Hey fans of Pfieps everywhere. This little firecracker’s eyes ran out of warrantee, and we are asking for help with an urgent life-saving surgery.

Despite otherwise excellent health and well-being, Pfieps has a genetic predisposition to severe glaucoma and other complications in the eyes (lens luxation, corneal ulceration, cataracts) which are extremely painful and very difficult to manage, especially all at once.

About a year ago, the clock started ticking. Despite excellent and very compassionate specialist eye care at Kleintierspezialisten clinic here in Berlin, and our house vet, the pressure in her right eye began to increase and refused to respond to any medicine. A normal pressure should be 9 to 11 in her situation.

Eventually developing over months, the pressure in her right eye ultimately hovered at and then surpassed 50 for many weeks until the pain (in the eye and on her ocular nerve) was so great that no pain killers could touch it anymore. She stopped eating, was in obvious discomfort, depressed, and the eye had to be removed… or else.

IMMEDIATELY after the surgery this May, just a few months ago, (the two eyes photo is from April) even still drowsy from the sedatives, she very obviously felt a million times better, and life went happily on.

Until our check up yesterday.

Unfortunately, the left eye, despite aggressive treatment, meds, checks up, etc. etc. to prevent the same thing happening, has in the past few weeks also started to fail. It is happening much more quickly, her pressure is now at 60 and she is in great pain and discomfort.

What she is feeling is a little like having an ice pick dig into your brain, and the eye pressure will continue to build and build, until a thing happens that nobody wants to have happen, which I will not describe but you can probably imagine.

The pain meds are taking the edge off for now but, like last time, they will eventually stop helping, and start causing other serious issues (liver, kidneys, other very gross things). She has already completely lost her vision about a month and an half ago, and the train is now running away.

If you know this exquisite little dog, you know that she always has been, and still is, a force of nature. She is 15, blind, but she is 100% there. She is funny, sweet, engaged, curious, active, empathetic, social, and affectionate. If you give her any shit, she will give it right back to you. She still jumps around in a circle and barks, though only for private audiences. Even though she can’t see anything, she insists on walking 2 to 3 hours per day.

She has several boyfriends in the neighborhood (she prefers huskies) and literally throws herself at them to the point of everyone (except Pfieps) being embarrassed. She has an excellent sense of humor and is extremely annoyed when I try to help her too much. She can get around quite well on her own already when the pain is not too bad, and I am convinced she navigates based on vibes, which would be very on brand.

I’ve thought very long and hard about her quality of life, and whether a different decision is called for, and talked to friends and doctors, and we believe the surgery is a good idea. There is zero contraindication, she has passed an intensive cardiology screening and other surgery pre-screening. She is chronologically old, but, eyes aside, her health and head are half her age.

The surgery recovery time is very quick; the surgery can seem gruesome but is actually very straightforward. Her surgeon is fast but extremely exact.

The surgery and aftercare will cost, based on last time, around 2.500€ to 3.000. I am asking for help because this wasn’t “supposed” to happen now, and I’ve just recently had several unrelated very large but unavoidable expenses. It’s absolutely terrible timing.

If there is any chance you could please help us, we would be so grateful. I would be so grateful. Thank you.