The Goodest Boy : Living With Canine Cataracts.

About 10 years ago, a little ball of furry joy walked into my life and changed it forever. We were only meant to foster this little guy for two weeks. Not surprisingly, I quickly found out that I was a complete and utter foster failure. How could I not be? I had an absolute angel on four legs in my house.

My goodest boy was a 5 month old mini poodle who was rescued just days prior to ending up at a high kill shelter. His personality and soul were (and still are) absolute perfection….his health, not so much and after a lot research and talking to veterinarians learned that since he was the product of a puppy mill he more than likely was inbred and therefore born with a plethora of congenital and hereditary issues.

Over the years I’ve spent more time and money on veterinary treatments for Joey than I care to remember. All of it worth it though to keep him as healthy and comfortable as possible. All of the issues pretty much resolved with a healthy combination of allopathic and holistic measures….until he developed canine cataracts.

2020 will go down in history as one of the toughest (understatement) years for most of us….and I supposed in some form of cruel irony 2020 was also the year Joey went blind. The canine cataracts formed in one eye rather quickly and before we knew it his second eye had also completely clouded over.

Living in Los Angeles, with everything on lockdown longer than in most states, meant that the veterinary ophthalmologists in the city were either “closed until further notice” or setting appointments for half a year out. There was nothing I could do but watch my guy slowly but surely lose the light in his eyes.

As I’m prone to do I sat for hours on the computer and tried to see what I could do to make his life easier and maybe reverse the cataracts….not possible but I wanted to try. I did find holistic canine eye drops and supportive supplements to keep his eyes as healthy as possible in order to hopefully allow for surgery once it became possible. I wish I had known about all of these to use as a preventative measure and maybe, just maybe, stave off the canine cataracts at least for a while longer. But you know what they say about hindsight….

Since we’d lived in our old house for 5 years, he was able to navigate around pretty well having already memorized the layout….but there were times he’d slam into a wall or door jamb and I can’t tell you how much that makes a dog mom’s heart hurt. He quickly learned the word “careful” which we’d say anytime he was about to run into something…and he’d stop and redirect himself. We like to say Joey has a wonder brain.

Despite all of these changes in his vision, he stayed his happy self and kept trudging along. What an example to us as humans, right?

Taking him on walks became a challenge unless I held him on a short leash which he didn’t mind. He’s genuinely the most happy-go-lucky, sweet dog on the planet. Nothing ever makes him grumpy. Once he stared recognizing our walk route he was back to feeling large and in charge. He could still sense other dogs coming near him and would wag his tail happily as he greeted them. Mr. Friendly.

So, life, albeit sightless, continued as normal for little Joe. It wasn’t until I knew we were moving that I started to really panic about how he would do. You can’t explain to a pet the whys and hows of moving homes….imagine when that pet can’t even SEE where they are going? On top of all the stressors of planning a major move, this one thing gave me so much heartache and anxiety.

How would Joey figure his way around the new house? Would he be ok? Would this cause him distress and confusion? I already felt terrible that he would bump into moving boxes and seem thrown off that his once familiar surroundings seemed so cluttered and strange.

I had to compartmentalize these worries along with everything else just to make it out of one house and into our new one. I had to push through it all just like Joey did with so much grace….and the next thing I knew, he was in his doggy bed in my car heading to our new destination.

It was a tough 5.5 hour drive, but not unmanageable. He used to love looking out the car window…so you can imagine how that is for him now. I gave him some natural anxiety treats, but he still panted his way across state lines with the occasional nap. Poor buddy.

Once I introduced him to the new house I came from a place of expecting the worst (I know, I know…I’m a work in progress when it comes to mindset). I thought he’d be running into everything and panic.

He didn’t.

He wandered slowly but somehow confidently sniffing everything. He did run into walls but he moved slowly so it was never enough to stun him. He wandered the perimeter of the backyard and even let himself run across the turf his first time on it….trusting little chap!

I want to say it took about 48 hours for him to learn his way around the house and find the couch (his favorite spot ever and always). This new home is over twice the size of the last one and yet he found the kitchen (no surprise there haha!), his food and water bowl, his bed in my bedroom, and his favorite pooping spot outside.

It’s been two months since we’ve moved and Joey knows his new home almost as well as the last one. He still gets a little disoriented when he’s excited. The kids and I are always there to put him back on track though and we’re always thanked with an excited snuffle and wag of the tail. He somehow ALWAYS manages to find me in the bathroom or when I’m working at my desk and takes a nap until I’m done. If I open the cheese drawer he will magically appear out of nowhere.

When going on a walk in the new neighborhood, I still keep him on a short leash until we get to the park where he likes to run around and sniff everything. We live in a rural-ish town so there are tons of animal scents for him and I think he really loves that. I wonder what he thinks when he smells all the bunnies and quail as opposed to the squirrels and cats of the old neighborhood. I wonder if he can tell there are javelinas and coyotes lurking around the hills.

Losing his sight due to canine cataracts has not changed his quality of life. He is less playful because he is cautious not to slam into things….I do miss playing hide and seek with him!! He is still so happy, and loving, and friendly. He inspires me everyday with his joy for life and unconditional love. I’ll be taking him in soon to meet with an ophthalmologist and hope that he’s a good candidate for surgery. I’ll figure out how to afford the price tag on that later if he’s eligible.

I’m writing this blog post on National Dog Day because honestly there is nothing better in the world than a dog. My guy is such an incredible testament to the purity of these creatures….and every day he teaches us lessons in patience and the ability to move through difficult times.

If you or someone you know has a dog developing or living with canine cataracts, I hope you find some comfort in reading this. Whether your pup can regain their vision via surgery, or whether they have to live out their lives blind…they can and will still be happy. They can and still will be your goodest boy or bestest girl.

Dogs are angels on earth after all, aren’t they? 🙂

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**header photo by Jonas Mohamadi @unsplash