Bleeding from the Eye

Zoe has five doctors, three local two specialists in Memphis. Our local vets works Monday - Friday, seven thirty to six and on Saturdays from seven thirty until noon. Sometimes Zoe decides that these hours are not conducive to her schedule.

The first time we had to bother the emergency on-call vet Zoe had a ruptured abscess and had to have it stapled back together. It was gross. Our second emergency occurred this past Sunday.

My sister had taken Z for a walk that night because it's too hot for the little diva during the day. I took her out to use the grassy facilities around nine o'clock. When she came back in she climbed up on her giant pillow. That's when I notice it. Her entire right cheek was covered with blood.

After a brief inspection, I discover that the blood and puss is not coming from a cut on the skin. It's oozing out of her actual eye ball. The only trouble is, she won't open it and let me look, and I asked nicely, so we call the vet, "Sorry to bother you so late on the eve of July 4th, but your favorite patient is bleeding from her eye."

We drive to the Animal Clinic where we learned that Zoe had a major infection in her eye caused by a bug. A literal but that was eating her eye ball. We had two options: one, call a vet ophthalmologist in  Birmingham, Alabama and have him patch it up. This was the best option for ensuring she got to keep the eye. Option two: attack it with a heavy dose of antibiotics and hope we've caught it early enough to drive out the infection.

Now would be a good time to remind you that Zoe is blind. The eye, while very nice and aesthetically pleasing, no longer serves its intended purpose. Birmingham is three hours away, and the idea of paying an animal ophthalmologist on a holiday weekend still makes my stomach hurt.

We choose the antibiotics, meaning we'd give her eye drops every three hours and hope for the best.

I'm happy to report that it's now almost a week after our late night trip to the vet, and Zoe is doing well. She's not out of the woods yet, but it's looking like the eye is here to stay. Thank god because a one eyed dog would not be received well the next time we go home.

Z Money

My sister and I share custody of an eleven year old terrier mutt named Zoe, a.k.a. Z Money because she's expensive. Over the years, Zoe has developed a number of medical conditions including diabetes, Cushing's disease, and an enzyme deficiencies that makes it difficult for her to digest food properly. She's also blind (from the diabetes).

Whenever we mention a trip to the vet to our family and friends or have to cut dinner short to get home and give Zoe a shot, we always get the same look. It's very distinct and very specific. It says, quite bluntly, two things: one, you are an amazing person for taking such great care of a poor, helpless animal, and two, how is that dog still alive? The second part is usually less about astonishment and more about a certain suggestion.

Nine months ago we took Zoe to our parent's house for the weekend. She'd dropped a pound and lost some hair because we couldn't get her insulin regulated. Side note - a pound is a big deal to Zoe. The first words out of my mother's mouth when we walked through the door, "You need to put her down."

While Zoe is old and her health isn't exactly perfect, she's not that bad off. She's happy and pain free and still gets feisty over a tennis ball. But because so many of our friends and family are interested and concerned about Zoe's health, I've decided to start blogging about it. After all, the world and I both need another blog.

Finally, to all you pet owners out there who take the care of your pet seriously, the next time you write a check to your vet just remember, it could always be worse. Stay tuned and I tell you how.