The Most Important Problem I Can't Fix

One of my strengths, and part of what I like to feature on GIY, is creative problem solving. I can usually find a solution to most problems. But when I can't find a way to fix something, I get frustrated. When that "something" is my pet, the frustration is compounded and intensified with worry.

I've been remiss in posting lately because I've been caring for (and worrying about) my dog Bean Sidhe.  On Saturday morning two weeks ago, I saw her pawing at her right eye. This put me into a slight panic because (1) a year ago, she needed surgery for an ulcer on her left eye and (2) she is deaf, and the thought of her losing her eyesight terrifies me. Within an hour, we were at the emergency vet clinic.

(An aside for pet owners: If your pet had an emergency, do you know where you'd go? I urge you to find out in advance where your nearest emergency pet clinic is and keep that information handy.)

The vet applied a drop of topical anesthetic and then used fluorescein stain to check for corneal damage. Bean Sidhe's entire eye stained green, indicating a very large eye ulcer. :(  The vet recommended an aggressive course of treatment: two types of antibiotic drops, atropine drops and Remend drops, plus an oral pain medication. All weekend, I put drops in Bean Sidhe's eye every two hours. Her patience and my new alarm clock were thoroughly tested.

looking like a Borg dog with the cyber eye

On Monday, we went to an every-six-hours routine. I had to get up in the middle of the night and I had to drive home from work in the middle of the day (38 miles round-trip). Despite the aggressive treatment, Bean Sidhe's eye wasn't healing well. The following Monday, she had surgery to remove the nonhealing tissue (superficial keratectomy). Conveniently, dogs have a third eyelid which can be pulled over the eye to protect it while it heals. The eyelid is held in place with a stitch, which in turn is held in place with a button. That's right, a button like you'd find on a shirt.

creepy button eye

"Hey! Get this thing off me!"

Poor Bean Sidhe. The collar itself didn't bother her much, but the limited vision combined with her deafness made her insecure. She wanted to be with me ALL the time.

Several more days of waking up in the middle of the night and driving home mid-day, and it was back to the vet on Friday for the stitch to come out. To my great disappointment, staining showed that the eye had only partially healed. :(  She's still in the E collar and her eye is still bothering her. I'm exhausted, frustrated and worried. I see that she hurts, and I wish more than anything that I could make it better.

we are very grateful for opioid painkillers