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Blind Dog :(

July 3rd, 2017 at 10:30 pm

So it's been around 3 weeks since my last blog post.

There are a few things of note but due to time constraints I'll limit it to one of our biggest things and will write about the other things later.

We took our dog Jessie to the vet three weeks ago as she had a claw that was grown over and needed her nails clipped. We hadn't gotten her vaccinations done yet so also organised to have those done. Unfortunately while they were doing her medical checkup they found that she is blind in one eye and going blind in the other, which is really upsetting. The vet said that once a week they have an opthmalogist come out to the clinic who could check her eyes properly and ensure that the vet had prescribed the correct eye drops.

As my work is quiet I took an annual leave day the week after and took her to see the opthmalogist. The opthmalogist found that she actually has the same amount of sight in both eyes however it is only 10% or less - he said to consider her blind as all she would be able to see is light or dark and possibly some shapes but that is all, and eventually this will all fade out.

The blindness is caused by cataracts and the surgery to fix it will cost $5500. As she is 15 there are no guarantees that she will make it through the surgery or how long she will live for so we have decided to make life as comfortable as possible for her. She moves around well and we simply need to make sure that we keep the pathways around the house clear (she knows them well). She will need to be given voltaren eye drops daily to ensure that the cataracts don't cause inflammation, which is what they say happens.

Financially the vet visit, the opthmalogist visit and the eye drops came to $475, but when things like this happen you do the best you can. Emotionally it's been very sad and upsetting to watch her deteriorate, it's been so hard. The literature I've read and the opthmalogist have said that she will already have adjusted to having only minimal sight which is a silver lining I guess... our poor baby Frown.

Posted in Spending, Random | 10 Comments »

10 Responses to “Blind Dog :( ”

  1. LuckyRobin Says:
    July 4th, 2017 at 08:26 am 1499156794
    1499156794

    We have a mostly blind rabbit. As long as we don't move things around and her food and water stay in the same place, she does just fine. She has cataracts, too.

  2. creditcardfree Says:
    July 4th, 2017 at 10:32 am 1499164377
    1499164377

    I'm sorry about your dog. It is hard to see them get older. I hope your dog adjusts and continues to bring you joy!

  3. MonkeyMama Says:
    July 4th, 2017 at 02:19 pm 1499177952
    1499177952

    So sorry to hear about Jessie. Frown

  4. rob62521 Says:
    July 4th, 2017 at 02:34 pm 1499178884
    1499178884

    Sorry about Jessie. You are good pet parents.

  5. VS_ozgirl Says:
    July 4th, 2017 at 10:17 pm 1499206637
    1499206637

    LR they said to do the same things for her, glad it works.

    Thanks CCF, MonkeyMama & Rob Smile.

  6. scottish girl Says:
    July 5th, 2017 at 02:29 pm 1499264949
    1499264949

    I'm so sorry.

  7. PatientSaver Says:
    July 5th, 2017 at 07:42 pm 1499283757
    1499283757

    I think you have made the right decision not to do the surgery. I think it is more upsetting to us to see our animals age and develop disabilities, but for your dog she most likely has already largely adapted as your vet said. When you think about animals you read about that had a leg amputated and then you see how perfectly happy and well adjusted they are, I think there's a lesson there for us, too.

  8. ceejay74 Says:
    July 5th, 2017 at 08:47 pm 1499287664
    1499287664

    I'm sorry to hear this too! But as several others have stated, pets can adjust quite well and still enjoy life when they're blind. AS's childhood dog went blind and lived a good few more years, perfectly content.

  9. VS_ozgirl Says:
    July 5th, 2017 at 10:18 pm 1499293103
    1499293103

    Thanks SG; wise words PS; glad to hear AS's dog lived a few years afterward Ceejay that is comforting.

  10. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    July 14th, 2017 at 09:20 pm 1500067244
    1500067244

    I'm sorry to hear this about your dog. I agree though, that you made the right decision to not do the surgery.

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