any surgical procedure. You’ll need to visit your vet’s office for an initial eye exam, preliminary diagnostic testing and bloodwork to assess your dog’s overall health. 

Based on these results, you may be referred to a veterinary ophthalmologist who will perform their own eye exam and may order an electroretinogram (ERG), ocular ultrasound and comprehensive blood panel. According to Eye Specialists for Animals, these initial procedures cost $200 to $1,200.

Condition of Each Eye

Your final cost depends on whether your dog needs surgery in one or both eyes and whether you opt to insert an intraocular lens (IOL). IOLs are often recommended to restore your dog’s vision to as close to normal as possible. Dogs can still see without an IOL, but they’ll be farsighted, meaning that objects far away will be in focus, but close objects will be blurry.

Surgery on one eye without an IOL costs significantly less than on two eyes with an IOL in each. These costs can fluctuate across veterinarians, but here are the averages according to Eye Specialists for Animals

• One eye (no IOL): $2,600
• One eye (with IOL): $2,800
• Both eyes (no IOLs): $3,400
• Both eyes (one IOL): $3,600
• Both eyes (two IOLs): $3,800

Post-Op Evaluations and Medications

After the surgery, dogs will sometimes be hospitalized overnight for monitoring. Once it’s time to go home, dogs will need a cone or recovery collar (ranging from $10 to $35) to prevent them from scratching at their eyes. They’ll also need antibiotics and eye drops, which could be required for weeks, months or indefinitely. A post-op follow-up visit to the veterinary ophthalmologist may also be required to ensure the surgery was successful.

Your Location

The cost of any vet visit, service or procedure depends on your local vet’s charges. The higher the cost of living in your area, the more you’re likely to pay at the vet.

A canine cataract develops when the lens of your dog’s eye becomes cloudy and dense. The clouding keeps light from passing through the lens to the back of the eye. This can blur your dog’s vision, as if they’re looking through a foggy window, and eventually lead to glaucoma and blindness. Cataracts can be hereditary and can significantly affect your dog’s quality of life as it ages.

It’s ideal to diagnose cataracts early, particularly before they fully mature. Once a cataract is mature, the entire lens is clouded and your vet can’t see the retina during an exam. Your pet may be partially, if not fully, blind by this point. Either way, your vet will likely refer you to a veterinary ophthalmologist, as surgery is the only treatment for cataracts.

What Are the Benefits of Dog Cataract Surgery?

The primary benefit of a successful dog cataract surgery is that your dog will once again be able to see clearly, improving its quality of life and overall health.

If cataracts are left untreated, your dog can become blind and experience further inflammation, causing pain and leading to other eye problems. For example, inflammation from the cataract can block the eye from draining properly, resulting in a build-up of fluid. This can lead to glaucoma, a painful condition that creates significant pressure inside the eye.

When To Take Your Dog to the Vet for Cataracts

If your dog’s breed is susceptible to hereditary cataracts, it’s essential to bring it for routine vet checkups so its eyes can be monitored. Hereditary cataracts can start causing vision problems in dogs as young as 8 weeks, leaving them blind by 2 to 3 years old. According to Canine Journal, the following breeds are most susceptible to hereditary cataracts:

• American cocker spaniels
• Boston terriers
• Golden retrievers
• Miniature poodles
• Miniature schnauzers
• Siberian huskies

According to GreatPetCare.com, cataracts typically develop in older dogs, beginning around age 9. This is an ideal time to have your vet check your dog’s eye condition. Dogs with diabetes are at an increased risk for cataracts, which tend to develop and become painful quickly.

An ophthalmologist must ensure your dog is a good candidate for cataract surgery before scheduling the procedure. The ophthalmologist will perform pre-surgical testing, including an ocular ultrasound to check for retinal detachment or swelling and an ERG to test your dog’s retina functionality. 

Canine cataract surgery is outpatient, meaning you can likely bring your dog home the same day. Your dog will be put under general anesthesia for the procedure. The surgeon uses a method called phacoemulsification, in which a small tool emits ultrasonic waves to break up the diseased lens and vacuum it out of the eye. Then, the surgeon inserts an intraocular lens (IOL or an artificial lens) into the eye to restore your dog’s vision. 

Post-op recovery time is about two weeks and will involve monitoring your pup’s eyes, administering oral medications and eye drops, and ensuring your dog isn’t aggravating the area with a cone or recovery collar. A post-operative visit with the ophthalmologist should be scheduled at the two-week mark.

If your dog is diagnosed with cataracts, you should consider cataract surgery, especially if the cataracts are mature. At this stage, your dog is likely battling blindness. Surgery will provide relief and improve its overall health.

Cataract surgery for dogs costs between $2,700 and $4,000. This price can increase depending on your location and the diagnostic testing needed.

We recommend enrolling your dog in a pet insurance policy to help cover the costs of cataract surgery and additional testing or prescription medications that may be required to treat it. Though pet insurance providers don’t cover preexisting conditions and won’t cover the cost of cataract surgery if your dog has already been diagnosed, enrolling your pet when it’s young will ensure you’re reimbursed for cataract surgery and other vital procedures. We’ve found that Lemonade, Spot and Healthy Paws offer the best coverage for dog cataract surgery.

Below are some additional pet insurance resources so you can determine if an insurance policy is the right thing for you and your loyal companion. 

• Pet Insurance Cost
• What Is Pet Insurance?
• How Does Pet Insurance Work?
• Cheap Pet Insurance Companies
• Lemonade Pet Insurance Reviews
• Spot Pet Insurance Reviews