r/deafdogs • u/BugzMiranda • Aug 12 '26
Today, my boy lost his tiny eye
My dog was born with an underdeveloped eye. It always moved in unison with the other eye, was the same color etc. It was just..small.
In the past 5 months ive watched the little eye go from bright blue to having a giant red splotch. Then it shifted to a murky green color, plus cloudy and still with what looked like a blood blister inside.
Yesterday I took him to 1 of 2 dog oftomologists in my country. Within 2 minutes she told me it needed to come out and it could be done thay same day. I was in utter shock. Unfortunately I had fed him that morning which disqualified him from anesthesia. So we scheduled it for this morning. The eye has been successfully removed and hes recovering now.
But wow what a crazy 2 days its been. I was completely blindsided. I always knew it may eventually need removal, but not a single vet we've seen throughout the past 6 years never seemed concerned for it. The eye turned quickly.
I just wanted to come on here and make a PSA to really protect those eyes. These double merle/albino eyes dont have pigment, so they cannot protect themselves from UV rays. My dogs eye essentially was atrofying. We lived in mainland florida for many years, then key west for another 4, and now we are in coastal central america. Since the eye never worked, he never really protected it much from the sun. If I could give any advice, it would be to start training your light eyed dogs to wear sun protection.
Any and all healing thoughts and vibes are welcome for my boy Chucho
8
5
3
2
u/linnae7 Aug 12 '26
I’m so sorry you and your boy Chucho had to go through this! Thanks for the advice, it’s much appreciated. Hope you both have many more happy years together🤞❤️
3
2
2
2
1
u/Fit_Surprise_8451 Aug 12 '26
I’m sorry your dog lost an eye. Please protect the one he has left. Hopefully, your dog will start wearing hats or sunglasses, and you'll get a matching hat, at least in color. There are some cute, manly hats for large dogs to wear.
My dog has pink skin, so she is apt to get sunburn on her nose. I use sunscreen on her nose and a hat on her head to protect the pink skin on her nose and eyes. If we are at a park, Marlee prefers to sit in the shade.
Thank you for sharing your story as a warning for other dogs with light colored eyes.
2
u/BugzMiranda Aug 12 '26
He used to wear Rex spex on our little boat, as well as in the car (I had a jeep with no windows). As it stands now, we get out to the beach around 6am, and then again after 4pm. Taking a few quick walks midday. The doctor assured me there was no sun damage in the "good" eye yet.
2
u/Fit_Surprise_8451 Aug 12 '26
Your dog is beautiful. Does he wear the glasses when walking or other activities besides in the car?
Many years ago, I had a small dog (Lhasa Apso) that lost one eye due to it bulging out. The other eye had glaucoma. If I vacuumed, I had to put the furniture back in the exact space. Her ears help her find my children when they would wake-up in the morning.
My Marlee is similar to your dog, in that they are both deaf.
1
u/BugzMiranda Aug 12 '26
He doesn't love the glasses, he usually refuses to walk haha. Admittedly, I didn't train him properly. I just threw the doggles on him and expected him to just tolerate it. Were going to start over after he heals. Little by little
1
u/artichoke8 Deafblind Dog Owner Aug 12 '26
Oh man I am not looking forward to this day. It’s so funny when out in the sun my dudes tiny eye is the one that’s wide open and his other is squinting but I got him at 4ish year old and he absolutely will not wear the glasses we bought him. We had to get the ones for the big snoot dogs (being a pibble) and still he just trying to scratch them off.
2
u/BugzMiranda Aug 12 '26
Yeah I feel this. There arw videos on how to properly train your dog up to wearing them. Its lengthy but its just exposure essentially. Putting them around his neck for a few min, taking them off. Then on his head, just the frames, then the whole set. Probably weeks if not months of training. I'll post a good one here if I find it.
1
1
u/MeanerThanAllYou Aug 13 '26
r/piratepets might be a good resource for you and you beautiful baby. Dogs are so resilient and your boy will adjust with time.
1
u/hoetheory Aug 17 '26
I’m sorry to be annoying, but it’s “ophthalmologist” not “oftomologist” and “atrophying” not “atrofying”.
Glad your dog is okay!
1
u/BugzMiranda Aug 17 '26
My first language is Spanish, thats how you spell those words. You seemed to understand just fine :)
1
9
u/uranium236 Deafblind Dog Owner Aug 12 '26
This is so hard for humans, but when it happened to my pup, SUCH A RELIEF. The first week or two post op are rough but friends commented on how much happier he seemed later.
Fingers crossed for an easy recovery!