Hi everyone! Thanks for being here, I need some compassionate and understanding dog loving friends right now.
Two years ago I decided that I needed a small dog. I mean really small. I found a woman who breeds Imperial Shiatsus. Rosie came home at 9 weeks looking like a hamster or maybe a chipmunk. She fit right into the family. Rough and tumble, not afraid of the big dogs, loves to be in the sidecar of the Harley! Wow! What a score!
She is now 16 months old and 5.3 pounds of real dog. About a month ago I noticed that she was having difficulty seeing. I took her in to our vet and he said he thought she had detached both of her retinas and recommended a canine ophthalmologist.
We took Rosie in and sure enough she has bilateral retinal detachments, glaucoma in the left eye and bilateral vitreal dysplasia. She was born with the dysplasia and so even though her rough and tumble behavior probably exacerbated things it would have happened at some time. After two hours of testing and medications and prognosis it was determined that the best thing to do would be to remove at least the glaucoma eye and probably best to remove both eyes.
I am mortified but at least I won’t lose my girl. Lucy’s story has given me lots of confidence and eased much of my anxiety and I thank you so much for sharing. I will share Rosie’s progress with all of you in hopes that it will help anyone who is going thru this.
Peggy Sue, prayers coming your way for Rosie. My Beethoven had his right eye removed this morning because his eye ruptured last night. They said the surgery went fine and I can pick him up in the morning. He is 13 yrs old. Lucy’s story has helped me today tremendously. Too bad I had not seen it before it reptured. He was having some serious problems with infection and a serious ulcerated left eye. He has not been able to see out of it since the ulceration. In my mind the glacoma diagnosis was not as important as the infection and ulceration since he gave us drops for it.
My husband found this site today. Sure wish I had seen it earlier so I could have asked questions and been more informed. It might have at least lightened his pain some.
Hi Anita, yes the pain is the worst of it! Thank you so much for the prayers for Rosie; she is almost 3 weeks out of surgery and it is so amazing how she has adjusted and seems to find it a little thing. She only bumps into small things now like chair legs and is already growling at “intruders” and beating up her toys, etc. We will light candles for Beethoven and for you and your husband…I think this is harder for us humans than for the dogs! I hope that you and Beethoven have as positive an experience as we have had. We do love our dogs, don’t we? May Beethoven have lots more years with you….