Soooooo…..there is an upcoming surgery, happening next week Tuesday.
Yup, you heard me right…….
AND it’s actually not for me!!!!!!!! It’s for my Mom’s sweet puppy named Nobie – – who has certainly sneaked into my blog posts from time to time because he is the cutest!!
Don’t worry, this is actually a super sweet story and this is a surgery that is SO EXCITING!!!!!!! 😃👏🏼😃👏🏼😃👏🏼😃👏🏼
Here’s the scoop:
So, Nobie (who’s real name is Noble, but who doesn’t have nicknames for their pets, right?!?!) has been through quite an ordeal over the past 4-5 months.
Back in late March/early April Nobie became very lethargic, incredibly thirsty, and started to be less and less enthused by food. And if you know Nobie, food is his favorite thing IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!!
When Nobie started to TURN DOWN food, drop in weight, and sleep for hours with little to no energy, we knew that something major was going on. 😧
After a visit to the Vet, Nobie was diagnosed with diabetes. Thankfully, his condition was caught with the time to stabilize his blood sugar levels enough so he didn’t fully enter ketoacidosis. This is a metabolic state where blood pH changes and could result in awful symptoms, like vomiting and high blood sugar levels, and it could even be fatal if not treated in a reasonable amount of time….
And so scary!!! Nobie had to be admitted to a Veterinarian Hospital for days, so he could be monitored and receive the right fluids and insulin to bring him out of the ketoacidosis state. And it worked!!!!!! ❤️❤️
This little guy came home with instructions for insulin shots twice per day and a FreeStyle Libre monitor plugged into his side to check his insulin levels throughout the day.
Now, not only was stabilizing his insulin levels a rough road – – for two months straight, he went like a rollercoaster from highs to lows with NO leveling out in the ideal range – – but poor Nobie had yet another challenge ahead of him….
He developed cataracts in both eyes, that seemed to develop and consume both of his eyes overnight!!! One day he could see, with maybe minimal seeing issues, AND THEN the next day, all was mostly darkness.
And because this did not happen gradually – – it was literally going to sleep seeing okay and then waking up and seeing barely anything, Nobie had no time to adjust to this jarring change.
At first, he tried to remain as active and energetic as a West Highland White Terrier is known to be!!! And that meant moving way too fast, running into EVERYTHING, and getting so confused and disoriented. It was heartbreaking to witness….💔
But then gradually, he began to adjust to this huge change. Nobie began moving slowly, bumping his nose gently into things as he relearned his living spaces, and he started to get the hang of how to navigate his surroundings.
Then he was doing incredibly well!!! He was happy, he was gaining more courage and confidence to tackle stairs and explore outside, he was eating like the hungry beast that he always is, and his energy and excitement for people, the doorbell, and other dogs returned almost in full!
The only thing is, Nobie can’t see so he stopped playing with his toys. And he still stares outside but he can’t enjoy the scenery and being nosy about the neighbors, like he always loved to do…. 🌲 🐕 🌸
Since my Mom wants the best quality of life for Nobie, she got an appointment with the Vet to see if Nobie’s insulin was stabilized and he was in a good place. Because if he was, there was a good chance that Nobie could have cataract removal surgery so that he could see once again.
And you know what?!?!?! (I bet you do!!!)
Nobie was cleared and approved to have eye surgery and by next week Tuesday, he will be able to see again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How amazing is that?!?!?! 👁 👁 I’m so excited for Nobie and I can’t wait to see how he responds to seeing the world and our faces again!!!
Pretty great, isn’t it?!?! A simple surgery that is going to have an amazing impact on Nobie’s life. Granted, my Mom is going to have A LOT of work to do, with eye drops galore and keeping Nobie in a cone so he doesn’t scratch his eyes for weeks post-surgery. But she is so ready for the challenge because it will be so worth it, to have him back to his vibrant, fully-functioning, and fully-SEEING self!!!
PLUS, his surgery date this Tuesday is almost-exactly one month before his 11th Birthday, too. What a fantastic birthday present – the gift of sight!!! 🎂🎁
Soon, he’ll be able to say “Eye Can see!!!!!” 😉😃👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼HOORAY!!!!!” 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Happy Early Birthday, Mr. Nobie!!!! 🥳🎉🥳