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Jersey's Story
by Sharon
Wachsler
Excerpted from the Bouvier Mail list
with the author's permission
This is the story of what happened with Jersey and her
eye.
About four months ago Jersey got an eye infection in her right eye. I tried
to get an ophthalmologist's appointment, but one was not available for almost two
weeks. I took her to my regular vet right away, who diagnosed her with conjunctivitis. I treated her with Neo-Predef ointment for ten days and then
she saw the ophthalmologist. Even though the infection had resolved I wanted
her to see the ophthalmologist just to check things out in general because her
right eye has an existing injury (a scar) and I wanted to know if that interfered with her vision and also that eye looked a little cloudy to me, so
I just wanted to check things out. The eye vet said her eyes were fine and
that the scar was below her line of vision, but that she has small cataracts
in both eyes and I should bring her back in 3 to 6 months to have those checked.
Keep in mind that whenever Jersey goes to any vet I cannot bring her inside
myself because the chemicals in use in vet offices would cause me debilitating symptoms. So different friends and family members take
Jersey in to the appointments -- which often requires a lot of tricky scheduling and
organizing -- but I always send a letter explaining my concerns and then
speak with the vet on the phone afterwards. But I think sometimes, in not
being present for the exam, I have missed pieces of information which might
have been valuable.
Meanwhile things have been wonderful with Jersey. We have reached the point
where we are really a service dog team. She has learned most of the skills I
felt would be the most useful and possible, and I have come to rely on her
tremendously, both as my constant companion and also in changing my life for
the better by allowing me to have a little more independence and freedom. I
have basically devoted the last nine months -- limiting my ability to do
almost anything else -- to Jersey and it has been a wonderful, remarkable
experience. We have the kind of bond I have never had with any other animal
(or people). No matter what happens, I wouldn't trade her for the world.
Thursday, November 18 the nightmare began. I was brushing Jersey that
night and found a lump on her belly. I called the vet the next day and was
able to get an appointment for Monday when my friend Cat could bring her in.
On Sunday, I noticed that Jersey was not herself during our walk -- she kept
veering into the path of the scooter and not heeling properly. I stopped and
examined her and noticed her right eye was irritated. I thought it looked
like conjunctivitis again, so when she went to the vet the next day I asked
them to check her eye as well.
The lump turned out to be an umbilical hernia, which they said was not an
emergency, but should be repaired. The vet said her eye problem was conjunctivitis and I should use the Neo-Predef ointment, just as last time.
I scheduled Jersey's hernia surgery with her regular vet and the cataract
follow-up appointment with the eye vet, fitting them in with Cat's schedule.
Two days later -- Wednesday morning (the day before Thanksgiving) -- Jersey's
eye had not gotten better, but worse. She had spent a restless night, pacing,
getting up and down, and generally acting odd. I took her out at 1 AM, thinking she needed to go to the bathroom or was restless and wanted to play,
but neither was the case. Neither of us slept much that night. I decided to
take her to the emergency clinic first thing in the morning, hoping that the
eye doctor would consult after we were triaged. Fortunately my friend Heidi
was visiting for Thanksgiving and we made the trip together. It's well over
an hour in each direction. I waited two hours in the car while Jersey was
thoroughly examined by the vet on call, and then by our eye vet. The first
thing I said to Heidi when she and Jersey returned to the car was "Tell me
it's not glaucoma." She said that it wasn't, that she had been thoroughly
examined by both the regular vet and then seen by the eye vet, and that her
pressure had been checked. This was a huge relief to me. She was diagnosed
with episcleritis, which apparently the eye vet had suspected in the previous
bout of "conjunctivitis" and had told my regular vet might re-occur. I had
never heard this from either vet, so I was shocked. I was told to continue to
use the Neo-Predef, that that would treat the
episcleritis. When I got home I
called the vet who had seen Jersey and asked why, if this was the right treatment, her eye had gotten worse instead of better in the last two days.
He couldn't really explain, but assured me it was the right course of treatment.
Meanwhile, Jersey became more and more miserable. I knew she was in bad pain.
She was blinking her eye and keeping it shut some of the time, and she was
withdrawn and uninterested in play or work. Heidi had told them that on Wednesday.
On Thanksgiving she yelped twice when somebody bumped against her face, something she has NEVER done before -- she is silent as a mouse, very stoic,
as are most bouviers. On Friday I called the clinic and spoke to the other
eye vet who was on call. I described Jersey's pain and the diagnosis and
treatment. She told me to give her some aspirin and prescribed Atropine and
said to bring Jersey in on Monday. A friend picked up the medicine for me and
I began using it right away, continuing with the Neo-Predef.
On Monday I drove Jersey to the eye doctor again. This time a different friend took her inside. Knowing that Jersey was in constant pain -- the
changes in her behavior and the anxiety of not knowing what was wrong --
along with the exertions and exposures that came with these frequent long
drives in heavy highway smog were taking their toll on me.
When Kim brought Jersey back to the car and told me it was glaucoma I was
shocked. It was a horrible moment. I was given several prescriptions for eye
drops that had to be filled and used right away. I drove immediately to my
pharmacy. At this point I still knew very little, as the eye vet had said
very little about what this all meant in terms of Jersey's sight, pain, and
chances.
I wrote up a lengthy list of questions and called the eye vet. The news was
bad. First of all, when they had checked the pressure on Wednesday it HAD
been "slightly elevated" in the right eye, but she had not thought it "significant." (They did not tell this to me or Heidi on Wednesday. All I
knew was that they had checked the pressure and it was OK. If I had known it
was "slightly elevated" I would have made Heidi go back in and demand more
information.) The vet admitted that, in hindsight, with the Bouvier's breed
disposition to glaucoma, along with the other symptoms, she should have brought me back right away for a re-check. She didn't apologize for her
mistake, however. I also learned that the Atropine, which dilates the eye, is
about the worst thing for glaucoma and that Jersey was currently completely
blind in her right eye. She told me the medicines, which Jersey will probably
be on the rest of her life, are intended to bring the pressure down and hopefully restore some of her sight and reduce her pain. She also said that
in most cases of glaucoma the dog does end up completely blind eventually.
She said the chances are high that it will develop in the other eye as well.
She also said that in time the medications might cease to work and then we
could consider options like surgery. She said in some cases the only way to
relieve the pain -- if the vision is not restored at all -- is to remove the
eyeball. This was all pretty devastating news, as I'm sure you can imagine.
It is now Thursday and things seem much brighter. Jersey is responding to the
medication, thank God, and is returning to more of her usual self. On Tuesday
morning after I woke up she came and licked my face -- our usual morning
ritual -- which was the first time she'd done that in a week. She also actually frolicked with me outside that afternoon, and while she has
occasional moments of still acting withdrawn and lethargic, she has for the
most part returned to her usual personality. She is still completely blind in
the right eye, but the left eye looks good (she's on a preventive medication
for the good eye) and we have a follow-up appointment with the eye vet next
week. I am hopeful that she will regain some vision in her right eye.
At this point it is unclear how or if she will be able to assist me any more,
or what her chances for the future are in terms of regaining (and keeping)
her vision and living comfortably and happily. My main concern right now is
trying to regain some semblance of normality for both Jersey and myself, and
to make sure that she is no longer in pain. Everything else we will deal with
in time. I am waiting for her eye to be stable before she gets her abdominal
surgery. After almost ten days of very little activity besides eating, sleeping, and feeling miserable, it was a feeling miserable, it was a
wonderful moment this morning when Jersey kissed me and brought me my slippers.
I will have to be extremely vigilant -- even more than I already was -- about
her eyes for the rest of her life, but I am hopeful that the left one might
remain healthy and that even if she is blind in the right one, as long as she
is not in pain, we will adjust.
On our next appointment to the
veterinary opthamologist I learned that Jersey would not regain sight in
her right eye and that enucleation (surgery to remove the eyeball) was
the recommended course. Apparently the drops we were using to keep the
pressure down were not sufficient to bring it below 40 -- which is still
quite high. Additionally, I learned that these drops, Xalatan and
Trusopt, are toxic, and eventually fail. When that happened we'd have to
enucleate anyway, and it'd be an emergency. The arguments in favor of
enucleation before it became an emergency were that it would keep her
from being in pain (once recovered from surgery) and prevent a secondary
infection or injury if she ran into something with her blind eye. In
December Jersey underwent the surgery. There followed several weeks of
tremendous difficulty, as we were plagued with complications -- the site
became infected (to put this in perspective, in humans there is a 10%
likelihood of infection after surgery, so it's not so unusual) and then
Jersey had a reaction to the antibiotic. Here are my suggestions to
anyone whose dog has undergone enucleation.
1) If you even suspect that there is anything unusual after the surgery,
take your dog to the vet right away. I called my vet twice to find out
if I should be concerned and both times they said it was probably fine.
They were wrong. The faster an infection is treated, the better. ANY of
the following may be signs of infection (Jersey didn't many of these,
but had an infection anyway): ANY oozing after the first day or two
(even a little), crustiness, discoloration, puffiness, or bad smell
around the incision, or the dog
wanting to rub it.
2) Be vigilant for any unusual behavior or symptoms while you dog is on
antibiotics. Jersey had a reaction to the second antibiotic, a sulfa
drug. It started as a slight stiffness and within a day was so bad she
could barely stand or lie down without assistance. These type of
reactions are not the norm, but they occur in a significant minority of
dogs. Even after she was off the antibiotic for a couple days she showed
no improvement, so I took her in for a cortisone shot which helped a
lot, and she returned to normal within
a couple days. For information on most common veterinary medications,
including potential bad side effects or reactions, see http://www.ccweb.net/marvistavet.
3) After your dog recovers from the surgery the eye area should look a
little sunken in. In Jersey's case (again, not that unusual) a little
lacrimal tissue (tear ducts) was accidentally left behind, so her socket
fills with tears over a few weeks and then eventually it drains out.
This doesn't cause her any pain or other problems, but the first time I
saw the area around her scar soaked with water it freaked me out! But,
it's not something to freak out over, just something to be aware of.
It's not an emergency, but if you
notice this happening you should consult your vet
Thu, 13 Jan 2000
Back in the (Scooter) Saddle Again.
Or, Success! (Sort of)
Or, Sharon and Jersey Ride Again
Or, Why Yesterday Reminded Me of the Movie "Ice Castles"
Yesterday Jersey and I went grocery shopping! Wahoo! It was not a stellar
performance by either of us, but we did it -- I'm stocked with meat for the
next month -- and I think that it's a huge boost for both of us to have accomplished it. That's the short version. Here's the long:
When we first arrived I wondered if I'd made a mistake. Jersey was all over
the place when we went across the parking lot so I could take her to the
grass for our pre-shopping potty stop. She was heeling really wide, she wasn't doing her automatic sit, and she didn't even wait for me to release
her and give the command before she squatted! Normally if she'd tried to pee
while she was *supposed* to be heeling I would've corrected her, but since we
both knew why we were there I let it go. I didn't know if her behavior was
from being so out of practice or her vision or both, but I tried to instill
in her some of our work ethic *ahem* before we went in the store.
Well, overall, she got it together and was perfect in the produce section.
Most of the rest of the trip went quite well too. There were a few times we
had some maneuvering trouble -- sometimes my fault and sometimes hers -- and
she ended up in the wrong direction or sniffing a passerby. So, it was not
our best "Ambassador of the Service Dog World" day, but we got the shopping
done, she didn't do anything that was really bad, and we got home and got the
groceries unloaded and took a much-needed shower.
Some highlights of the day: Three people came up to me to remark on how great Jersey was and how
well-behaved. This was often right when she was doing, or had just done,
something incorrect! All three women who made remarks like this were clearly
dog lovers -- one had a GSD in the parking lot and one was wearing a sweater
with golden retrievers all over it -- so I think they were biased. But, it
was nice anyway. The one with the GSD asked where she'd been trained and I
told her I was doing it myself and she was very impressed. That felt nice.
Nobody noticed that she didn't have one eye! (This is the part that reminded
me of "Ice Castles." Hee hee)
When the meat counter guy was handing me the packages one fell on the floor.
I told Jersey to fetch it. She picked it up, then dropped it. I told her to
get it again. And again she picked it up and dropped it. I don't know what
the problem was but I'm sure eventually she would've gotten it, but the guy
just picked it up himself so I didn't get a chance to see. The golden woman
said how great Jersey was. I thought that was funny since, technically, she
had *failed* to retrieve the package. But the woman explained that her golden
would've just eaten up the meat. So, that's certainly an improvement Jersey's
made -- the first time I tried to have her carry meat packages she did kind
of maul one.
There were several children in the store and they were all enchanted with
Jersey. One, of course, was extremely concerned over whether she was a BEAR
or a dog. (She decided on bear). A little boy kept saying, "That's the BIGGEST dog I've ever seen!" Ha ha. I wondered how that kid would've felt
about seeing a really big Bouv, as opposed to the relatively dainty (64 lb)
Jersey. This same kid also pointed out to his mom, "When the machine goes
backwards [my scooter], so does the dog!" I thought, yeah, that's the idea,
kid! To him I think it looked like some automatic, "well-oiled-machine" maneuver, so that was a boost too.
The guy at the fish counter kept dropping the fish JUST out of reach to me.
(The counters are very high, so either they have to hand them to me over the
counter or they have to come around and give them to me). He did the same
thing repeatedly and never apologized. I'm guessing he doesn't like dogs. The
bagger thought it was absolutely adorable that she got to load groceries into
Jersey's packs. I think it made her day.
We had what could have been a horrible accident but for the help of a kind
and quick-thinking woman. The entrance and exits at the Bread & Circus are so
difficult. There are two automatic doors at an L-shaped angle and lined against the walls between the doors are many newspaper wracks. I *always* end
up ramming into the wracks and having to back up and maneuver again. Since
Jersey now knows "behind" I have her behind me because there really isn't
enough room next to me. Well, this time she was behind me when the automatic
door tried to shut. Fortunately my oxygen tank was jutting out and stopped the
door, but as soon as I moved forward it would've hit Jersey. This woman leaped over and grabbed the door, thank goodness, and Jersey never even knew
that she almost got hit. I'm going to have to be REALLY careful going through
there next time. It's hard when you know there are impatient people behind
you, but they'll just have to wait, I guess.
When we got home I gave Jersey the canvas grocery bag to carry down to the
front door. She carried it almost the entire way down, dropped it (it was
kinda heavy and she lost her grip) and then when I told her to pick it up she
did and brought it back to me. Augh! There followed a long and humorous session of her picking it up, going partway down, and then brining it back to
me. I don't know what was going on in her furry head! Anyway, she finally got
that determined look and carried it all the way down. By this time of course,
the Velcro had given way and Jersey left a trail behind her of several items
from the bag! Then I had to send her to retrieve each one! At one point she
picked up a bag with two packages of fish and OF COURSE she picked up the
bottom of the bag so that the fish slid neatly out onto the lawn and Jersey
proudly brought me the empty plastic bag. Ha ha ha! Anyway, eventually we got
all the items into their bags and the bags to the porch and we were able to
unload everything and put it away.
It was quite a memorable day! And, great timing because today we have a snow
storm -- about four inches accumulation at the moment and still falling steadily -- so there's no way I could've used the scooter today.
It feels really good to have Jersey's help again, even though we are CLEARLY
rusty and need some practice! But, I feel very hopeful we can get back to
somewhere close to where we were before the glaucoma took over our lives.
Monday, 10 April 2000
It's just over a year since I got Jersey, and five months since the
surgery. Life has returned to normal. (For now!) The loss of her right
eye does not seem to affect Jersey except in sometimes veering off a
little when we are walking, or in taking a little longer to find things
that I ask her to retrieve.
Her left eye remains healthy. I feel that perhaps the existing injury to
Jersey's right eye is what made it so susceptible to infection, and that
then -- as the veterinary opthamologist suggested -- the infections
triggered the glaucoma. The pressure in Jersey's remaining eye is
checked monthly. It started out at 14 and has dropped to 11. I credit
this to the use of Timolol twice a day, and to herbal remedies which I
give her twice a day in her food. They are wood betony, eyebright, and
bayberry.
I think it's important for all bouv owners to know that while medical
texts on glaucoma say that the upper limit of normal is 25, when Jersey
was first exhibiting symptoms, her pressure was 21. This should have
been a red flag, but the veterinary opthamologist missed it. If your dog
ever has eye problems, make sure a tenometer is used to check the
pressure and find out what the reading is in both eyes. If it's higher
in one eye than the other, that's significant. If it's even anywhere in
the vicinity of 25, that is very significant.
 For now Jersey and I continue on and hope for the best -- a
long, happy
partnership with continuing good health in her left eye.
Sharon and Jersey
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