The Gift of Sight

    

I blogged a few months ago about our little "Helen Keller" Pepper and her loss of sight /hearing. She had a big health scare in October with diarrhea, little oral intake and was diagnosed with hepatitis, but she recovered after backing off her prednisone (for skin allergies) and taking a course of antibiotics.  She still seemed totally deaf and blind, falling off the porch, curbs, and stumbling around, bumping into things.  Once her health was better, we explored the idea of cataract surgery as a referral was offered by our primary vet,  but had to take her for a consult at Bliss Animal Eye Care all the way in Medford, Oregon (close to four hours away) at the closest veterinary ophthalmologist (that's living in a rural area for ya!). We weren't sure if she was a good candidate (or the success rates) for cataract surgery, or if they were willing to perform the procedure with her age and overall health (and we recognize that many fur parents may not be willing or able to pursue it, either).

However, Kelvin was able to rearrange his clinic schedule to bring her there in December for the first consult, and after examining her, repeating labs, and checking her retinas, the ophthalmologist actually said that Pepper was a great surgical candidate and that there was a 95% chance her vision could be restored within days to weeks (!). 

The surgery had to be paid for in advance and was not cheap, so we had to think long and hard about whether it made sense to give her a chance at a better quality of life for her remaining time (?years) of life, and whether the benefits would justify the cost, distance and hassle of travel.  At this time, we can't really take Pepper new places, anywhere dark, or on long walks, because she is so disoriented due to the loss of her vision.  Ultimately, we decided that it was worth it, and financially within our reach, and while it is inconvenient with the multiple multi-hour road trips, Kelvin was willing to make the drives-- this week (Tues) for the procedure and one-day post-op check, then again at two weeks (we're making a family weekend out of it) and at four weeks for routine (and unfortunately, not able to be virtual!) post-op appointments. 

So, after returning the 6-7 hours from Sunriver, Oregon on Sunday (although I drove for the second half) Kelvin turned around and on Monday afternoon drove back to Southern Oregon (Pepper wasn't allowed at our Sunriver rental and we didn't end up wanting to take two cars or boarding her closer. Our friend Brenda kept an eye on her and Kelvin just bit the bullet for the back-track driving). He stayed in a pet-friendly AirBnB with our little (old) lady for two nights. 

Good-bye hugs

On the road (which she probably couldn't see at that time!)

Pep was able to get up on the bed with this "stairs" (we obtained doggie stairs for her to get up on her couch perch at our home.)

The bilateral cataract surgery (phacoemulsification and intraocular lens placement OU)  lasted a few hours on Tuesday, and Pepper then spent a few hours post-op recovering from anesthesia (which she's had and tolerated twice before-- for her spaying procedure and for her dental extraction) and then resting at the apartment with Kelvin.  K was able to work remotely during the day when he wasn't taking her to/from the appointment.

Newly post-op with now-brown (no longer milky white!) eyes!

After the post-op day one morning check, Kelvin was planning to head home to Humboldt. However, we had a huge Pacific rain/windstorm (which is still going on), and he got stuck in Crescent City (1.5 hours north of us on the 101) due to downed, obstructive trees all over the place. (He did stop and do some work at the Del Norte Clinic, which still had power). 

Finally, the road was cleared, and was able to drive home, surprising us in evening instead of having to spend another night (or more) away at a rented room with Pep. The kids were thrilled to see him, and we're so happy to have our pup home--although she's overall (these days) a calm, low-energy, and quiet pet, her absence from the house was definitely felt! 

The best part of all of this it seems like Pepper can actually see again!  How satisfying it has been to have such a (seemingly) curative procedure!  She wags her tail at us, seeing our faces, is roaming around the house with renewed interest (by not just scent), and not stumbling walking outside.  She's on an intensive regimen of four different eye eye-drops (antibiotic, steroid, glaucoma drop, and NSAID) each three times daily for the time being, and has to be in a cone for at least three weeks so she doesn't scratch or disrupt her eyes/corneas, but is doing amazingly well.  She's still (we think) totally deaf (despite Brenda telling us she enjoyed her singing renditions of "All the Single Ladies"), but we're so glad she has one of her key senses back. How much we take the gift of sight for granted!  Here's hoping for many more years of good vision and health for our little and beloved fur-child!