My Tibetan Spaniel, Taj, was diagnosed by a doggie ophthalmologist two weeks ago with a detached retina. He is blind in his right eye. It will never improve. The Dr. has no clue how this happened. Taj is only 2 years old and too young for the list of usual causes for this problem.
My only clue that something was amiss was my awareness that Taj was in pain. After a long walk the week before, he was in severe pain for several days. That is when I took him to his veterinarian the first time. After checking him over our vet could not find the source of the pain. Taj's pain level improved during the week. The following Monday we went for a long walk. Again the pain was back. This time our veterinarian saw the problem and immediately set up an emergency appointment with a specialist.
My vet had said he respected this specialist very much so I was feeling confident and comforted driving the 30 miles to the appointment. I made the mistake of going alone. When we arrived Taj and I were taken back into an examination room and a young ophthalmologist came in and started the exam.
It all happened so fast and I was not aware of how nervous I was. He told me right away the retina was detached and there was nothing that could be done for it. He told me Taj was permanently blind in that eye. He kept using an instrument to push against Taj's eyes to find out the eye pressure. He tried several gadgets before finding one he felt gave him accurate readings.
A number of eye drops had been administered by this time. The young vet then, in an uncomfortable way, talked to me about the options. Fixing the tear was not possible. He said the reason for the pain was the pressure. There were 3 possible solutions. Medication was out, he thought. (I don't remember if he told me why?) An injection behind the eye was another option but only about 70% successful. The other option was removing the eye. This vet felt that removing the eye was the best choice because of Taj's age--it would eliminate further complications down the road.
Woa! I was overwhelmed!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't think. I couldn't imagine Taj losing an eye! I couldn't imagine him continuing to be in such excruciating pain. I didn't understand why the medication wouldn't be worth a try. I hadn't understood the diagram the vet had drawn of the injection and what that would do. He indicated I needed to make an immediate decision and left the room to work up the estimate of how much it would cost to remove the eye.
My mind was spinning. My emotions were bouncing so quickly I could not identify what I was feeling. I needed more information. I needed time. I needed to talk this over with friends and family and get suggestions--questions to ask to get the information I needed to make a knowledgeable decision. I felt trapped in the small room and was having difficulty breathing.
Just in the nick of time it occurred to me I could ask to have the veterinarian I had thought I was going to see examine Taj and give me a second opinion. I asked and immediately he came in the room. I liked him right away. He was older and had a gentle, calm manner about him. He checked Taj's eye pressure and with the drops Taj had been given earlier the numbers had reduced by half in 45 minutes. He said that showed the medication was working to relieve the pressure so that the pain could be controlled.
He said the injection was an option if necessary in the future and that removing the eye was a last resort. I felt my breathing return. He asked to see Taj in 2 weeks and sent me home with 2 bottles of eye drops.
Taj and I were both exhausted from the experience. He was in a lot of pain. For the next 2 days we slept and snuggled. I was shocked at my emotional reaction to this experience. I have had many dogs euthanized and because of their advanced age have had what I would consider "normal sadness and grief". This experience at the doggie ophthalmologist was excruciating. I felt as though my heart was breaking.
A friend came over and looked up online resources for dogs who have lost sight in one eye. There were suggestions about how to retrain a dog with these maladies. On the one hand this gave me hope and on the other I found the information overwhelming.
In a few days, Taj's eyes stopped hurting and he started acting like himself. On our short walks it was impossible to tell he couldn't see out of one eye. We started going for longer walks while being mindful of being careful. The eye drops seem to be controlling the pressure in the eyes, and therefore the pain.
My emotions have settled down. We have an appointment with the ophthalmologist I liked on Wednesday. I do not know what he will want to do next. I know there is concern about why this happened. That may mean doing an ultrasound on the other eye followed by laser treatments on that eye. I feel better able to handle whatever information I might be given. And, I am taking a friend!
