[momofreese]

I took my seven year old baby, reese to the vet today because I was noticing her eyes were very crusted, sticky and red in the mornings. I haven't noticed her scratching them, but I usually have to clean them each morning or otherwise it looks as if she can barely open them. I thought it was an allergy since she is also chomping on her front paws constantly.

Well, look out. I thought I was going as a precaution to hear that she is allergic or just might be dust etc, to hear instead that she has dry eye, after a test was done for it. One eye tested 15 and one eye tested 10. She is now on an ointment twice daily for the rest of her life for dry eye. I was really shocked to hear that she has something that can be very dangerous, often leading to blindness if not treated.

My vet also decided to run a thyroid test (since she is very overweight, and always has been and now has this eye problem) as well as a cbc and gd knows what other tests. All I know is my bill was $408.00 which nearly made me fall over. The eye ointment is $44.00 for a microscopic tube used twice daily.. visit was $55.00 to walk in, and blood tests including a heart worm test were about three hundred dollars!

I guess I have been lucky because I have never been hit with such a bill in her seven years. The only other bill that was not even close to that was for her teeth cleaning.

Is this common for dogs her age.. I suppose she is starting to get old or what is considered old for yorkies. I was so shocked at the cost and so concerned about her diagnosis. I also wonder why my vet didn't wait to see if the ointment helps before testing her for Gd knows what else.

I just wanted to know if others experience this at their vet and if others could comment on the dry eye. I researched it online but they really do not discuss much of anything. I also didn't think from what I read that her numbers were so bad.

Any help would be appreciated.

Also, does anyone have a great vet on the south shore of Long Island, in New York. I think it is time for me to look for someone else that might not run to do so many tests.

Any and all advice on the dry eye and any weight reducing ideas would be so helpful. I now learned that she is up to a hefty 12 pounds and in the past was as low as eight pounds. I am so concerned about diabetes and the affect that the extra weight will have on her knees and hips which already arent the healthiest.

Sorry to throw so much at you, but I never realized she has so many health issues or at least not at once. She never complains and is so sweet ..even though she is a compulsive eater.. so what else is new, her mom is the same way.

Thanks to all and have a great night.