THE CONTINUING STORY OF ELI FROM BARBADOS… You may remember Eli, a lovely little Bajan terrier who came to us from Barbados last year willows.uk.net/news/m/news/view/279 Unfortunately at that time, Eli arrived with severe complications due to an advanced cataract and had to lose his right eye. At that stage his left eye was normal but, back in Barbados, Eli’s committed owners have been on red alert, watching for any changes to Eli’s remaining (left) eye. One night a few weeks ago they photographed Eli on the beach and, looking at the photo, thought that he had lost his normal ‘eye shine’ – this is the light that shine’s back from animals’ eyes in the dark, the equivalent of ‘red eye’ in photographs of people. They immediately emailed the photo to Willows eye Specialist Heidi, who had operated on Eli last year. Heidi agreed that there appeared to be a problem and that Eli was likely to be developing another cataract, this time in his left eye. The wheels were immediately put in motion and Eli soon found himself on a plane, flying back to the UK. After a trip up to Willows from Gatwick, Eli met up again with all the Willows staff, who were delighted to reacquaint themselves with this easy going little patient. Heidi examined Eli and confirmed the presence of a cataract that could easily lead to blinding complications, as it had in the other eye. By the next day, Eli had undergone microsurgery to remove the cataractous lens inside his eye and to replace it with an artificial, implanted plastic lens made especially for dogs. The surgery had gone very well, but cataract surgery in our doggy patients doesnt end there! The aftercare of dogs who have had cataract surgery is very important, and they require quite intensive treatment and monitoring, especially in the first few weeks after surgery. Enter the dog sitting brigade! With Eli’s owners back in Barbados, Heidi had found willing local volunteers, who would take Eli into their homes, give him his medication and bring him back to Willows for regular check-ups. He stayed with his first carer, Susan, for two weeks and the next for another fortnight, before his flight back to the sun. Eli is so laid-back that he had no trouble in immediately settling in with each of his dog sitters – he loves a tummy rub (as you can see from the photos) and he has enjoyed the sun (when it has shone!). He sleeps with his bum against the oven when it is on (the warmth reminds him of home!) and he loves being brushed. His vision is really good, and his second dog sitters made him an eye chart and they say he can read down to the third line already! To see photos of Eli before and after his operation, and to have a go at reading his eye chart yourself, just follow the link: willows.uk.net/news/m/news/view/373 If you would like to know more about cataracts and cataract surgery in dogs and cats click on the link… willows.uk.net/specialist-services/pet-health-information/ophthalmology/cataract-surgery willows.uk.net/news/m/news/view/373
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 14:00:02 +0000