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- Feb 15, 2015
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Well, this week has been stressful to say the least.
I took Penelope into the emergency vet this past Sun., as I noticed her eye was quite red. It was confirmed that she had an ulcer on her eye, and that she had a couple of eyelashes that were irritating it, so the ophthamologist suggested that we get surgery done to remove the eyelashes, or else they'll just continue to irritate her cornea.
So we booked the surgery for Sat. (tomorrow), and in the meantime, we were to give her drops and ointment, and were told that the ulcer would probably heal before the surgery, but that we should still get it done to prevent any reoccurrences.
A couple of days after giving Penelope the drops, I wasn't confident that things were improving, so I called the emergency clinic to ask about the drops she was given (perhaps they're irritating her eye? Is this normal?), and unfortunately, I couldn't talk to either vet that saw Penelope, as neither of them were in until the weekend. But, the girl at the front desk said that irritation can occur, and that Penelope is probably ok.
So a couple of more days go by, and I'm just feeling uneasy about this whole thing, as I've dealt with corneal ulcers before, and this just wasn't sitting right with me. So, I called my regular vet and made an appointment to bring Penelope in, and he confirmed that the ulcer hadn't healed.
It hadn't gotten worse, but it hadn't gotten better either.
He assured me that the vet that is doing the surgery tomorrow is fabulous, that Penelope is in great hands, etc., and that there could be a myriad of reasons as to why the ulcer hadn't healed. The drops she was on could perhaps not agree with her, it could be her own immune system not healing her eye as it should (because he noticed that the blood vessels were quite present around the whites of her eye but not around the cornea, which is where they should be to promote healing), it could be the eyelashes continually irritating her cornea so that it can't heal, etc.
Long story short, I have just been freaking out all week, as eyes just FREAK ME OUT. I know, I know... I've owned pugs for 15 years, now Frenchies, not exactly the right breeds to get if you're freaked out about eyes, right?
This surgery tomorrow just cannot come soon enough. What also scares me is the after-care. How many drops will we have to give her, will they work, can I make it work with my work schedule, etc. If worse comes to worse, I will have to take Penelope with me to work and leave her in the back of my vehicle in a crate and go down and give her drops (if the schedule is aggressive and we have to do it every 4 hrs, let's say). What else can I do? (It's a temperature controlled, underground garage...not too hot, not too cold)
I am so grateful that I have pet insurance, as this will mostly be covered (minus my deductible). Boy, the $100/month that I pay for her per month is starting to pay itself off!
Eyes... Ugh!!! I am so stressed. I can barely eat, sleep, function, etc. I'm just sick with worry.
ray:
I took Penelope into the emergency vet this past Sun., as I noticed her eye was quite red. It was confirmed that she had an ulcer on her eye, and that she had a couple of eyelashes that were irritating it, so the ophthamologist suggested that we get surgery done to remove the eyelashes, or else they'll just continue to irritate her cornea.
So we booked the surgery for Sat. (tomorrow), and in the meantime, we were to give her drops and ointment, and were told that the ulcer would probably heal before the surgery, but that we should still get it done to prevent any reoccurrences.
A couple of days after giving Penelope the drops, I wasn't confident that things were improving, so I called the emergency clinic to ask about the drops she was given (perhaps they're irritating her eye? Is this normal?), and unfortunately, I couldn't talk to either vet that saw Penelope, as neither of them were in until the weekend. But, the girl at the front desk said that irritation can occur, and that Penelope is probably ok.
So a couple of more days go by, and I'm just feeling uneasy about this whole thing, as I've dealt with corneal ulcers before, and this just wasn't sitting right with me. So, I called my regular vet and made an appointment to bring Penelope in, and he confirmed that the ulcer hadn't healed.
It hadn't gotten worse, but it hadn't gotten better either. He assured me that the vet that is doing the surgery tomorrow is fabulous, that Penelope is in great hands, etc., and that there could be a myriad of reasons as to why the ulcer hadn't healed. The drops she was on could perhaps not agree with her, it could be her own immune system not healing her eye as it should (because he noticed that the blood vessels were quite present around the whites of her eye but not around the cornea, which is where they should be to promote healing), it could be the eyelashes continually irritating her cornea so that it can't heal, etc.
Long story short, I have just been freaking out all week, as eyes just FREAK ME OUT. I know, I know... I've owned pugs for 15 years, now Frenchies, not exactly the right breeds to get if you're freaked out about eyes, right?
This surgery tomorrow just cannot come soon enough. What also scares me is the after-care. How many drops will we have to give her, will they work, can I make it work with my work schedule, etc. If worse comes to worse, I will have to take Penelope with me to work and leave her in the back of my vehicle in a crate and go down and give her drops (if the schedule is aggressive and we have to do it every 4 hrs, let's say). What else can I do? (It's a temperature controlled, underground garage...not too hot, not too cold)
I am so grateful that I have pet insurance, as this will mostly be covered (minus my deductible). Boy, the $100/month that I pay for her per month is starting to pay itself off!
Eyes... Ugh!!! I am so stressed. I can barely eat, sleep, function, etc. I'm just sick with worry.
ray:
