I have a 14 year old Brussels griffon that in November started having problems with his left eye, he developed an ulcer however that after vet check up healed well. The eye was blind for some time with a cataract, white coloring of the lens. When we met our vet in January I told her that I thought his left eye looked a little bigger than the other but the vet told me at that time it just “looked bigger” because of the white coloring. So no measure of eye pressure were taken.
In April his eye started to change coloring, from being white and cloudy it became pigmented and after a while red. I went back to our vet and eye pressure was measured to 60! Various causes were discussed such as high blood pressure, and we were sent home with two different eye drops to give three times a day, told that the pressure must come down or the eye must be removed. I was as many here shocked and started giving the drops hoping for the best.
We went back after a week and the pressure was still high. I didn’t at this time notice any significant display of pain from my dog. Little did I know.
The discussion of removing the eye was horrifying and made me want to see another veterinarian, this time an eye specialist for a second opinion, and he then told me in the beginning of June the eye had a luxating lens with consequential internal bleeding within the eye. The eye had to go.
I cried for several days, and the night before the surgery I was so sad and so scared, and thought that this is the worst I’ll ever do. Those eyes that I’ve looked into for so many years, it was extremely hard.
I was composed leaving him in the morning June 12th, I just sat in one place just waiting and when the surgeon called to tell me it went well I was of course relieved. But picking him up and seeing him was a shock. They had shaven off all of his beard and he looked miserable with that stitched up “eye”. It took several days for me to get used to.
Healing has gone extremely well, wound has been dry and no complications except a little more nose flow, and just after a couple of days he was near to acting like himself. The sutures are out since five days and he is now out of his collar cone.
I didn’t think that my dog actually was in significant pain with that eye, but now I know he really was, and now, he is SO alert, happy and full of energy! Im so blessed because it feels like he just became 10 years younger!
The eye was sent for histology and it showed that it had a tumor that blocked the flow within the eye causing the elevated pressure and bleeding. No vet assumed this or looked for it. This was somewhat good news since it doesn’t mean automatically glaucoma in the other eye.
Before the surgery, I found this page and I read about all the stories here. It made me feel better and it gave me comfort and support. My reason for telling our story is to perhaps do the same and point to not be afraid of removing an eye, it might add years to a senior dog, or any dog. Also, inform that glaucoma may have other causes than eye disease.
For you who might have this in front of you: remember that the thought of removing the eye is much worse than the procedure itself. Hang in there.
All the best support,
Therese,