Bailey has developed a cataract in his right eye. This basically means that the lens in his eye has gone cloudy and blocks the light that can reach his retina. Essentially, his eyes work perfectly fine, but no light can get in causing him to lose his vision.
This all came out of nowhere. One day his eye was a little cloudy, the next he couldn't see out of it and we were rushing him to and from veterinarian ophthalmologists who were clamoring that surgery needed to happen immediately.
While he's in very little pain right now and can function perfectly well with one eye, he's still a very young dog (1.5 years). We'd like him to have the very best quality of life that he can have for many years to come. If left untreated, his eye will remain inflamed forever and he may potentially develop glaucoma or retinal detachment and he will remain completely blind.
Surgery completely removes the abnormal lens and replaces it with an artificial lens. The cataract can never come back. This process costs approximately $3K-$4K. The required diagnostic tests to get surgery cost an additional $1K.
On top of that, Bailey is a bichon, a breed which is more susceptible to retinal detachment after surgery. He requires a preemptive procedure called a retinopexy that will ensure that his retina does not separate from the rest of his eye, which is another $1K-$2K.
Basically, for our dog to see again, he needs this surgery. But there's no chance we could ever pay for it ourselves. We hate asking anyone for anything but any dollar you could spare will go to helping a blind dog see again.
We owe all of you our endless gratitude and appreciate your concern. Bailey promises you hundreds of kisses and cuddles!
Tonight I'll dream while I'm in bed
When silly thoughts go through my head
About the bugs and alphabet
And when I wake tomorrow I'll bet
That you and I will walk together again
Cause I can tell that we
Are going to be friends
