Alayne took a truck full of dogs over to our vets in Helena at Montana Veterinary Specialists today. On board were Shiloh, for his repeat chemotherapy (it went well); blind Dusty, to have sutures removed from the surgery to resect a tumor on his lip (healed up fine); blind and deaf Blanca for a recheck on a skin condition (getting better but needs another lime sulfur shampoo, which leaves her and us smelling like rotten eggs); and little Ellie May, the blind and deaf Cocker I wrote about yesterday.
In the photo above, Dr. Brenda Culver is using a slit lamp biomicroscope to examine Ellie May's eyes. The slit lamp is a specialized microscope that allows the doctor to have a three-dimensional, magnified view of the structures inside the eye. There are very few regular vets who would have this kind of ophthalmic instrument; typically it's only veterinary ophthalmologists who have it. Although Brenda is our primary care vet, she has a special interest in ophthalmology ... which is why she is so good at it!
As we expected, Ellie May's eyes are indeed painful. Brenda used a Tono-Pen to check the intraocular pressure, or IOP, in each eye. That's what she's doing in this photo. Normal eye pressure in a dog is between 12 and 25 mm Hg (units of mercury), and Brenda found Ellie May's readings were in the 40s. (This is what I got when I used our own Tono-Pen on Tuesday to check her eye pressure.) That is painful. Brenda compared it to living with a throbbing, permanent headache that just keeps pounding away.
Although I suspected Ellie May had glaucoma -- and she does -- what surprised me was Brenda's diagnosis of why she has glaucoma. It turns out that Ellie May's longstanding (or "hypermature") cataracts are starting to break down. Ordinarily you'd think this might be a good thing, but it's not. As Brenda described it to me tonight, "When this process takes place, it causes a severe inflammatory response (lens induced uveitis). The inflammatory cells circulating in the anterior chamber start to clog up the filtration angle and cause a secondary glaucoma." Because the fluid in the eye can no longer drain out through the filtration angle, pressure builds and builds inside the eye ... and that's when you get glaucoma. So now you have three problems in the eye ... cataracts, uveitis, and glaucoma.
Because Ellie May is blind and because those eyes are painful, the best course of treatment is to surgically remove them. We ran blood work today and everything looks good, including her kidney values. Her heart sounded fine. Her urinalysis also came back normal. Ellie May's teeth were in bad shape, so she'll get a dental, too. The best news is that Brenda thinks Ellie May is younger than we thought ... perhaps only 10, rather than 14. All in all, Brenda believes Ellie May is a good candidate for surgery, and so we have her eye operation scheduled for tomorrow, Friday.
Of course, we're going to be total nervous wrecks until we get the phone call saying Ellie May is out of surgery and awake ... so please keep your fingers crossed for this adorable little Cocker.
Such a beautiful little girl, inside and out it seems!
2 Questions: Who grooms those that need cuts, and how is little Travis, still doing well?
Posted by: Pam | October 20, 2007 at 02:35 PM
I can't wait to see Ellie May home and healed, running and rolling around with the other dog's. Her story has touched me see much! I love Ellie May!
Posted by: Lahna Zandi | October 20, 2007 at 11:17 AM
Good luck!
Posted by: Nicole | October 19, 2007 at 04:31 PM
Keeping you in my thoughts & prayers Miss Ellie May. Soon you'll running around and playing with all your new friends!
Posted by: Beverly & the fur babies | October 19, 2007 at 02:05 PM
I hope her surgery goes well! It will be interesting to see how this affects her personality without that constant pain! Looking forward to hearing about it. Thank you so much for what you do for these animals.
Posted by: Chandra West | October 19, 2007 at 01:27 PM
Thinking of Ellie May and sending out positive thoughts through the cosmos. Give her an extra hug from all of us out here when you go get her.
Posted by: Mircat | October 19, 2007 at 11:57 AM
After having a foster dogs painful eye removed (damaged due to trama) I actually saw a totally different dog. While they may not act like they are in pain, They are so much happier when the pain is gone, it is truly amazing. Cant wait to see the difference in Elle May!
Posted by: Ashley | October 19, 2007 at 11:27 AM
A cat of ours once had glaucoma that was similarly painful, and she was blind in that eye. We winced at the idea of removing an eye -- there's something about that which bothers humans. But our vet said she'd never realize the eye was gone -- and would feel so much better. That's exactly what happened,and our kitty lived several more wonderful years. Hoping for the same outcome for this wonderful little dog.
Posted by: Helen Rietz | October 19, 2007 at 10:07 AM
My fingers are crossed!
Posted by: Clay Hickman | October 19, 2007 at 09:52 AM
Sweet Little Girl! Let us know how the surgery went. Im sure she'll feel so much better! Im happy she's at the ranch now!! : )
Posted by: Christine Baltazar | October 19, 2007 at 09:31 AM
Good wishes and hopes for a speedy and successful recovery from your surgery today Little Miss Ellie May!!! We are all pulling for you to be free of pain and live a long happy rest of your life at RDR. Cannot wait until Steve gives us all the GOOD NEWS that you have come through surgery with flying colors. Until.....Take care and try not to worry Alayne and Steve
steve
Posted by: Judy and Joe Taylor | October 19, 2007 at 09:28 AM
Thank you so much for taking such care of the animals and can't wait to hear how Ellie May's surgery goes. She will be in my thoughts.
I am sure after the pain is gone she will be like a new dog. Can't wait to hear all about her.
Have a good day and thanks again to you both.
Posted by: Karen | October 19, 2007 at 09:08 AM
God love her I wish her the best she's adorable
Posted by: gayle | October 19, 2007 at 08:39 AM
Good luck sweet little Ellie May, I'll be sending you lots of good vibes. You're going to feel much better real soon.
Posted by: Doreen | October 19, 2007 at 07:29 AM
Best wishes and healing vibes for beautiful Ellie May coming from Georgia!
Posted by: Jenn | October 19, 2007 at 07:17 AM
Excellent news for Ellie May, on all fronts. Thanks again to Robin for getting a second opinion on the options for this sweet dog's life by taking her to RDR. Plus she gets an extra four years to spend with Steve, Alayne, and all the other creatures!
Posted by: Janet | October 19, 2007 at 07:16 AM
We are all saying a little prayer for this little girl to get through her surgery. Hang in there.
Posted by: Jennie | October 19, 2007 at 07:07 AM
We'll do better then keeping our fingers crossed--we will be saying a prayer for the sweet pea!
I'm so thrilled she is under RDR care and getting what she needs.
Posted by: Shirley & James, Portland, OR | October 19, 2007 at 01:40 AM