Grieving for a sick Pet

When you are on the Farm, animals and Pets are part of your everyday life. You take care of them, feed them, and they in return give you many things - companionship, laughter, joy, and sometimes the-not-so-joyous-why-did-you-have-to-chase-that-skunk?

Then one day you may notice that your pet's eyes are like red, really red, and you head off to the vet. Did you know that dogs get glaucoma and cataracts and all that horrible stuff humans have?

You're sitting in the vet's office and notice someone with a Pet Bunny all wrapped in a baby blankie, and  you think... there are hundreds of bunny rabbits in the world, just go get another one. 

And then you have the vet telling you that there is something very wrong with your Golden's eye. How often do you look at your dog'e eyes?  Always wave your hand in front of your pet's eyes,  Just to check. It could mean many bad things, so you drive hours away to Minneapolis to a Pet eye clinic, and after many tests, your dog has a tumour in that eye , he can't see at all. And that there are 2 types of tumours, 1 that is contained within the eye, and one that spreads through their body. The recommendation is to take the eye out, and send it away for testing. Just thinking about having an eye removed is a chilling thought. 

Some farmers at this point, or before this point would say, just take the animal outside and put it out of its misery.  

So your Pet goes off to surgery , and you steel yourself for the moment when you have to pick him up and see one of his eyes sewed closed forever with sutures. 

And you are thankful that he is alive and that you have taken many photos of His Silliness, while he had 2 seeing eyes. 

For the best of care for a pet with eye problems go to the Veterinary Ophthalmology Specialty Practice Inc. at 4035 Highway 7, St.Louis Park, Minnesota 55416.