From the day we first rescued Tanner, an 8 year old shepherd mix, from a shelter in Louisiana after him being a 3-time stray/rescue, our dog has faced several medical challenges including skin/grass allergies, degenerative myopia in both eyes, arthritis, and PTSD. We unfortunately were unable to get a record of his medical history or know what may have happened to him prior to his adoption.

 

Regardless of the difficulties Tanner has faced, he has never been anything but the sweetest, most loyal dog a person could ask for, and has remained our companion through some of the hardest times over the last 5 years. He's been mainly a great source of comfort to Jennifer (as she was the one who saw something in him), and we have done our very best to give him a comfortable, happy life in return.

 

About a month and a half ago, Tanner experienced a sneezing episode (due to his allergies) which led him to banging his head too hard on our wooden floor. The impact caused his left eye to immediately become cloudy with some swelling. He then was taken to a regular Vet and was prescribed Tobramycin to reduce the swelling and aid the blurry vision he was experiencing. The Vet was confident that the medicine would treat his left eye and that he would be able to recover just fine after a couple more weeks.

 

However, only two days after starting the prescription, our poor Tanner faced another nightmare. He went outside to do his business at night and sadly did not see a stray cat come towards him on the side where his bad eye was. When he turned to his side to see what was coming towards him, his cone that he was wearing for recovery purposes must’ve spooked the cat to the point she had scratched him right in the bad eye.

 

The scratch caused his left eye to swell with excessive pressure, appearing as if his eye was ready to come out of the socket. It was extremely painful for Tanner because the pressure on the eye would not stop building. He was rushed to the Veterinary Ophthalmologist at Central Texas Veterinary Emergency Hospital and was diagnosed with lens luxation* and glaucoma. At that point, surgery to have the eye removed was the only solution to restoring Tanner’s quality of life, and of course, we went for it with the support of two separate but incredibly expensive payment plans.

 

From this point on, Tanner will need to continue to be on a few types of medications in order to maintain his right existing eye. This is because the Ophthalmologist shared that it is very likely that he can experience lens luxation* and a build-up of glaucoma in the right eye, especially if we do not maintain it with medication. It will also control the pressure levels of the existing eye for the rest of his life.

 

The cost of the emergency visits, checkup visits, lab analyses, pain medications, maintenance drugs, and surgery came to a total of over $4,000. However, this total will not be all as we will need to continue paying for his medication refills along with purchasing visual aids such as a halo vest/harness (to protect him from further harm such as running into things he cannot see), hallway floor lighting, and other noise-makers for him to be able to easily find certain places/bowls.

 

It’s more than we could ever hope to afford on our own together, but we can't possibly put a price tag on Tanner's health and well-being. He's the sweetest dog there is, and we all know that he never asked for this, or any of his other medical problems, to happen to him. This is simply the bad hand he was dealt in life and we want to do everything we can to help him get through this with as little suffering as possible. We owe him that much, and more.

 

With that said, we humbly are needing to do something we never imagined doing which is to turn to our community for help with this. With great appreciation for any donation toward the cost of the surgery Tanner desperately needs, and the relief he deserves. This is the only option we have left to get our dog the help he needs so any amount at all will be a significant help, as will any efforts to help get the word out. Please do not feel bad if you can't spare a donation because taking a moment to share this post with the rest of your community will also go a long way for us.

 

Thank you for your time and consideration. It means the world, not just to us, but to him as well.

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COST BREAKDOWN (Description | Quantity | Total):

 

THRIVE Affordable Vet Care | PetSmart | Kyle, TX:

THRIVE Affordable Vet Care | Emergency Care Center | Cedar Park, TX:

CTVSEH | Central Texas Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital | Austin, TX:

Total Vet/Hosp/Medication/Medical Supply Costs = $4,192.65

 

and to be continued…

 

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*Lens luxation - The crystalline lens is found located behind the pupil where it helps to direct light rays onto the retina, and as a result, a visual image is formed. However, lens lunation means that the lens has fallen into the back of the eye or has slipped into the front of the eye – where it becomes stuck between cornea and iris. This usually causes acute pain and vision loss, hence the blue coloring of the eye indicating soreness.

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Before Eye Removal:

After Eye Removal:

Current State (Note that lens luxation is slowly coming into play for right eye just like the Ophthalmologist warned us about):