[Dailydrool] glaucoma and prosthesis

[Kr1204]

My Elwood ATB developed glaucoma and we saw a specialist for about four months when the vet determined he had no more vision in that eye and it should be removed. I opted for the prosthesis (heck, what's another $100 when you are spending 2 K on the surgery) not because I thought it would be good for me but since Elwood had so many other bad breeding defects, I thought he would look less pitiful. The eye is only sewn shut for a week and then the stitches dissolve. You could not tell which was the seeing eye and which was fake. Even when I needed to see the other vet in our regular practice, she did not realize it was a prosthesis until I told her. 
I pulled a basset from our local shelter years ago whose glaucoma was so advanced his eyes looked like blue tennis balls. The same vet removed them and put prosthesises in and you would not know this dog was blind. I transported him to his new owner and she wrote a few weeks later that he figured out the house in no time and could get to the back door faster than she could. When they went for walks he acted like any seeing basset and people would stop and pet him and not realize those eyes were not real. 
For people, I think it is more a matter of aesthetics than need, And yes, I would do it again.
Kathy with Crackers, Loki and Jordan

Kr1204
kr1204 at aol.com

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