[Dailydrool] To Sally re: Bowser

Tue Aug 5 13:56:31 PDT 2008

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Sally at sally at slokr.com ; I tried to email this to you offline, but I
got an error mesage saying your domain had rejected my email.  So....
I am posting it here on the Drool; my apologies to everyone else, I
knw it's very long!
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Hi. I was so sorry to read about your basset's diagnosis of
glaucoma..... I am writing to give you some information that I hope
can be helpful to you... (My apologies in advance for the length of
this e-mail).

 I am so sorry that you and Bowser will now have to deal with this
dreaded disease, as have so many other basset owners. My Annabelle has
glaucoma also - she has been completely blind since Jan. 2001, when
she was not quite 20 months old. She has the cosmetic implants -
there's a link to pictures of her, below.

The first thing I would really encourage you to do is join the
BlindDogs online support group. Their website is at www.blinddogs.com,
and their online email group (which works like the Daily Drool list,
here, does) is at groups.yahoo.com/groups/blinddogs/ This group was
incredibly helpful to me in those terrible days after Annabelle's
diagnosis; full of very kind and knowledgeable people. Many of the
dogs on there are blind from glaucoma; this group will be incredibly
helpful with any questions you have (and I'm sure you have a LOT).

 I also want to send you these links to three of the best articles I
have found lately on glaucoma in dogs. The first one is a clear and
simply written explanation of glaucoma, its causes, treatments, and
outcomes - written "for the layman", as it were.
www.vetcentric.com/magazine/magazineArticle.cfm?ARTICLEID=1435

The second one is from the www.blinddogs.com website. It is a great
article explaining the different types of medications that are used in
the treatment of glaucoma, why they are used, and their pros and cons
in various situations.  www.blinddogs.com/glaucoma-meds.htm
www.blinddogs.com/glaucoma-meds2.htm

The third one is actually written for vet students at the Univ. of
Wisconsin Vet School. It is an overview of symptoms, questions to ask,
and apropriate courses of treatment, given the condition of the eye,
etc.  www.vetmed.wisc.edu/students/courses/miller/Glaucoma.pdf

These articles can REALLY help you understand what is going on. I
wanted to include a quote from someone else i sent these articles to,
whose dog got glaucoma about 3 years ago (and is doing fine now). "It
is amazing how much help the article written for the Wisconsin
students helped me. I highlighted parts of it and took it with me to
my opthamologist appointment on Friday. I learned a few things and
asked questions that I would of never asked before. I learned that
Longfellow has primary glucoma and that the incompetence of an
emergency vet may of cost him his sight alot sooner. I also asked
about some of the side effects of the medication that we are using to
lower his eye pressures, and I would of never known the side effects,
but that article covered every area of glucoma." So please do read
them all. :)

I wnat to assure you, that, if he does eventually lose his sight
completely, that he can and will lead a full and happy life. My
Annabelle bosses around her three basset brothers, attends Waddles and
Bashes, and generally lives a full and rich life as supreme Ruler of
our Household. She has been blind for seven years now, and in all that
time, she has still gone for walks, hops on and off the bed, STILL
counter-cruises!

Annabelle has had her eyes removed, because in the end, after months
of laser surgeries and medications, the glaucoma could not be
controlled, and she was in a lot of pain. We opted for the cosmetic
implants. Our vet did a great job, and they look really good (I think
:) ). To see pictures of her with the implants, please check out her
online photo album at www.imageevent.com/menzie/annabelle .

And there is  a GREAt book out there written on just this topic.  It's
called "Living with Blind Dogs", by Caroline Levin, and it's usually
available on amazon.com, and petcarebooks.com.  It helps you help your
dog to learn how to live without fear, to take walks on leash, and do
all the things he is used to doing.

 Beyond that, the best place I can send you for advice is the
BlindDogs website and discussion list. The website is at
www.blinddogs.com.  Click on the "Information/Support" tab at the
bottom for a LOT of helpful articles and links on various eye
diseases. Also check out the "Resources for New Members" page at
http://www.blinddogs.com/new-owner.htm.

 But even better than that is the discussion list. It's at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blinddogs/ . If you join the list (it's
easy to do),and post any requests for advice/help there, I can almost
guarantee you will get some great and quick responses. This group was
incredibly helpful to me in those terrible days after Annabelle's
diagnosis; full of very kind and knowledgeable people. Many of the
dogs on there are blind from glaucoma; this group will be incredibly
helpful with any questions you have (and I'm sure you have a LOT).

Email me back if you have any questions. You are at the beginning of
the disease, and I am sure you are freaking out.... I have been all
the way through it, as have others on the Drool, so we can help you, I
hope, with what to expect, and giving you information that might help
you make some decisions, AND to be more informed when you talk to the
vet and the doggie opthalmologist.

-- 
Menzie Campbell
Save a Life - Don't Shop, ADOPT!
www.ombr.org
Owned by Pw. Annabelle, Hector TVL, Barney TPP, and Bozlee TOS