Three weeks ago today Duke had his eyes surgically removed. Recovery did not go as expected.
My beautiful boy.
Three weeks ago today Duke had surgery to remove an eye that was painful and swollen from glaucoma. I elected to remove his other eye, which was covered in a cataract, mostly blind, and had a high risk of needing to be removed down the road.
I’d love to tell you that we spent the last three weeks snuggling and healing, but the truth is, the recovery was much more difficult than expected.
I don’t even have many pictures because he was such a handful. He needed constant supervision. I wasn’t able to leave the house or take on any work. He seemed angry, stubborn and fearful. He crashed into things, repeatedly and with too much speed. He wouldn’t let me guide him. He’d fight me if I tried to lead him with a leash or his collar. He would walk along a wall and repeatedly crash into it with his cone. His stitches held, but he often cut the sensitive, swollen skin around his eyes. Even the places that he should have been familiar with seemed to confuse him, and he wasn’t making any progress mapping things out.
I didn’t understand any of this because he was mostly blind before the surgery. When I adopted him in August he could see some light on good days, but by the time he went into surgery, he couldn’t see anything. This shouldn’t have been such a big adjustment. I had thought he’d feel relief from the glaucoma pain, but instead, he was a bit of a beast.
A friend of mind told me he would have put Duke down instead of remove his eyes. I admit to a few moments where I wondered if I’d made a mistake.
At his two-week checkup, I told the vet all this. I didn’t want her to remove the cone because I thought he’d hurt himself. She could see for herself how he was behaving. She did some consultations with other staff and suggested that we take the cone off in the office for a few minutes to see what happens.
We removed the cone—and he INSTANTLY went back to his sweet, loving self. All the crashing around and fighting he had done was because he was scared—not of being blind, but of the cone.
That was a week ago, and since then we’ve been figuring out how to navigate together. We’ve been for walks in the woods, and field trips to Chow Hound and Must Love Dogs. I’ve taught him “step up” and “step down” and we’re working on “stop.” He can’t locate my voice very well, but he’s like a laser-guided missile when I snap my fingers to bring him to me.
Last night, I swear he even played a little prank on me. He acted like he was stuck in the backyard, so I went out in my pajamas to help him. When I got there, he jumped into a play bow and hopped all around, happy as could be, and definitely not stuck.
And today, I tried to get pictures of him eating a banana, but he ate the whole banana in one bite. No great pictures, but at least I have my Duke back!
Thank you to everyone who sent Duke and me support, love and even donations and dogsitting during this recovery. I know now that I did make the right decision. Duke has a lot of love, life and happiness left in him, and I have one of my bestest friends back. A silly, blind, beautiful Boxer who loves bananas. (And hates cones!)
Better with dog,
Awwww, love to hear devotion to your fur babies and know I’m not alone: )
Definitely not alone <3
I love this!! You are lucky to have each other – you and Duke!! The love of a Boxer (I’m biased) is like nothing else!! His “trick” on you made me laugh and cry at the same time!!! Lots of love to you, Duke and your family!!❣
The smallest steps
Jennifer-I can’t thank you enough for this post! I read it while I wept on night 2 after my 13 year old Chihuahua had her double enucleation. I was tired and weary and it was 2:00am and I was honestly feeling like I made the wrong decision and should have put her down. When I read your story I had hope and I’m thankful that I read it. Today is day 5 and I feel like we may have turned the corner and she seems to be on the mend. God bless you and Duke!!! Xoxo
I have been googling for it seems like two weeks after hearing that both of my 10 yr old cocker spaniel “Nell’s” eye’s will be removed Thursday because of glaucoma. She has been going blind for some time has repeated ear infections is deaf and losing her teeth due to too much inbreeding. I was aware that she was going to be somewhat of a challenge when I got her at 7 weeks of age. But finding that both of her eyes have to be removed is heartbreaking to me. I’m hearing different stories and finding out different things, but just can’t seem to wrap my brain around it. Financially is certainly a big part of it as I am single and now cut down to part-time because of the pandemic. Emotionally along with financially I am a wreck. Thank you for sharing your stories. I’m sure she will probably come out of this much better than I will! I love those little whoville eyes and lashes…?
How did this all work out for you, please? My sweet 12 year old dog has painful glaucoma. She is deaf like your dog. I am really struggling with the decision to have both eyes removed. Her pressures are at 48, medication three times a day. I feel she really needs the double enucleation but am afraid what it will do to her. Are you still glad you had the surgery?
Same here…night one. I too was wondering if I made the right decision. I’ve been up close to 24 hours now to include the drive for the surgery and he wouldn’t stop whining. Finally came in his room and laid on the couch and he’s sleeping like a baby. I really think it’s the cone.
My 13 yr old Boston, Pete, had one eye removed 4 days ago. He’s mostly blind in the other eye too. The first night I honestly thought that I made a mistake. He was in so much pain I couldn’t get him to take his meds eat anything or even drink. His face was so swollen. He was absolutely freaking out and thrashing and I quickly came to the conclusion that most of his extreme fear and discomfort was due to his fear of the cone. I have taken the cone off of him and have just been constantly watching him for the past several days. He’s not messing with his eye at all and he’s doing much much better. I wish that they could come up with an alternative to cones…even the soft ones are scary to most dogs.
I have a Yorkie that had her right eye removed im so hurt I feel so badly for her any advice how to cope with this She ok is me i treat her like a baby so she Dont have to get hurt again the cause of removing her eye was head trauma i believe when i was at work her and her brother had to been running wild in the house and she hit her head
This is exactly what I needed to read today! My foster dog, Beau, had bilateral enucleation surgery this week and I’m going through a similar situation. Beau is just a couple days out of surgery and his energy and appetite are back, but he’s also bumping into things. I’ve been puzzled and concerned because, like Duke, he was almost entirely blind already. He’s been bumping into chairs and walls and I was beginning to question whether this was the right choice – even though I know he’d been in a lot of pain. It never occured to me that he’s unhappy about the cone! I’m now really excited for his cone to come off next week and get a sense of the new and improved Beau! Thanks!
I am deciding what to do with my miniature poodle he recently became blind
This is a beautiful story of patience and trust. You are both so lucky to have each other. Kisses to your Duke! 🙂
Consider him kissed! 🙂
Thank you for your story. I am feeling a little less stressed after reading it. My Boston just had his left eye removed yesterday. His right eye has a cataract but can see some light and movement still so I decided to only have the left eye removed. He is also deaf and has congestive heart failure. Of course there was a lot of concern about the anesthesia but he made it through without any issues. They were going to keep him overnight but at 3pm I received a call asking me to come into the hospital to see if I could calm him down. He was very distressed. They decided it would be better for him to go home with me. I thought he would sleep all night but I was lucky if we got 2 hours the entire night. He has been very agitated and like your fur-baby is completely paralized when the collar is on. I really hope he starts to feel some relief soon. Like you, I was told that the glaucoma was like having a major migraine all the time and he would feel so much better after. I am waiting for the “after”. Thanks again for your story of love and kindness.
My Bella had, both eyes removed last Thursday. She seems fine in the day playing eating. Struggling with moving around but, is gett better. Night times on the other hand are a nightmare. Am up and down, all night. So tired, and really struggling, I don’t actually go to work, but have a full time 24/7 on my own caring for my 40 year year special needs daughter. A very tried and stressed mum.
Diane, so glad to hear Bella is recovering well! Nighttime can be tricky with completely blind dogs as they have no sense of light or dark and can get their days and nights switched VERY easily. I kept Duke on a schedule, doing the same things at the same times every day, so that he always had a sense of what to expect next and when. Can you create some routines for her that lead up to bedtime, and then reinforce that nighttime is not the time to play or walk around? You could also talk to your vet about melatonin to help reinforce the circadian rhythms that get out of whack when a dog can no longer sense day or night. Big hugs to you, I know you need your sleep!
I have the same decision to make this week. Thank you for sharing your story it has given me hope at a really difficult time ❤️
My sweet just turned 2 blue chow chow boy will b having his second enucliation tmrw morning. He lost his first eye at 18 months due to glaucoma as well. I am terrified. Because I love him so much I can’t c him suffer and in pain w the constant meds, swelling and migraines from the pressure in his eye. I am praying to God that he will lean on his big chow “brother” for guidance. I will not leave his side even for a moment if I can help it while he is healing. Thank you for posting this. I can’t believe this popped up on my feed the night before his surgery. Your baby is precious and my baby Rebel sends purple chow kisses. Please pray for us.
I have the same decision to make this week. Thank you for sharing your story it has given me hope at a really difficult time ❤️
So happy it worked out! And so grateful for your big heart. Wishing you and your boxer bunch (oh, and the human kids, too) a Merry Christmas.
Thank you, Mary! Merry Christmas to you and the family as well!! <3
Thank you for this story! We are in the process of adopting a 6y/0 dachshund. We just learned she has melanoma on her right eyeball and is scheduled to have it removed next week. I am beginning to become super nervouse about all of it. Even hoping she does not hate us afterwards. She is the sweetest dog who loves cuddles. This article helped me feel somewhat better about the procedure. I am also nervous about her reactions to the cone.
Hello, i just started checking this blog out and i love it <3 i love hearing Duke is ok, thank you for not giving up on him, he's an amazing dog <3 your a amazing dog mom
wow! Awesome story for love and patience. Love from real heart. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for your Blog. We are sitting here at 1AM in the morning with our Golden Retriever after her left eye was removed last night because of glaucoma caused by pigmentary uveitis. I hope we made the right decision, as it looks horrible and she is banging into everything with her collar. She has finally settled down for the night but insisted on being on the bed so we lifted her up as we did not want her to jump and the collar made it nearly impossible. She is sleeping, although in spurts and I am awake. And probably will be on watch for the next few weeks. Your comments reinforced our decision that this was the right decision but there are so many naysayers…she is otherwise healthy, and we struggled with drops for 3 years. I am hopeful that we will look back on this in a few weeks and know it was the right thing to do. At 1AM in the morning I M doubting our decision..
Bonnie, sending you and your Golden so much love and healing. It is a horrible burden to have to make this decision, and I doubted myself for a long time. And the naysayers made it worse. But I would absolutely do it again, and Duke is so much happier now without the constant pain and eye drops. Even without eyesight, Duke goes wherever he wants now in the house and backyard, and he fully enjoys all the other dog life joys. I hope your baby will have an even faster and better recovery since she still has one good eye. The swelling is bad at first, but it gets better quickly. Take care of yourself, too, as this decision and the healing process can weigh heavy. But two weeks from now, when she is rolling in the grass, free from the cone and swelling, you will know you did the best you could for her. And once she’s healed, you’ll see that the naysayers will be gone, and she’ll be getting even more pets and attention for being the bravest and bestest (and cutest) girl ever. XO
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks so much for sharing your story! My family found out today that our 5 year old Jindo has glaucoma in his right eye and after seeing the eye specialist, will need that eye removed. The doctor said it’s very probable he’ll get it in the other eye as well, but all we can do is keep close watch on him. My concern is, he’s very active, loves to hunt rats/mice in the backyard, runs a lot, etc. I’m sure the initial shock of losing both eyes must be very hard, but did you find your dog still enjoys the same outdoor activities without his sight? I know dogs have higher senses than humans, but I’m just so worried for our dog since sitting outside and hunting is his absolute favorite thing to do. Thank you so much for sharing Duke’s story!
Hi Ania,
I’m so sorry about Jindo’s diagnosis, but it sounds like he’s in the most caring hands. What I have found is that each dog is different in the senses that take over after losing sight. Some get greater smell, some develop their hearing, and some get this supernatural sonar that just lets them run around as if they still had eyes. Duke was not one of those supernatural sonar dogs, but he still found his way. He’s also 15, so I am sure Jindo will adjust even faster and more incredibly than Duke did. What I CAN tell you is that you will be AMAZED at how Jindo adjusts. Watch him as he recovers and you’ll see the unique way in which he learns to live a happy, fulfilled life. I was just talking to a client about how her dog hunts rodents under the snow…he’s a seeing dog, but he doesn’t use his eyes to hunt. He listens to the footprints under the snow, then rises up and pounces! Jindo will absolutely find a way to do his favorite things, and he will probably even surprise you with what he learns and how he adapts. Sending you and Jindo lots of love.
My baby just had her left eye removed and she isn’t wanting to eat anything. It’s been almost impossible to giver the pain meds so I am so worried every time it’s time to give them to her because we have to struggle and cause her more stress. Usually she takes meds with cheese or peanut butter but she wants nothing. Her surgery was on Friday so I can’t get a hold of the vet to ask all my questions that I am so worried about. I also feel as if her little face is swollen not just her eye area and I think she is starting to feel hungry because she took her treat but dropped it because it looks like she is too sore to chew. I am so stressed and not only am I afraid she is in pain but I’m worried about her not eating and how it seems that she is pain to chew. I am a mess right now along with her and just can’t wait until Monday so I can call the vet and be reassured that this is all normal. Thank you for sharing your story and for all the people that have shared their comments. It does help to know that I am not alone and everyone kind of freaks out about it.
We are removing our dogs eyes this Tuesday. Have prayed and prayed and think it’s the right decision. She is 13 but her pressure is so high and drops no longer working. We are hoping she does well. Please pray for her. Shila
Hi, thank you for your post. My sister just had her pretty healthy pom of nearly 16 years of age enucleated for one of his eyes. It was a sudden onset bleeding in the eye that she believes strongly was a result of some injection treatment that she was having done for him to improve his joints but ended up causing him to lose platelet count, and hence the bleeding. He’s recovering really well but she can’t seem to get over the guilt and regret that she caused him his eye and scared there will be more bad news to come (she has another 16 yo dog with possible dementia and glaucoma in one eye). I really want to help her overcome this. Is there some kind of support group for this or what had helped you on your darkest moments when you were going through this? The only support groups I have found so far are for pet losses. Sorry if this is a bit off, and I thank you for your time.
Hi, thank you so much for reaching out and for being such great support to your sister and her dogs! The guilt is real. It is a hard decision, but I hope your sister can see that she did the hard thing in order to give her dog a better life. She made a choice and committed to a recovery that a lot of people wouldn’t do. Plenty of people told me they would have just put Duke down. Your sister was faced with a very unfortunate medical condition, but she made the decision to do what’s best for her dog, and to care for him, and to keep making the best decisions she can for him in the future with his remaining eye. I don’t see any room for guilt there. All dogs should be so lucky to have that kind of care and commitment. Hopefully, as he heals, the guilt will give way to a peace that she did the best she could given the situation she was facing. I didn’t find any support groups, but I did follow some #blinddog Instagram accounts. Just seeing those healed, smiling, happy, pain-free faces gave me a lot of hope. And she’s always welcome to reach out to me and Duke XO
Thank you so much for sharing this story. My little Daisy had her right eye taken out almost 1 year ago today when we found out she had glaucoma and we’ve been treating the other eye ever since. Yesterday I noticed a sudden change in her behaviour where she was fine one minute, then started bumping into furniture and appeared to have lost all sight. I rang the ophthalmologist immediately and they said she was having a glaucoma attack. I raced her down to the ophthalmologist immediately and they tested her IOP and they told me it had reached 87, I was a complete mess when they told me and devistated as I know this means that we will likely have to remove the eye. I’ve been extremely worried how she will cope with no eyesight and what this means for us. I hate the thought of having to leave her at home with no carer when I have to work and know I’ll be worried about her hurting herself.
After reading your story, it’s given me hope that maybe she will be better off and we will have no more prodding and poking at her eye every month.
Thank you so much for sharing. Hope you and duke are still going well ?
Hi Jennifer,
Thank you so much for sharing your story…and Duke’s! I’m am facing double eye enucleation for my 11 year old Boston Terrier Eli. He’s been on drops for 3 years. His pressures have been high since March, but his vision held on. Over the last week his vision has gotten progressively worse as has his pain, even being on oral and optical pain medication isn’t helping much. I’m waiting to hear back from his opthalmologist, but I think we’re at the point of surgery. He’s been having a lot of bad mornings…bumping into things and not being responsive when I try to help him find his way. Your blog was just what I needed today, as he’s having a particularly bad day. I hope once he doesn’t have the glaucoma pain he will return to his old self and start being able to enjoy life again.
Hi Jenny, sending you and Eli lots of love and comfort! It is a difficult decision to make, but on the other side of healing, I’m very glad I did it for him. I’m working on an update post, six months after surgery, so you and others who have reached out can see what life is like after glaucoma. Wishing you the best as you help Eli through this <3
I hope u find the peace and faith to do what u think is best for your dog. Tuesday is our dogs eyes removal and it is so so hard
hi jenny,
i hope everything went well with your sweet boy’s double enucleation. we have a 9-year-old boston and i suspect he will be due for that surgery soon. he had cataract surgery on march 9, 2023 and while we did see some improvement initially, he eventually experienced severe inflammation that led to retinal detachment. he now has a pretty bad infection inside one of his eyes. i am just wondering how this went for you and for eli. i really don’t want my beautiful boy to lose his eyes, but even more so, i don’t want him to be in pain. the whole situation has been really weighing on my heart. any insight you could provide would be much appreciated. love to you and eli.
I wish I had read this before hastily potting my 9 year old shih you down after losing his second eye. I didn’t feel as if he would have quality of life being blind. I am devastated for not giving him a chance
I believe we are always doing the best we can with what we know at the time. I’m sorry you had to experience this. XO
I am so sorry you are carrying the sorrow you are feeling over your decision. I struggled with that very decision when I decided to have my little 13 year old Shih Tzu’s eye removed but he was already blind. The concern for me was that he would not come out of the surgery as he has a heart condition also. Our decisions are personal and ours alone. Yours was based on what you believed best for your little guy and that can’t be wrong; that is love without selfishness and love without condition. The only heart you broke was your own and you did it out of the love of your dog, That takes courage. It takes so much more strength to
let go than to hang on.
Hi Jennifer,
I just wanted to let you know how inspirational your story was for me as a current dog owner who had to remove my beloved fur baby’s eye yesterday because of a benign tumor behind his eye which was growing and getting bigger causing extreme press/pain in his eye. For the past couple of months, my husband and I have been trying to get his eye healed and his eye pressure back to normal because at first we didn’t know nor the veterinarian knew what was going on with his eye; and the last thing we wanted was to have his eye removed. I found out a couple of days ago that per my veterinarian’s diagnosis and recommendation that it would be best to remove his eye because after several visits to his office, and running more tests that it was most likely a mass growing behind his eye causing the pressure built-up in his eye which he confirmed that that was exactly the issue when he found the mass during surgery. I’ve been a complete emotional wreck because I didn’t want my fur baby to suffer nor be mad/confused about why he was going through this and not comprehending why something was different with half of his vision being gone. But sitting here reading your article while my precious fur baby is next to me made my mind be more at ease knowing he will get through this and won’t be in anymore pain so that he can live a more fulfilled life….So just again thank you so much for sharing your story because you never know who’s lives you have touched.
What a beautiful baby! I’m so glad he’s happy! If he’s happy and enjoying life, you made the right decision. Good luck in the future with your beautiful doggy!
This past Monday I had my schnauzers right eye removed due to glaucoma and unfortunately he is blind in the left eye. For the first two days we were afraid that we made a mistake. He was lethargic and not eating much the first day. Being diabetic makes healing an issue also.
It is now Friday and he ate 1 can of food in the past 24 hours along with boiled meatballs and chicken. A hard boiled egg was on the menu also. I can just start to see the old pup coming back to us.
I went to work this morning and he found his way to my husband and laid down next to him. It is a major operation and takes time. Now we feel that we have done the right thing.
Hi Jennifer, thank you so much for sharing your story with us. You’re a very special person to write this. I’m so glad I found your blog. It helps me during this time. My little five year old Terrier is going to have one of his eyes removed soon, just waiting to hear on a date. I get so sad for him and hope I’m doing what’s best for him. He had Cataract surgery at 9 months old which was not very successful, then last year developed glaucoma. His eye pressure is increasing and the meds are not working well. So the time has come to remove his eye. Thanks again for sharing your journey with us.
Hi! My baby just got one of her eyes removed and she is doing pretty good! After reading your story I too took her cone off to see if she would stop shaking and act more herself and she did. She will only eat and go out to the bathroom without it on. We are only on day three and she looks amazing. We do however have a 7mth old puppy that is houdini cause she can get into and through anything. I’m so panicked because tomorrow we go back to work and have no idea what we are going to do.
This article made me so happy!! I just found out today that my senior fospice chihuahua Junie will be having a double enucleation Wednesday. Her situation is very similar to your dog’s; glaucoma, cataracts and me electing to remove both eyes as it was very obvious both would need out at some point. She went completely blind a couple months ago and had absolutely no issue adjusting whatsoever, she always had bad vision due to cataracts so I don’t think it was much of a change for her. She happily bumps into things with her tail wagging and then continues on her merry way. We call her our little Roomba lol. I’m a little worried about her as she has early stage heart failure as well, but her vet thinks she has a very good chance. I’m only a 23 year old college kid so this is all SO new to me!
I am so glad I found your post! I rescued a 12 year old blind Shih Tzu a year ago. Last week I made the decision to have one of his eyes removed as he had a ulcer on the cornea that simple would not heal and he was already blind. He was in significant pain and I could not bear the thought of that. I named him Sniper Joe because when he first came to me it was remarkable how he zeroed in on his targets, like his bed and food bowl, and found them without incidents. But he is now wearing a cone and he has lost all sense of navigating these things; he can’t get his nose close enough to the floor to get his scent. It was so reassuring to find your post and know that I am not alone. It is exhausting and heartbreaking but I believe he has the survival instincts he had while living on the streets and will be back to his own better self when he is fully healed and out of pain.
My sweet Lily was diagnosed with glaucoma today. She’s been completely blind for the past 7 months. I could tell it wasn’t cataracts, as there was no cloudiness. Last week I lost my big dog, Mila, to cancer. Lily was panting a lot, and I thought it was due to stress and anxiety of her best buddy not being around. I brought her into the vet and she was diagnosed with the glaucoma. The panting was because she was in pain! I feel terrible! I’m leaving for a month to help with my grandchildren, so for now the dog sitter will do the drops to lower the pressure. Next month when I return, I think I will opt to have both of her eyes removed, like you did with your dog. I was so fearful of what she would look like, but your Duke is absolutely darling! You story has made me feel better about this decision, so thank you for sharing it. I may end up getting some goggles for her, if I’m bothered by it. That sounds so self-serving to say, but I figure that if it makes me feel less anxious, I should just do it. I suspect that eventually I’d get used to the new aesthetic and forget about it, but that’s my plan for now. Thank you again for sharing.
Hi Jennifer,
Your story just gave me a tremendous amount of comfort & courage for the journey my family & I will have to take in 2 weeks. My sweet & loving 10 year old silky terrier Rosco was diagnosed with Glaucoma a few months ago & as a result has completely lost his vision. It was yesterday that the ophthalmologist strongly suggested the removal of both his eyes as all other treatments have failed. I can not imagine not being able to look into his sweet little eyes even if he is not able to see me but I need to put my own feelings aside & know he will have a better life. Thank you for sharing your story. I pray his days of healing will go quickly. Thank you again for sharing your story.
My beautiful 4 year old husky Keira just went through her enucleation of her right eye yesterday to glaucoma. She lost vision last January in a 24 window because I thought she had just scratched her eye. After a year of drops and fighting her the pressure was on the rise into the 60’s again when the vet said it was time for an emergency operation. We are the day after surgery and she won’t let me near her, won’t go potty, and is crying nonstop. I feel so awful even though surgery was my only choice because I can’t even imagine losing her. Your stories have helped me so much today and I pray we can only get better from here. Thank you so much!
Courtney, Duke and I are sending you and Keira so much love and support! Hoping for a speedy recovery, and once the cone is gone and she’s adjusted to her new depth perception she will be back to herself again. XO Jennifer
Thank you for your site/blog. Interestingly, my dog, Duke, just had the same surgery. I searched on the internet to find some information about my Duke’s strange behavior. We are one week from surgery.
My dog and I just went through a traumatic experience resulting her losing one of her eyes. It was awful witnessing her eye popped out with all the blood and rushing her to a vet. I took her cone off when she got home because she was also afraid of it and now she acts much better. I’d recommend anyone who goes through the experience to also see how it goes without the cone. Hearing your story made me feel better as her eyesight is not very good now since she is 15 years old
Reading this gave me a lot of comfort. My 5 year old Staffordshire Pitbull Terrier went blind two years ago due to cataracts and glaucoma. His ophthalmologist prescribed him eye drops to alleviate both eye pressures due to the glaucoma. The doctor told us yesterday if the drops doesn’t help him enough this month he might need to get both eyes removed. I can’t believe how this is even possible. Without eyes? Can’t seem to process this at all. At least with the eyes, even though he’s blind, it gives me a little comfort into believing maybe he sees a little light. But if eyes are removed then it will be confirmation he really is blind. Ever since doctor told me this news yesterday, I feel like I could’ve done better for him. And asking myself how things will be if it gets to the point where the doctor says it’s time. He is a good boy, not a single mean bone in him and he’s just filled with love and kindness always ready to play and eat his favorite snacks. Over thinking and worried my Chance is going to be stressed and not live a happy life until I read this post. As for the cone, I also fear that my Chance becomes depressed or upset about the cone. Thank you for sharing your experience and Dukes experience. You are not alone in this and neither are we. Chance, Duke, and every other dog or pet in this world who are going through this are super dogs and super pets! Sending Duke hugs, kisses, and belly rubs.
Karloline, my heart goes out to you. It is a very difficult decision to make, but I can say (now that I’m on the other side of it) that it has been such a relief. Chance will get to live his life without pain and he will get to show you an even more incredible side of him. Hugs, kisses and belly rubs back to you and Chance!
Thanks so much for your post! Our beagle, Hunter, just had both of his eyes removed on Friday. He had already lost his sight due to glaucoma and was no longer responding to treatment. He had to have been in so much pain but he is such an amazing dog, he didn’t even show it. But the cone!!! O M Goodness…we are on day 3 and he is scratching at it constantly trying to get it off. He is doing really well navigating around the house but that stupid thing gets caught on everything. I can’t wait for him to heal and get rid of that thing so he can go back to just being a dog…no pain…belly rubs, walks and treats!! All the best to you and your pup! Hunter is going to do great!!!
Thank you so much for sharing this!! So happy I found your post. I am 2 days away from one eye surgery removal (the other one not, at least not now for the moment) and I am so so worry and even planned to cancel it. I am so scared of his reaction, I love him to death and I would never want to make him suffer at all. The doctor insisted that he is suffering more now so this is what convinced but still, I felt heartbroken and not sure of what to do…
Hi Maria, my little Daisy recently lost her remaining eye a few weeks ago and due to Glaucoma. It was the hardest decision and we almost pulled out of it the night before. I took Daisy into the vet for her operation the next day and still torn over the decision but the vet explained how painful the disease was so I gave the go ahead. It’s been about 5 weeks since losing her second eye and she is doing amazing, it only took her a few days to physically recover from the operation and you could tell straight away the pain was gone, her entire personality changed from what it had been the past year and a half. Although she is still adjusting to being blind she has mapped out the house and can now find her own water bowl and make her way outside through our doggy door. I completely know my decision was the right one for Daisy. If you only need to remove one eye then I guarantee you it will be fine. They manage as if they still had 2. If it comes to removing the second eye, it will be hard but again, it’s not the end of the world, they just need a little more attention than usual. You pooch will pull through and be much better off in the long run.
Hi Maria, my little Daisy recently lost her remaining eye a few weeks ago and due to Glaucoma. It was the hardest decision and we almost pulled out of it the night before. I took Daisy into the vet for her operation the next day and still torn over the decision but the vet explained how painful the disease was so I gave the go ahead. It’s been about 5 weeks since losing her second eye and she is doing amazing, it only took her a few days to physically recover from the operation and you could tell straight away the pain was gone, her entire personality changed from what it had been the past year and a half. Although she is still adjusting to being blind she has mapped out the house and can now find her own water bowl and make her way outside through our doggy door. I completely know my decision was the right one for Daisy. If you only need to remove one eye then I guarantee you it will be fine. They manage as if they still had 2. If it comes to removing the second eye, it will be hard but again, it’s not the end of the world, they just need a little more attention than usual. Your pooch will pull through and be much better off in the long run.
Kirsty, big hugs to you and Daisy! I’m so glad she has relief from that pain and she is finding her way around. It is such a difficult decision, but I would do it again in a heartbeat if needed. Duke had a very happy life without eyes and he taught us so much about the resilience and intelligence of dogs. Wishing you both many years of love and happiness. Jennifer
My dog had one eye removed 4 weeks ago and it is most likely he will lose the other eye soon. I cannot find any info on how to tell if the dog is awake or asleep when both eyes have been removed. Obviously some body positions will give a clue, but not all. Anything you can possibly share with me.
Great question. It can be a bit of a learning curve, and each dog will be different. What we found with Duke is that his eyebrows moved differently when he was awake. When he was asleep, his muscle tone was much more relaxed and there was less movement. If he was awake, there was more “alertness” to his muscle tone, and his eyebrows would move more. Duke was a short-haired dog, so it was easier to see his muscle tone than it would be on a long-haired dog. You might need to look for hairs twitching, subtle nostril movements, or just differences in breathing. What was funny is that Duke learned to take advantage of the fact that we couldn’t always tell if he was awake or asleep. If it was late at night or cold outside, he would stay very, very still, “pretending” to be asleep. 🙂 But his eyebrows always gave him away. I wish you and your dog the best! Jennifer
I have a almost 9yr old cockapoo who had a very advanced cataract by the time he was 5. He was beginning to get a cataract in the other eye so after a consultation with the eye specialist I decided to do cataract surgery on both eyes last October with high hopes of him regaining his eyesight and living a long normal life. Well that didn’t happen. 1 wk post op his pressure was 75 and 35. They performed some kind of emergency procedure to bring down the pressure which they were able to do but he lost vision in the one eye almost immediately. This was his good eye too that had a small cataract. I had lots of regrets doing both eyes! So now we have a complication of glaucoma! After 10months we have maxed out on eye drops! Up to 6 drops 3 x day. Bentley has a eye appointment tomorrow and I am afraid of what they are going to tell me. Reading your story is very encouraging and inspirational. The vet told me I would have 3 options, injection, enucleation or removing the eye with a prosthetic eye. I found your site by researching these options. Now I have to just make the decision.
This has helped me , my little Maltese had to have this done yesterday and I have cried and felt like “ how could I let them do this to my little girl “ and still having a hard time feeling like I made the wrong choice! My little Lexi is 13 with CHF but she made it through the surgery, she is stronger than I am , pray for little Lexi and love and prayers to yours!!
My youngest pup Corbin had to have emergency surgery on Saturday to remove his eye. He is so sad and so confused. I took the day off and am just comforting him as much as I can. I know in the long run he will have a better quality of life. Finding your blog is helping me feel we made the right decision.
I’m so grateful to have found your website. My Snoopy has his double enucleation tomorrow and I’ve been a wreck. He’s had glaucoma for a couple years and while his pressures have been normal with drops he has regular ulcerations. This time so bad it was clear he needed the surgery. I decided to have the other eye removed because he couldn’t see out of it and this will avoid more injuries. He gets around so well and I’ve been so proud of him. I believe he’ll be better especially after reading your story and seeing how adorable Duke looked afterwards. It’s so comforting to read about your experience and others and relate to all the emotions about it. Thank you so very much for providing such comfort.
Why isn’t Duke with you and your other dog in your profile pic? It’s sad that he’s not included. It especially stands out because this story is about him, and then he’s not even in your pic.
Thank you for sharing Duke’s story and for creating this community of people who have gone through a shared experience. I read through ALL of the comments and felt comforted and informed and encouraged. I am scheduling the appointment right now to have my 13 year old cocka-poo’s right eye removed due to glaucoma. We can’t get her pressure below 60, and her sight is now gone in that eye. In a matter of 5 weeks, the vet went from “she just has allergies” to “her eye needs to be removed.” It’s been a lot to take in. (And yes, I’ve gotten a 2nd opinion from a dog ophthalmologist.) I’m dreading the surgery, but feel encouraged by everyone’s comments above.