Help Nessie The Schnauzer Puppy See!

Help Nessie The Schnauzer Puppy See!

(Big Update 1/24/2025! You can also keep up with Nessie on Instagram)

We adopted Nessie (Zoey at the time of adoption) through Tails of Hope WI in March of 2024. Like a lot of rescue dogs, not much is known about her past. Records show she was born around December 23, 2023. She made her way up to Wisconsin from Texas, with no indication of health issues recorded on any vet visits throughout her journey.

Once we saw her adoption listing, we just had to apply. After a few days, we were on our way to meet the little schnauzer puppy that would melt our hearts. Watching her bounce around the yard with her foster friends, we couldn’t wait to make her a part of our family.

Nessie adjusted to her new home with help from her new dog brother, Igor. There were a few stumbles, but we chalked it up to typical clumsy puppy stuff. A month after bringing her home, she had her first trip to the groomer and was signed up for puppy school. This is when we noticed both of her eyes were a little cloudy.

After another vet appointment, further testing was recommended. Come June, the ophthalmologist confirmed she has cataracts in both eyes.

Dr. Olivero at Veterinary Ophthalmology Specialty Practice in St. Louis Park, MN. did a great job explaining a scary situation. She was born that way, which is more than likely the reason she was surrendered to a shelter in Texas. Since Nessie was only 6 months old at the time of her visit, her eyes were still growing so we made a plan to come back in November to see if she was a good candidate for surgery. This is when we started giving her daily eye drops, which became a little easier with the help of apples as a reward.

Fast forward to November, Nessie underwent ERG testing which showed she has good electrical activity in both eyes. The ultrasound revealed some floaters which are a result of previous inflammation from cataract. More importantly, she did not show retinal detachment, cysts, fetal blood vessels or a shape change in the lens. And with her continued growth as a puppy, the good news was her lens diameter will fit the smallest implant, making her a successful candidate for cataract surgery.

A few people have asked, “Why do the surgery if her current vision is all she’s known?” For us, the answer is simple. Dogs aren’t around that long. So we want to give her the best life she can have. Her vision pre surgery is best described as looking through a frosted window. She can see shapes, she gets around based on memory and is farsighted. With the lens implants, it is estimated she will have a 90% correction.

Nessie will have to continue with daily eye drops for the rest of her life to control inflammation and prevent glaucoma. But with crunchy apples as a reward, she won’t mind the drops one bit.

Nessie is scheduled for surgery on December 16th, 2024 - so it’s kind of like she’s getting the gift of vision for her 1st birthday! We’ll let you know how that goes and keep you updated on her recovery.

Thanks for taking the time to read Nessie’s story and an extra thanks if you're able to chip in. Nessie does have insurance through MetLife, but unfortunately, they have considered this is a preexisting condition. While we aren’t expecting to raise the full amount, any little bit will help. We can’t wait to watch her experience everything the world has to offer with much clearer vision.

UPDATE 12/16/24

Nessie went in for surgery this morning and it was a success in both eyes. The staff said she did great! After an early morning check in, Nessie was back home relaxing and resting by 2:30. Follow up appointment tomorrow morning.

Update 12/17/24

Nessie's follow up appointment showed great progress. She's on track to heal up, hopefully the cone will be off in a week. When she isn't resting, Nessie is carrying around her ball, even falling asleep with it in her mouth.

Update 1/6/25

Another recheck eye exam this morning, some good news after a few set backs on the previous two rechecks. Nessie had corneal erosion in both eyes after her surgery, but both are on track to healing up. Her vision is almost up to 100%, as for the corneal erosion, her left eye is 90% healed and her right eye is 60% healed. So that means more time in the cone, so she can't scratch at her eye, and she continues to take Ofloxacin drops 4 times a day with Carprofen pills during breakfast and dinner. Soon she can have some monitored cone-free time, which makes her happy. Nessie's quite the trooper having gone through all of this, we're just glad to know she's finally in the homestretch!

Update 1/24/25

The cone is finally off! It took longer than expected, but Nessie's eyes have healed enough to get rid of the cone. She now only has to do eye drops 3 times a day which will reduce to twice and then once a day as time goes on...but with the treats that follow, she doesn't mind. Assuming there are no other setbacks, her next appointment is in April. After wearing the cone for a month, she's enjoying her new found freedom of movement, exploring all the spaces that were previously just out of reach. Now it's time for a long over due bath and soon a trip back to the groomer.