Sorry this is so long, but please read! I NEED ADVICE!
Back in July, I let Bucky out in our fenced backyard and he got bit by a Bulldog that got in.
He had a gash on his head and there was a “blood bubble” where his right eye should have been.
I totally freaked out when this happened.
I rushed him to our vet. The vet said that he had an ocular hemorrhage and gave me some antibiotics to prevent infection and an ointment to keep the eye area moist. He sent us home assuring me that Bucky would heal up fine and he would NOT be blind in that eye.
As the weeks passed his personality was the same, my playful little guy. I noticed that his eye was clouding over. My husband and I have some experience “doctoring animals” as our business is farming and ranching. We doctor our own cattle yearly, but I am not comfortable trying to diagnose my baby because he is so small and I am not a vet. Anyway, I knew that the cloudiness in his eye meant that he was blind, but he had no sign of infection and he was acting perfectly normal.
It did not look very “cute”, but he is my baby no matter what imperfection he has. So I thought “Ok, so he is blind in one eye, but he is still the same old Bucky personality wise. I just have to keep watch over him because if he gets too excited he runs into stuff on that side.”
Well, the first of last week I noticed this membrane looking thing in the inside, bottom corner of his eye (I later found out that dogs have a third eyelid, but I will get to that in a minute). As the days progressed it started to cover his eye more and more. Now you cannot see his cloudy little eyeball at all, just the membrane. He is still acting fine and it is not bothering him at all and there are NO signs of infection.
So, yesterday I took him to a vet that specializes in small animals. The vet said that the eye has been damaged so badly that it is dead. The eyeball is shrinking and will continue to and the third eyelid is what I am seeing that is covering it. He said that I have two options:
Option one is to leave it like it is and keep an eye on him to make sure that is does not get infected. Any dirt blowing in the air or hair or particles of anything can get in there. If it does than they will have to remove the eye when his immune system is poor because of the infection. And sew it closed when it is removed.
Option two is to remove it now and saw it shut. My fear with this is that they have to put him under. What if he doesn’t wake up?? He is scheduled to go in on Tuesday to have it done. That way I can keep an eye on him while I am home for the holiday.
Please help!! What would you do?