The Tripawd Times of Nova the Great Dane

Today Mom and I headed off in the mobile throne to go to Michigan Veterinary Specialists, that really expensive place where Mom pays them the big bucks to poke my eyeballs.  I’ve been feeling terrible lately because of my stupid glaucoma.  I’d have to say that the pain from glaucoma is just as bad as the pain is from bone cancer. It’s a throbbing, stabbing pain, like having the worst migraine headache ever.  It’s been over two years since the last flare-up where I had to have Chemical Ciliary Body Ablation in my left eye.  It’s where they inject a medicine right into my eyeball to “kill” the eyeball so it stops the pressure from building in my eye.  When I originally had the process back then, they told Mom that it had about a 65% success rate.  Well, I totally worked.  Since then I have never had a single problem with pressure in that eye.

At the time, Doctors were not sure if I still had sight in my remaining (right) eye.  So Mom has had to continue to treat that eye with 3 types of eyedrops… Xalatan, Trusopt and Timolol. Xalatan is sooooo expensive and Mom practically has a heart attack every time she has to refill the prescription.  The ladies at Walmart Pharmacy always stop to question her, to make sure she is willing to spend that kind of money on a DOG.  Can you believe they would ask that?  This is the QUEEN here.  Of course Mom should spend that money, nothing but the best for the Queen you know.  When Mom says yes, go ahead and ring it up the lady says “Well I hope Nova has a JOB.”  Geesh… can you believe that?  This lady thinks I should be working like some common folk. Please.  There is no way I could fit in working with my busy nap schedule.

Anyway, the pressure in my right eye has been really bad and my eyeball started to bulge and look really yucky.  We headed off to the ophthomologist this this morning.  I really didn’t want to go, but I wanted the pain to stop too.

Here we are at Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, MI.  A really fancy-pants place, totally fit for a Queen.

I was so nervous in the waiting room.  It has been well over a year since I have had to come here.

Mom and I went into the exam room and the vet tech came in to do the usual eyeball tests.  The first is the Shirmer Tear Test, where they stick these stupid strips under my eyelids to measure tear production.  We lost a few in the process since I shook my head, but they finally got them to stay in long enough.

Next, was the Fluorescein Stain Test, where they put these fluorescent eyedrops in to highlight certain areas to look at in the dark.

Then they had to flush the excess out of my eyes.  Aren’t you impressed how patient I am?  I don’t know any other dogs who would allow someone to poke their eyeballs and then flush them out without putting up a big stink.  I’m a very good girl.

Now they turned out the lights to look at the things that the dye colored in the dark.  Yeah, I know you can’t see anything in the picture because it’s dark.  This is what I have to deal with every day.  Mom was laughing because all of my eye goobers glowed yellow in the dark. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Next came the tonometry pen.  ACK!  I hate this thing.  They poke your eyeballs with it over and over and over until it beeps.  It tests the pressure in my eyeballs. My left eye was fine.  My right eye… not so much.  I heard Mom say OH CRAP, so I knew that the news was not good.  The pressure was out of control.

Well, the Doctor finally came in and told Mom that the medication is just not working and that she needed to do something about the pain ASAP.  She gave Mom two options.  Either do another ablation in my right eye (65% success rate… it worked great in my other eye).  OR remove my eyeball altogether (much more expensive, and kinda creepy looking, if you ask me).  Either way, it meant surgery and anesthesia, which doesn’t make Mom too happy.

Mom decided to set up an appointment for me to have the ablation done this Tuesday. The anesthesia is Propofol, which means I only have to be under a really short time.  I had it last time and did fine. But of course Mom is still worried.  I will just be happy to get this pain under control.

If the ablation works then we will be able to eventually stop all the expensive eyedrops.  Mom is thrilled about that, because it has been really draining the royal treasury.  The vet gave Mom some info about a way to get Xalatan from Canada that is much cheaper.  So Mom was excited about that. But again, hopefully we will be able to stop the Xalatan soon anyway.

Well, wish me luck with my surgery on Tuesday.  Mom is going to be a basket case, so make sure you send her some licks and leans, okay?

For being such a good girl, Mom took me for a roast beef sandwich at Arbys.