For a while now we’ve been sharing Asa’s journey with Golden Retriever Pigmentary Uveitis. Today we’re sharing my recent excellent annual eye exam. Spoiler alert: my ophthalmologist called me “perfect!” But of course I’m perfect, I’m Chuck Billy!
I have to admit my appointment got off to an awkward start. Asa’s friend, Dan the vet tech, came walking over to us in the waiting room, big smile on his face, and started to say, “Hi As…,” then looked at me, stopped short, and checked his chart. Yep, they are so use to seeing Asa, I totally surprised him that it was my turn for a visit. However, I quickly won him over with my charm.
After the initial obligatory “How’s Asa?”, and check-in questions of are there any concerns about me, which there weren’t any, we got down to business. First he put drops in my eye. I have to admit, although I recognized the eyedrops bottle from Asa’s similar ones at home, I was totally throw off that the drops were going into my eyes this time! How does Asa do this multiple times day and night? As I blinked to adjust, Dan then checked my tear production, by putting a test strip under my eyelid. I was having none of that! Despite Dad and Dan holding my head still while he counted off the seconds which seems liked hours, I shook my head and sent the test strip flying. HA! Chuck Billy: 1 / Tears Test: 0! I repeated this a second time, but then Dan shook a big box of test strips and said he had plenty to keep trying. That was when I settled down and patiently waited as he did one eye and then the other. The results – “prefect!”
Next up was what Asa calls the “Ziggy Stardust Test.” It is when they put orange fluorescein stain on my eyes to help detect any abrasions, scratches, ulcerations and lacerations on the cornea. Dan then turned out the lights and took a gadget to get a closer look. Now I love being the center of attention, but his gazing into my eyes so intensely got me squirming again. But soon the lights were back on, and he was saying everything looked “great!”
Dan then got another instrument, and proclaimed, “now to test the pressure.” I braced myself. I, the renowned Dog Ufologist, am always calm under pressure! The test confirmed that coming in at 18 mmHg for both eyes, well within the normal range of 10 to 25 mmHg for dogs. Mom and Dad breathed a huge sign of relief. If they’ve learned anything on this journey with Asa’s GRPU, it is that high pressure and low pressure are both cause for concern. Last but definitely not least, Vet Tech Dan put more drops in my eyes to dilate them, and gave me treats for being a good patient. He then exited the room to get the ophthalmologist. Finally, I could relax. That was a lot of excitement!
When Asa’s best friend the ophthalmologist entered the room, I have to admit I couldn’t see him too well thanks to the drops that dilated my eyes. But that didn’t prevent me from giving him an exuberant welcome, to which he asked, “Chuck Billy is 12? Does he know it?” Taking the hint, I soon composed myself, and settled in for the exam by the eye specialist. We all held our breath, including Mom and Dad, as the lights were turned off, and he took a special instrument to gaze into my eyes. This was the moment of truth! He took his time as he methodically checked, and once again I got squirmy. It took Dad, Dan, and the ophthalmologist to convince me to hold still. But do you blame me? After hearing about all those negative appointments with Asa, I was nervous.
Finally the lights were turned on and the ophthalmologist proclaimed, “Chuck Billy’s eyes are perfect!” No signs of cysts, pigmentation was excellent, and some other good things, but I wasn’t really listening because I was too busy thinking of how he called me “perfect!” When I did tune back in, I heard him say, “Chuck Billy doesn’t need to come back.” Wait? WHAT?! I’m Chuck Billy! Who wouldn’t want to see me again? Mom noticed the shocked look on my face, and explained to me, “No offense Chuck Billy, but he doesn’t want to see you again because you’re perfect!” Although this did lead Dad to ask, “can we bring Chuck Billy along to Asa’s next appointment? Because it is so great to finally hear good news!” To this we all laughed and sighed. The ophthalmologist added that my eyes are “excellent” for my age, and I should have nothing to worry about moving forward in terms of GRPU. However, he did go over the usual list of things to look for in case anything changed, including redness, squinting, discharge, and rubbing at the eye.
And with that, we all left the animal hospital with the biggest grins on our faces! I couldn’t wait to get home to tell Asa that the ophthalmologist and the vet tech both called me, “Mr. Perfect!” Alright, I may have added the Mr. part, but I’m sure that was implied.
