Dear friends, on Friday Asa had to have emergency surgery to remove his left eye. Events escalated quickly, and it was our only option to relieve Asa’s excruciating pain. This journey began 4 weeks ago when Asa developed blood in his pupil. Since 2018 Asa has been monitored by an ophthalmologist for Golden Retriever Pigmentary Uveitis. So we knew Asa needed to be seen immediately. At the time of the emergency room exam, the source for the blood could not be found. Therefore the emergency animal hospital’s ophthalmologist and Asa’s eye doctor came up with a plan of treatment, with rechecks every two weeks. Through it all Asa remained his happy-go-lucky self. No signs of pain or even discomfort.

Asa’s optimism seemed to be paying off, because at the two week checkup, the pressure in his left eye was back to the normal range. Although the blood remained, it appeared we were on the right track. The treatment regiment of eyedrops and oral medications would continue, while we monitored for changes in the eye itself and in his behavior.

However, that all changed at Asa’s one month checkup on Thursday. That day the pressure in Asa’s eye had soared, and the examination showed that he was now blind in his left eye. The ophthalmologist diagnosed Asa with Iris Bombe, and said his eye needed to be removed because the pressure in it would become intolerable. At that point though, Asa still showed no signs that he was in pain. His appetite was fine. He continued to play and be energetic. No pawing at his face. No changes in routine or personality. We all thought we had time. The surgery was scheduled for mid-March, and we also scheduled a second opinion which would have been on Valentine’s Day. It wasn’t that we didn’t trust the diagnosis, but Mom and Dad wanted as much information as they could have before the surgery.

All that changed on Friday morning. Asa awoke acting “off.” He didn’t greet Mom with his usual enthusiasm, and sat with his back to her. We assumed he needed to go out. On his walk with Dad, he didn’t prance like he normally does, but walked uncharacteristically slow. When they returned it was time for his first round of eyedrops for the day. Asa winced, and wouldn’t let Dad touch his head. The eye still looked the same though. Rapidly everything escalated. Asa began vomiting, pacing, whimpering, and pressing his head against things. We know from our Angel Lemmy, that the pressing of the head meant he was in pain. Within 2 hours of waking, Asa’s eye turned a blue haze and had sudden visible swelling.

At the emergency animal hospital, the pressure in his eye had drastically increased from the day before. His ophthalmologist was contacted, and the emergency ophthalmologist agreed that we no longer had time. Our Asa was in excruciating pain that could not be controlled. The emergency surgeon had to remove his left eye.

I’m not going to sugarcoat it. The last few days have been a nightmare. Our normally optimistic little buddy could use your positive vibes. However, as of Monday morning, our lovable goofball is smiling again, and we can see signs that Asa’s going to be alright. But he needs our help. We are going to be taking time off to be with Asa as he heals and adjusts to life with one eye. Rest assured though, we will be back, and sharing our adventures again! Because Asa still has a lot of songs and jokes to share in his grand adventure!