I have posted in the doghouse section, but no replies, so posting here for traffic.
We have an awful predicament. Our dog is 8 years old. She suffered Glaucoma when she was 3 years old, and after treating the "bad" eye with multiple drops a day for 18 months, she had to have that eye removed (the tissue started to die).
On 22nd December, she walked in to a wall, and we knew something was wrong with her "good" eye. We got her to the vets and the pressure in her eye was too high, meaning that the Glaucoma had now hit her "good" eye, so she was hospitalised. She came home a few days later, and amazingly a week later had her sight back! Felt truly blessed!
She was placed on a treatment plan of about 11 drops a day. With a plan to gradually decrease this, as things stabilized. Thankfully, I work from home!
Anyway, since then she's had 2 more relapses (pressure in the eye too high). This is very painful. She was admitted again yesterday, to be placed on 2 IV drips. One reduces the pressure in the eye, the other hydrates her organs.
So, this is her 3rd admission and hooking up to IV's, since 22nd December. The vet says that with 3 admissions in 6 weeks, the prognosis for the eye doesn't look good, ie. she will be blind forever now, and we have 2 options :
1)Remove the remaining eye
2) Put to sleep
She is home now (picked her up this afternoon), and we don't have to make this decision until her next relapse. This could be tomorrow/next week/next month, no idea. The pressure will spike, she will be in pain, and we will have to quickly decide what to do.
I am not sure that I can see her with two sewn up eye sockets! It feels cruel. She is a magnificent beast, a black and white husky with bright blue eyes (well, she did have). She's a real hunter. Loves running wild off the lead and playing fetch, both of which will now be off the menu.
DH thinks we should remove the eye and see how she copes, but this is another major Op, and when we got the first eye out it was horrendous, she had a bad bleed and her whole face was matted in blood. I am thinking it would be kinder to PTS. I don't think it's fair to put her through another major Op, just to buy another 4 years (till her life expectancy), which would be a life of no sight and effectively no communication, as she can't speak!
That's the predicament....very grateful for any views.