That was not a happy look I was getting through the camera viewfinder at the veterinary ophthalmologist's clinic last week. Our new arrival Max was just starting a comprehensive eye exam by Dr. Sarah Hoy and an evaluation to see if he was a candidate for cataract surgery. Those strips in his eyes are to check for tear production (his was normal), one of many steps in the process. I could have told him this was for his own good, but I don't think he would have agreed.
Even in the past week we've noticed he's having more difficulty getting around and seems much more hesitant than when he first arrived. Yesterday evening, in fact, when we were letting the dogs out for the last potty stop for the night, he came down the hallway, went past the door, made an abrupt right-hand turn, and plowed head-first into the wall. Ouch. So his self-confidence and carefree attitude about zooming around has been crumbling day by day.
Here Dr. Hoy is checking his intraocular pressure while her vet tech Patty holds him:
Max's eye pressures were normal, too.
Then it was on to the detailed examination of the inside of the eye with the slit-lamp, an ophthalmic microscope:
Again, everything looked good.
Next stop was an ultrasound to look for any retinal detachment:
So far, so good!
That set Max up for the final, and ultimately decisive, test — the electroretinogram, or ERG, which tests retinal function. He would have to pass the ERG to be a candidate for cataract surgery, and this is always the heart-stopper for me (and sometimes the heart-breaker, too).
This device placed on his eye will measure how well the retina is working when a light is flashed into the eye:
The results show up on a screen on a computer, registering as waveforms:
If you click on that photo for a larger image, you may be able to see some of the screen, though the most important part of the waveform is at the beginning, and is obscured by my camera flash.
It didn't take long to get the answer: Max's retinas are working great, and he can have cataract surgery! I told Dr. Hoy and Patty that we rarely get this opportunity to restore or save vision, and we are always thrilled when we can.
At this point it's just a question of scheduling the cataract surgery itself, but the Max-I'm-going-blind-quickly Dachshund will soon be the Max-I-can-see-everything-again Dachshund!
—
New Round Begins
The new Shelter Challenge started Monday, April 9 and ends at midnight on June 17. Grand prize in this round is $5,000, plus $1,000 for weekly winners and $1,000 for state winners. There are also other categories … please see the Shelter Challenge website for details.
*** We are now LISTED UNDER OUR NEW NAME, ROLLING DOG FARM. State is still NH for New Hampshire. ***
Please remember, you can vote every day … consider bookmarking the voting page to make it easy.
We just won $1,000 as a weekly winner for Week 4 of the last contest, and thousands more in the previous contests. The Shelter Challenge really does bring in a lot of money for the animals here!
You can vote in the Shelter Challenge here.
Thank you for your votes!
Rolling Dog Farm Blog 
Leave a reply to Tonya Allen Cancel reply