For us, it doesn't get any better than this. Another dog who came to us blind as a bat ... and now has his vision restored! Yes, Bentley the once-blind Yorkie is now Bentley the Yorkie who can see. And what a treat to watch him look at everything with wide-eyed wonder, taking it all in. His little tail just wags and wags now.
He had a series of veterinary appointments over the past two weeks, culminating in cataract surgery last Tuesday. I picked up Bentley and Scamp from our ophthalmologist, Dr. Sarah Hoy, on Wednesday and brought them back to the farm. (Scamp's surgery went well, too, and I will report on that in a subsequent blog post.)
As I mentioned in his arrival blog post, Bentley had originally been a "returned adoption" at the Longview, Texas shelter, and was given up for "health reasons." He was scheduled for euthanasia when Becky's Bridge, a Louisiana rescue group we've worked with for years, pulled him from the shelter and asked if we could take him. Peridontal disease, an oronasal fistula, skin problems, kennel cough, you name it, Bentley had it. The lady who fostered him, Stephanie S., took him to her vet for us and got all that cleared up, including oral surgery to close the fistula.
But we had also noticed when he took his photos for his arrival blog post that he reacted to the camera flash, as if he could see it. In the past, that's been a good clue as to whether a "blind" dog still had working retinas. So we scheduled a work-up with our internal medicine specialist in Burlington, Dr. Tanya Donovan, on the morning of Feb. 28, followed by a thorough eye exam by Dr. Hoy in the afternoon.
Because of the stiff, halting way he walked, Tanya wanted her colleague, our board-certified veterinary surgeon, Dr. Josie Mallinckrodt, to do a physical exam on Bentley. This is someone you haven't seen before on the blog, but Josie has done a number of surgeries for us in the past year, and she and Tanya work very closely on cases like this. Here is Josie examining Bentley:
She found he experienced some pain in his hips, his carpal joints, and particularly in his neck. She subsequently took X-rays of those areas while also ordering some additional tests with the bloodwork to rule out vector-borne causes like Lyme disease (he was negative). Josie gave us a treatment plan to address all his structural issues, and fortunately surgery is not necessary at this stage.
Next up was Tanya's ultrasound to look for any tumors, enlargements or other problems with his organs:
A major reason we do this is because we've had too many unpleasant "surprises" over the years, where a newly arrived senior dog seems otherwise healthy and yet we learn later that he or she had a tumor or other underlying problem that didn't show up in their initial bloodwork. In Bentley's case, given his medical history, we were already concerned about unknowns. But because we were also contemplating possible and very expensive cataract surgery, we wanted to make sure he was healthy enough to make that worthwhile.
Basically, everything checked out okay, which was a real relief.
Then it was off to the ophthalmologist for a look at those cloudy eyes. In this next photo Sarah is testing Bentley's pupillary light reflex while her vet tech Rachel holds him still. Sure enough -- just as we saw with the camera flash -- his pupils detected the light:
This is one of those medical processes where he has to pass every step along the way to be a candidate for cataract surgery, so I held my breath each time!
Then came an ultrasound of his eyes to see if his retinas were still completely attached:
And yes they were! Whew!
Finally, the big one -- the electroretinogram, or ERG, that tests retinal function:
This is the most nerve-wracking test, not only because it is the final determining factor, but because you have to wait for the waveforms to appear on the computer screen and then gradually take shape as the data comes in. There's a particular waveform at the very beginning of the graph that the ophthalmologist is looking for. It can take a while -- probably less than a minute or two, but it seems like an eternity to me -- for it to form.
When it first starts, it looks like he's going to fail ... but then it builds ... and builds:
(Click on photo for larger image.)
At long last, both eyes were done, the results were in, and Bentley was a candidate for cataract surgery!
That was on Thursday, and after starting him on pre-surgical eye meds on Monday, I took him back early on Tuesday morning and dropped him off with Sarah and her team.
After stocking up at the Costco in Burlington, I was on the way back to the farm when my phone rang. It was Sarah, calling to say the surgery had gone well, Bentley was awake from anesthesia, and he was standing up in his cage wagging his tail like crazy as he looked around the surgery suite.
That boy's been wagging his little tail ever since!
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Shelter Challenge Contest -- Please Vote for the Farm!
The latest Shelter Challenge started Monday, January 7 and ends on April 28. Grand prize in this round is $10,000, $3,000 for second place and $1,000 for third place, plus $1,000 for weekly winners and $1,000 for state winners. There are also other categories ... please see the Shelter Challenge website for details.
*** You will find us listed as Rolling Dog Farm. The state is NH for New Hampshire. ***
Please remember, you can vote every day ... consider bookmarking the voting page to make it easy.
We just won $1,000 as a weekly winner in the current contest, and thousands more in the previous contests. The Shelter Challenge really does bring in a lot of money for the animals here!
You can vote in the Shelter Challenge here.
Thank you for your votes!
I've had the surgery too, so I know how excited Bentley must have been when he was "blind but now can see." Amazing grace!
Posted by: Susan C. | March 26, 2013 at 09:43 PM
This story made my week. Thanks.
Posted by: Lisa Brown | March 16, 2013 at 01:01 PM
Ginger, to address your question about voting in the challenge; I believe they are having issues with the revamped website. But you should see a string of choices across the page under the big purple buttom which is now a band across the top. One of the choices is Shelter+Challenge. Click there and that will get you to where you need to go.
Posted by: Barb Ribinski | March 13, 2013 at 12:44 PM
Wonderful work you all do!
Posted by: Pat Boo | March 13, 2013 at 09:10 AM
What terrific news about Bentley! It's great that you observed the reflection early on in the pics you took of him. Kudos for you & Alayne for your constant great observations.
On a bit of a different note...the shelter challenge is extremely difficult to find on the revamped web site. Can you give us any hints how to vote now? I can't find it on the new layout~!
Hugs all around,
ginger
Posted by: ginger | March 13, 2013 at 06:04 AM
The Irish faeries are dancing with joy!! :) :) Their St. Patty's day magic worked.....a little early....and with the capable hands of the Doctor, but they assure me, it was their magic that helped!! Oh, joy of joys!
Kathleen, Roo, Emma Sioux, Genie Bee, Bella, Blue, and Cheesecake
Posted by: Kathleen Rivard | March 12, 2013 at 04:54 PM
How wonderful! So glad to hear this great news about little Bentley!
Posted by: Dawn | March 12, 2013 at 10:42 AM
I am thrilled for Bentley! You can only imagine what it must be like to see again after being in some degree of a dark world. I thank God every day for Rolling Dog and other people who care enough and do what is needed for these wonderful animals and they get a chance at life. Thank you!
Posted by: Kathy Greene | March 12, 2013 at 09:33 AM
Ahhhh....Can't you just imagine the joy in that little pup's heart?!!! Not to mention the joyful hearts in the people who love him:-) Congratulations to Bentley and to both of you!
Posted by: Colleen & Wes | March 12, 2013 at 07:45 AM
What a great way to start the week with this wonderful news!! I'm so happy for Bentley...can't wait to see future blogs and pictures of him running around and exploring everything he can now see, thanks to your wonderful care for him!!
Posted by: Ann | March 11, 2013 at 09:01 PM
Great, great news to start the week! This is why we love to make donations to Rolling Dog Farm. To help with all the vet bills and appointments. You make a difference in the lives of so many animals.
Posted by: Betsy | March 11, 2013 at 07:19 PM
This is so wonderful. You make a big difference in the life of every animal you rescue, but giving back sight is just second to saving a life (which you also often do). I know Bentley is having a great time exploring his home and learning about it all over again now that he can see it. So glad this was a happy outcome for Bentley.
Posted by: Tonya Allen | March 11, 2013 at 05:00 PM
This blog was like reading a mystery! So Happy that all worked out on the last page! God's favor on the farm!
Posted by: Linda | March 11, 2013 at 03:41 PM
You are so right...DOES NOT GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS!!!! Hip Hip Hooray!!! What a FANTASTIC way to start this week--reading about Bently and the incredible news of his vision.
Posted by: Shirley * James/Portland, OR | March 11, 2013 at 03:40 PM
What joy on little Bentley's face! You and Alayne probably split your cheeks grinning with the great news. Thanks for explaining the long complicated process to us. The complexities you deal with on a daily basis are always interesting to learn about. So happy for a great outcome!
Posted by: Debbie Burke | March 11, 2013 at 02:18 PM
As I was opening the blog, I was thinking (selfishly), I sure hope it's good news on my birthday. Talk about a home run!!! Wonderful tears of joy and that bright face says it all.
Congratulations to everyone who made this happen, and to YOU, Alayne & Steve, most of all, for noticing his potential! Dreams DO come true! The technology is amazing, but I continue to think of this as a miracle. :)
Posted by: Margaret | March 11, 2013 at 12:28 PM
Yet another testament to the wonderful work you do in providing so many animals a better life! :>)
Posted by: Dave Shaw, Lakewood, WA | March 11, 2013 at 12:16 PM
WOOHOO!!! Congrats! Bentley
Posted by: toni ezell | March 11, 2013 at 11:17 AM
***** Such EXCELLENT news **** - oh Bentley I am SO happy for you!!! A+++ So much new exploring awaits for you!
Posted by: Valerie | March 11, 2013 at 11:03 AM
Wahoo!! How exciting...I'm so happy for Bentley!!!
Posted by: Laura, Levi & Timmy | March 11, 2013 at 10:24 AM
Your blog on Bentley just made my day!
Posted by: Julie and her Three Doxies | March 11, 2013 at 09:28 AM
I'm so happy for Bentley. He must be so excited seeing everyone for the first time. He gets to see all the dogs he's only smelled before. And I must say that he's much larger looking in these latest photos than the way he looked in the original one you posted. There he seemed like a yorkie but now not so much. But he's still a cutie and a much happier one now. It doesn't get much better than this. Thanks for taking such good care of him!
Posted by: Barb Ribinski | March 11, 2013 at 08:55 AM