We’ve had a setback with Asa’s eye. At his followup with the ophthalmologist on Thursday, he detected small hemorrhages unrelated to the Golden Retriever Pigmentary Uveitis (GRPU). As the eye specialist explained to us, they are located in the back part of Asa’s eye in the retina, whereas GRPU usually involves the iris in front. At this time the cause of these hemorrhages is unknown, but could be a sign of an underlying disorder. The most common cause is tick-borne illness or hypertension. However, there could be any number of issues causing it. Therefore, he recommended a visit with Asa’s primary vet.

Thankfully, we were able to get an appointment the following day on Friday. Unfortunately the blood work came back inconclusive, and didn’t give us any clues as to the cause. As Asa’s vet explained, this is good news though, because it ruled out some of the ophthalmologist’s concerns. Asa has tested positive in the past for exposure to Anaplasmosis, a tick-borne disease, but showed no symptoms. He was treated at the time though with antibiotics. Considering Anaplasmosis can cause a condition in which there is an issue with platelets, she agreed with the eye specialist’s recommendation that he should be prescribed antibiotics.

As for the concern about hypertension, checking Asa’s blood pressure proved a lot easier said than done. You know Asa, he loves being the center of attention, and visiting his friends at the animal hospital is no exception. Add to that the excitement of a fashionable blood pressure cuff to wear on his leg, a hug from the vet tech to keep him still, and he became a tail wagging happy boy. The two very patient vet techs did 5 blood pressure readings, three were high, and two were within the normal range. Based on Asa’s readings, and his overall demeanor, the veterinarian felt blood pressure was not the cause of the hemorrhages in his eye. However, she did recommend we periodically return to get more readings for comparison. And yes, Mom and Dad did consider investing in a dog blood pressure machine, but at this point we are holding off. Mom and Dad are NOT doctors, and they don’t want to complicate the situation with false or inaccurate readings.

The veterinarian did order two more tests that the eye specialist didn’t, to rule out additional underlying causes. They needed “samples” for that, which Asa happily obliged to do this morning, and we will be dropping off when they open. The results from those will take a couple weeks, and will be back in time for our followup with Asa’s ophthalmologist in a month.

Now after all this news, we still are dealing with Asa’s GRPU. The cysts in his eye appeared to be stable with no new inflammation. However, the eye specialist did detect the cysts are causing the iris to slightly bow inward, which may affect his vision. However, at this time, Asa’s vision appears to be clinically normal. So that’s at least some good news!

Needless to say we were blindsided at Thursday’s appointment by the news of the hemorrhages unrelated to GRPU. Asa has been adjusting very well to his new perspective with one eye, and showing no signs of discomfort or other issues. There is hope that whatever the cause, we have caught it early. The hemorrhages were not detected one month earlier in March when we went for a second opinion. Nor did Asa’s primary eye specialist note it when he saw him two months ago in February following his emergency surgery. Hopefully the antibiotics will work if it is caused by an infection, or the additional tests will help guide treatment. Also retinal hemorrhages can heal on their own. Just like Asa was able to absorb some of his earlier cysts, he may just take care of this problem himself. Paws crossed he does.

As we continue on Asa’s journey with GRPU, we will keep you updated, and as always appreciate your positive thoughts and prayers. Thank you!