My dog just turned 12 in September. I have had her since she was 8 weeks old. When she was 7 (2013) her left eye was often inflamed and gunky. I took her to the vet they said it was allergies and I believed them.
Slowly it got worse and worse, but still just her left eye. Finally a new vet told me she had dry eye [Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca (KCS)]. They talked about surgery options of implanting a saliva gland in her eye to produce moisture, drops, ointments you name it. I tried the drops and the creams for months. She hated having her eye poked and prodded. She would start to bite me when I tried to get the treatments in. It looked so painful for her, I didnt know what else to try.
Now its 2015, her eye is worse than ever. I decided to take her to a vet who is an eye specialist. She gets poked and prodded more while I watch. Then they tell me news that I hadn’t ever considered. Her left eye was completely blind. I felt like I failed her. That I couldn’t save the eye or her sight. I had no clue she was blind in one eye. She got around just the same. They told me the blind eye needed to be removed, for Chelsea’s comfort as well as to keep away infections.
Then more bad news the condition of dry eye always hits both eyes, just not at the same time. So she was going to go blind in her right eye if I couldn’t get her treatment in. Which she wouldn’t let happen, no matter how hard I tried. So she slowly went blind in her other eye. Till she was almost fully blind. Then June 2018 she had her last eye removed. She is fully blind and there is not a day that doesn’t go by with how awful I feel that I couldn’t help her more.
Don’t blame yourself Chelsea. I had two dogs. One got glaucoma and I was able to treat her with drops for some time before she eventually went blind. So she had her sight for a lot longer with those drops.
However, if my other dog was the one that got the glaucoma, she would have been blind much sooner because I know that I would never have been able to get those drops in her eyes without her doing the same as your dog. She would have done everything to not have those drops in here eyes.
I figure what is meant to be is meant to be. You did your best and if the dog just isn’t into it then so be it.