I don’t honestly know how much longer Red will be able to work with the sheep. He’s having more and more trouble seeing some things from some angles. He’s anxious now about jumping in and out of the car, and he just is missing things out of his right eye.
He’s fine in the house, and in his therapy work, and one day soon I will have to confine him to that. I have two great dogs who love to run circles around sheep but don’t want to herd them. We’ll see.
Sometimes, I see him hesitating, and I think the sheep are picking up on it, not quite as responsive to him as they have always been.
I can see the cataract filling up Red’s eye, and I have explored the medical options. I am uncomfortable with the very expensive and complex – and painful – surgery that canine ophthalmologists do for dogs with cataracts.
I am just not comfortable with the ethics of doing that to a dog, especially since the dog has no say in it. And I am not comfortable spending many thousands of dollars on animal surgery, even on animals I love as much as Red.
Our vet says Red will almost surely have enough sight to function normally, do therapy work and live comfortably in our home. Dogs do well with familiar smells and shadows. That’s good enough for me.
We won’t be going to the veterinary opthalmologist.
I have two mini Aussies with eye issues – Kira has typical old age cloudy-eye cataracts. Willie has Progressive Retinal Atrophy. Willie’s veterinary opthalmologist, along with two colleagues, developed a supplement called Ocuglo, made from grapeseed extract, lutein, many vitamins. It will not cure or reverse vision problems, but it will slow the progress in many cases, including Willie’s. It’s available through veterinarians or OTC (Amazon). she also recommends additional supplementation with lutein and fish oil. With this regimen Willie’s vision has not deteriorated in the past 6 months. Ask Red’s veterinarian about it!
Of course you know your animals best and need no other options, but I quite agree with what your thinking here. It is good to hear that Red will be a able to continue quite ably in other work he appears to know and love – and feel comfortable in your home. What more can we do for them?
Sweet Red. What a great dog. I know Jon will do what’s best for him. Sure wish dogs could have a longer life with good health. Red loves to work with the sheep but he also is such a good therapy dog. He’s just the best, and I loved Rosie, Izzy, Lenore and Gus a lot and of course there was Orson and Frieda. Jon, you’ve had some great dogs. You are a very lucky man.