LAWRENCEVILLE, GA.......Sweet Buck is a 12-year-old Rat Terrier that was picked up by Animal Control as a stray and taken to the shelter. He was blind, had pneumonia, heart, and skin issues. Someone had abandoned this poor pup in horrible shape. Besides the fact, it is winter and cold outside.
Gwinnett County Animal Control did what they could for Buck and also found a foster for him, but he had too many medical issues and needed someone to save him. All of his medical problems were compounded by the fact he was a Land Shark if you got near his eyes. Quick as Lightening is how the Medical Team described him.
None of the above deterred me from taking sweet Buck. He needed help and was scared. I knew his chances were slim of getting out and being treated. Gwinnett County had Buck listed as late-stage Heart Disease. I made arrangments to get this tiny pup to CVRC in Charleston, where Dr. Sophy Jesty, our Cardiologist, would take over his care.
When Buck arrived, the ER Team was shocked to see how bad his eyes were. He had obviously had Dry Eye that had been on-going for years. The surface of his eyes had become inflamed, leading to scarring, dark pigment deposits, and blood vessel growth into the cornea on the surface of the eye. I had never seen a dog with eyes so severely damaged.
Buck was a Land Shark because his eyes were incredibly painful. This sweet pup had to be sedated for the Medical Team to access his eyes and treat them. If you tried to go near his eyes, he would lash out at anyone near him. I was beginning to wonder if we were ever going to get this poor pup better. He would have to be handled to get medication in his eyes, which had to happen several times a day.
Buck was one of those dogs that people discarded without giving him a chance. I was not going to be one of those people. He was ours, and we were going to have to figure it out. Dr. Jesty did a thorough Cardio work-up and changed Buck's meds for a dog that had Degenerative Valve Disease (DVD). His heart was not nearly as bad as the shelter had suspected. Buck's heart and skin issues were things we could treat.
Buck's eyes were our biggest concern. Several Specialists had recommended removing the eyes, and that would alleviate the biggest problem. Enucleation was not a possibility for me at this time. I would risk getting bit a million times before removing a dog's eyes if there is the potential to save them.
All of the Medical Team at CVRC was disturbed by how aggressive Buck was with his eye meds. We finally got Buck to a place where he was medically stable and could come to our Rehab Facility. Each one of my Staff was determined to work through the eye issues. Every day, it was another day of struggles with Buck. He would take his other meds and would be as sweet as pie until it came time for his eye meds. For weeks we persevered.
Finally, we came up with a system that our little Land Shark could tolerate. We would drape his eyes with a washcloth and then pour warm water over the cloth. The warm water felt so good that he would allow us to massage his eyes and eventually put the drops and cream in them. Success for us and, most importantly, we could now begin healing his eyes.
Buck could not see at all when we first rescued him. He now has gained almost 50% of his eyesight back. His eyes were so severely damaged that he will probably not get more of his sight back than what he has now. Dr. Anne Cook, our Ophthalmologist, will do whatever she can to give Buck the best possible outcome. As Dr. Cook stressed to us, if we do what she recommends, Buck will get some of his vision back. He will go back to Dr. Cook in four weeks to see what else can be done.
To see our little bundle of joy, follow us around the Rehab Center, wagging his tail brings a smile to everyone's face. We cannot believe this is the same dog. We have each put our Heart and Soul into restoring Trust in this tiny little Old Man. Buck now looks and acts like a young pup compared to how he was in the beginning. We Love our Little Man and could not be happier.
His eyes, heart, and skin are improving each day. We now have to pay his Medical Bills so we can save more pups like Buck that have been abused and neglected. Please, Donate whatever you can so Buck can continue with his Medical Treatments.
Happy Holidays from everyone at Noah's Arks Rescue.
