Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration in the Dog: Clinical and Morphologic Characterization of the "Silent Retina" Syndrome

Adult dogs occasionally become suddenly, totally and permanently blind. If examined soon after the onset of blindness, the dogs show no ophthalmologic evidence of disease sufficient to account for their problem and are usually in otherwise good health. The hallmark of this sudden, acquired retinal degeneration (SARD), that establishes it as a retinopathy, and distinguishes it from neurological disease, is the extinguished electroretinogram. The syndrome has been termed "Silent Retina Syndrome" and "Metabolic Toxic Retinopathy". Although uncommon, SARD has been diagnosed with increased frequency in recent years. Little retinal tissue has, however, become available for histopathologic characterization of the disease. This report reviews twenty six cases of SARD examined by the authors at the Veterinary Hospital, University of Pennsylvania (VHUP). The histopathology and ultrastructural morphology of four cases are described.