One year ago, on February 10, 2023, Asa had emergency surgery to remove his left eye due to Golden Retriever Pigmentary Uveitis. The memories and emotions of that day are still fresh in our minds. However, today we are not going to dwell on the events of that day. Instead we are celebrating how Asa has thrived this past year, meeting each new challenge with his positive attitude, as we work together as a team.
Without realizing it, the first sign that Asa was going to be alright was when he returned home from the animal hospital and wolfed down his dinner. Having spent a day and a half at the emergency room, we assumed he was simply regaining his appetite after surgery. For years, Asa was a very slow eater. He would even take breaks sometimes mid-meal, which would drive me crazy! Well following the surgery, Asa gained a voracious appetite. So much so, not only did I have to start guarding my own bowl during meals, but he had to switch to a slow feeder bowl. This made us happy and sad all at the same time. Although we thought Mom and Dad had his eye situation under control with his eyedrops and exams prior to the surgery, he was keeping a secret as to just how much that eye was bothering him. Clearly he was feeling a lot better now that the eye was removed, and whatever discomfort he was experiencing when eating was gone. The emergency surgeon and his regular ophthalmologist both cautioned his personality could change as a result of the surgery, but a new joy for mealtimes was definitely not a change any of us anticipated.
Another sign early on that Asa was going to be alright was the first night he insisted on going upstairs. His depth perception was off, causing him to walk with great hesitation around the downstairs of our home, and just doing the two steps to get outside were a challenge. But he missed sleeping upstairs in his room with me. Therefore, it was me who was right by his side, without any prompting from Mom and Dad, who helped guide Asa up those stairs that first night! And the next morning, I patiently waited at the top of the stairs, to help guide Asa back down. It was then that Mom and Dad knew that whatever the future was for Asa, as his big brother I would be right there guiding him onward as a team.
The biggest obstacle for us to overcome those first few days home was not startling Asa on his blindside. That took some retraining for us, not him. Mom and Dad had to make a conscious effort to announce their presence when they were approaching on that side. For example if he was sleeping, they would let him know it was them, so he would not suddenly awake turning his head to see and whack it on something. Also when giving him something like a treat, toy, putting down his dinner bowl, or even petting him, they had to make a conscious effort to approach from his good side. Instinctively I knew that I had to learn this too, and mastered this new technique without much prompting from Mom and Dad. When I want Asa’s attention, I now approach on his good side. I admit though, when I want to be left alone, I will sneak away on his blindside, and occasionally I will steal his toys on that side too. As for Asa, he also uses his blindside to his advantage and will turn that side to Mom or Dad if caught sneaking off with an ill-gotten sock or a shoe, or if he wants a little alone time.
To further protect him, Mom and Dad adjusted some of the furniture, especially in the crowded office, giving him a wider berth to turn around so he wouldn’t bang his blindside. They also added “baby bumpers” to sharp corners on the office desks and other furniture that were eye level. Although the corners proved not to be so big of a problem once his depth perception improved. Now he’s back to napping in the most confined spaces of the office again. We were told not to change anything around the house too significantly as his eyesight continues to diminish in his right eye. This had us concerned about how Asa would adjust to Mom’s obsession with Christmas decorations. So Mom put his protective goggles on him the first day as he stuck his head into the branches of the artificial tree, and breathed in deeply. But once he got adjusted to their locations around the house, the goggles came off and he enjoyed the Holidays as much as ever. Perhaps a little too much, based on his insistence of continually stealing the sheep from the nativity set!
Walks were the first big learning curve that Asa had to master. Prior to all this, we trained Mom and Dad to walk by our sides at a heel. Thankfully Asa’s good eye was the side closest to them, so he could continue keeping an eye on them watching for visual cues when direction etc, were about the change. However, Asa was getting a mixed message when it came to the gear he would wear. Prior to surgery on regular walks, Asa wore a collar, and on hikes we’d sometimes switch to a harness. However, after the surgery, the ophthalmologist recommended that Asa wear a harness every time he’s on a leash, to reduce any unnecessary pressure on his neck that would translate to his eye. This is where the confusion set in for Asa. On hikes Asa would have more freedom in his harness, and not always need to stay at a close heel. So by putting him in a harness, he took that as to mean the rules were relaxed. Therefore he started pulling on walks. It took some time to retrain him to know while in a harness which walks required him to stay at a heel, and eventually which were hikes where he had more freedom. They also worked with our trainer to focus more on verbal and touch commands, that helped them better walk as a team. Asa understands the difference between walks and adventures now. However, I’ve noticed in unfamiliar places, Asa tends to stay at a close heel to Mom or Dad’s side until he feels comfortable.
Asa’s biggest challenge was getting use to wearing Rex Specs goggles when playing and going on hikes. The eye specialist was concerned that given his lack of depth perception, he could accidentally injure his good eye. There was also the overriding concern of keeping the right eye safe because it was the only vision he has and we want to keep it as long as possible. On the Rex Specs website there are training videos on how to slowly get a dog accustomed to the goggles. Thankfully, Asa’s agreeable nature helped with those short training sessions. But he’d also get annoyed and would start to paw or roll, to try to remove them. That’s when Mother Nature stepped in to help. Asa absolutely loves snow, and up until then there wasn’t a lot of it that winter. Then in March came the perfect Maine nor’easter! Asa was so excited to get outside that he let Mom and Dad put those goggles on him, as he rushed out to play. Then he surprised us all! Up until then, we had been purposely avoiding playing fetch around Asa. He was still adjusting to life with one eye, and we weren’t sure if he could play fetch. Dad decided though to take a chance and tossed the ball. Well much to our surprise, especially to me, he raced past me and got to the ball first! Asa could play fetch!!! It was at that moment we all finally could breathe a sigh of relief knowing our little buddy was going to be alright. Ever since that day, Asa now associates the goggles with having fun, and will spin in excitement when it is time to wear them.
Speaking of spinning, as alluded to earlier, as the year progressed we started taking Asa back to familiar places that he loves, and to new places. Here we could see where having the lack of depth perception could affect him, with a misstep over something in his path he didn’t see, banging into things on his blindside while being distracted on his right, pulling in a direction to get a better look at something, and being startled by someone approaching on his blindside. The first three issues we are all adapting and working with him, as we learn to identify obstacles and guide him. However, we’re still working on confidence, when being startled on his blindside by things out of our control, especially from behind. He’s not scared. But he will do a sudden spin without warning to see what is approaching, whether it be a jogger, an adoring fan rushing to greet him, or even a seagull swooping high above his head. Although he is spinning less now, we haven’t brought him to any big events yet like we use to attend. We feel he isn’t ready, and could injure himself or someone else with his spinning. But it is our goal to continue working with him, and slowly increase the distraction level, so we can all enjoy these events once again.
Another area where he needed a boost, both literally and figuratively is getting back on the couch and bed. Oh sure, Mom and Dad have the four paws on the floor rule, but Asa is never one to follow rules. That confidence took the longest to regain, and it wasn’t until July that Asa was brave enough to jump up on the bed on his own, to rescue a stuffie friend. Oh the happy dance he did on the bed that day, when he realized he could get up there on his own again! He did not attempt the much narrower couch until November. But he’s getting up there more regularly now, and Mom and Dad are not about to tell him no! Although as his big brother and enforcer of the rules, I do occasionally grab his leg and try to convince him to get his four paws back on the floor where they belong.
As the months went on, we noticed that he was discovering his other senses. The look of bliss on his face as he walked with his nose in the air, catching every scent, is new to Asa who use to depend heavily on his vision. Prior to the surgery, we played nose work games, but he was never very good at it compared to me. He would please Mom and Dad by giving a half-hearted effort of trying to sniff out the lure, but for the most part he would stay by their side waiting for them to show him where it was located. In the past I would even get annoyed, and after a suitable amount of time I’d leave my down/stay to show him myself. But now his nose is giving him a whole new appreciation for the world around him. He absolutely loves playing nose work games now. Asa also has become more attuned to his hearing. In the past, he often didn’t react to noises, while I leaped to defend our home. Now even the slightest noise, it is Asa’s head who lifts first to acknowledge it, and 9 times out of 10, he is the first to let us know when we have visitors or a package is being delivered. A superpower that I am somewhat jealous of, but also appreciate the extra help in guarding our house.
Has the past year all been good? No, it hasn’t. There have been setbacks, frustrations, and a steep learning curve for all of us. As we approach the one year anniversary of Asa losing his left eye, we are cautiously monitoring his right. As with the left eye, he developed blood clots. The clot is now directly in front of his pupil, and giving him only peripheral vision. However, his eyesight remains, limited as it may be, and he is showing no signs that it is bothering him or about to slow him down. We don’t know where his journey with Golden Retriever Pigmentary Uveitis will lead us next, but we do know Asa is will continue to meet these challenges with his positive attitude, and we will be right by his side working as a team. By sharing this part of his journey, we hope it helps others who are facing a diagnosis of Golden Retriever Pigmentary Uveitis to know that in time their dog will be alright. I think the best advice our ophthalmologist gave us following his surgery was “let Asa be Asa,” and enjoy his life, and that is exactly what we’ve done.
