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<DIV>Today, our precious Scarlet was sent To The Bridge. Scarlet was
with us for 8 years and she was 10-11 years old. During the years she was
part of our family, she lost the sight in both eyes due to glaucoma but
never lost her spunk. When we moved to Arkansas, she didn't hesitate to
learn the layout of her new home and yard and maneuvered stairs, decks and
countless other obstacles.<BR><BR>Scarlet will be met At The Bridge by her
former housemates Rhett, Beau and Magnolia and all of her friends. I'm
sure the OEBE Wing Shop has a set of angel wings polished and ready for her
shoulders.<BR><BR>Scarlet joined our family when Bob picked her up at a shelter
in Florida and we were going to transport her to Florida Basset Rescue.
But she definitely had her own agenda. Once she arrived at our home, she
quickly made friends with Beau and Rhett.<BR><BR>I wrote the article below about
Scarlet's glaucoma and it was in a Daphneyland newsletter in 2008.
It's been an inspiration to many Basset owners who have had to
deal with glaucoma in their own furkids and helped them to understand what
their Bassets were going through. I'm very proud to share Scarlet's wisdom
and experiences again as a tribute to her.</DIV>
<DIV><BR>Please say a prayer and light a candle so Scarlet can look down and
know we remember her. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Marie and Bob<BR>and a very sad Megan Mariah<BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV>GLAUCOMA DIDN'T RUIN MY LIFE!!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>My name is Scarlet and I am a beautiful eight year old tri
Basset. Four years ago, I woke up one morning with a terrible
headache and my right eye was hurting. I spent until noon in bed,
didn't want to go outside with my two Basset brothers and had no
appetite. My human parents knew something was wrong and took me to
the vet, who referred me to a canine ophthalmologist. The diagnosis
was glaucoma and he iscussed the treatment options. My right eye was
injected and we all knew that I would lose my vision in that
eye. After a day recuperating, I started to adjust to having
vision in one eye. I had several rechecks with the ophthalmologist
and at the last one, he told my parents that, if glaucoma was going to
show up in my other eye, it would probably do so within two years and he
rechecked the pressure in my good eyes every three months. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Twenty-one months after I lost the vision in my right eye, my left
eye started weeping and the headache came back. I knew
there was a problem when I was whisked to the ophthalmologist that
evening. My left eye was injected and now my vision was gone! </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>As we left the ophthalmologist's office, he told my Mom and Dad a few
words of wisdom:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>If you treat Scarlet like an invalid, she will become one.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Move a piece of furniture or two around every month so she is
challenged.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>If you treat Scarlet like an invalid, she will become one.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Let Scarlet go out into the yard with her Basset brothers to
play.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>If you treat Scarlet like an invalid, she will become one.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I think you get the message...</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I have learned that I don't like ceramic tile and would not walk on
it. This presented a challenge since our water bowl was kept in the
kitchen and I wouldn't go to it by myself. The ophthalmologist said
that since Bassets are scent hounds, I probably couldn't get a good scent
trail from the ceramic tile. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>About six months after my second eye was injected, we moved to
another state. I spent three nights in motels and sniffed out every
inch of the motel rooms. When we arrived at my new home, I was
presented with challenges that I never anticipated. I have to go up
and down stairs to get into the yard. Last winter, I "felt and
smelled" snow for the first time - and look forward to it
arriving soon. I've learned the scent of deer and rabbits and
know when the bunnies are running across my fenced yard. I can
walk through my house just as good as any Basset with sight, get into my
favorite chair and up on the sofa. I can smell my food being
prepared and immediately head to the spot where my dish will be
placed. My housemate, Megan Mariah, who joined our family two years
ago, is from Daphneyland and she brought a treasure chest of experience
with her. From the day she arrived, Megan sensed I did not have
vision and she keeps a watchful eye on me to make sure I don't get into
trouble.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Please don't feel sorry for me. My life is full and I can do
almost anything a sighted Basset can do. My hearing and sense of
smell have gotten sharper. If you ever have to deal with glaucoma
and a Basset, I have one piece of advice, run don't walk to a vet who is
familiar with canine glaucoma or preferably a canine
ophthalmologist. With proper treatment, you'll have a Basset who can
do a lot more for itself than humans think - we need you to put our drops
in our eyes, fix our food, keep our water dish full and give us love and
belly rubs. But please, let us do as much as we can for ourselves -
a blind Basset won't be an invalid unless you make them one.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>This is dedicated my Basset brothers, Beauregard and Rhett, who have
both gone To The Bridge. They were my eyes and companions until I
adjusted to losing my vision. To them and Megan I will be
forever grateful.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Scarlet - Now ATB</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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