I drove over to Helena late this afternoon to pick up the animals we left at the vet hospital on Thursday: Callie the blind Dachshund, Cody the puppy, Snowball the cat, and Luke the blind dog.
Because of the chronic and painful condition of Luke's eyes, our vet Dr. Brenda Culver went ahead with the surgery to remove both of them.
Although he's only been with us for a few weeks, this sweet boy was so happy to hear my voice when I went to get him out of his kennel at the clinic. He was sitting there barking, but when he heard my voice, he stopped, got quiet, then cocked his head to listen and get a fix on me. When he realized it was me, he was all wiggling and ready to go!
Alayne took these photos of me with Luke tonight in one of the dog cottages by the main house. He couldn't get enough loving this evening ... we tried to get him to sit still long enough so both of us could be looking at the camera, but he just wanted to crawl into my lap or roll over on his back for a tummy scratch.
It is amazing to watch how fast animals bounce back from surgeries like this. Luke was already eagerly exploring the yard tonight, and he was bouncy and playful in the cottage. No moping around for this boy!
To everyone who's written in to tell us of their own dogs who had to have eyes removed, thank you for your wonderful comments. We really appreciated them.
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If you're wondering about the other animals who came home today: Callie had a dental, Cody was neutered, and Snowball had teeth removed because of a chronic oral inflammation called stomatitis. All are doing fine!
(Click on photos for larger image.)
Sweetie pie Luke, he is just so happy to be back where he is loved and treated like a champ. It's always amazed me, (and has educated me) how animals don't lament over their wounds or scars, they are just happy to be better. We can all learn from that.
Posted by: ginger & Tobias | January 25, 2006 at 10:02 PM
You guys are my heroes! No, you cannot afford burnout. God bless and stay warm!!!!
Posted by: Nancy | January 24, 2006 at 12:18 PM
I am so glad to hear that Luke is doing so good. I bet he is relieved to have the pain of his eye condition gone. I'll be interested to see a post about Snowball too. I'm sure once all of her teeth were removed she is going to be a happy kitty again. You and Alayne are such wonderful people to help these animals enjoy the happy healthy life they deserve.
Posted by: Mandy, Laramie, WY | January 24, 2006 at 10:56 AM
I'm glad everyone's fine after being at the vets. Luke looks so happy to be with his family again.
Posted by: Roz | January 24, 2006 at 07:13 AM