Monday, March 24, 2014
It turns out that Henry's ear infection was really the least of his problems. Last weekend, we noticed that his left eye was getting really cloudy. By the time Sunday night rolled around, his eye was super red and seemed extra big. We made an appointment for him at the vet on Monday. After seeing his eye, the vet did a pressure test and quickly confirmed that Henry has glaucoma in his left eye. The pressure in his left eye was a 22 and normal eye pressure is between 10-15. It was also confirmed that Henry had no vision in his left eye. However, if the pressure in the eye was reduced, there might be chance for him to regain his vision in that eye, assuming the pressure in his eye never goes above a 30.
We left with 3 different eye drops to give to Henry in hopes of reducing the pressure in his eye, making him more comfortable and potentially restoring his sight.
On Thursday we went back to the vet to check on Henry's progress. Unfortunately, the pressure in Henry's left eye was even higher (25). Our vet recommended that we take Henry to the eye specialist and in the interest of time we do it the next day.
We made the trek to the eye vet on Friday morning. The vet confirmed that Henry does indeed have glaucoma in his left eye and that he can not see out of his left eye. However, she also told us that the very small cataract that Henry had in his left eye has exploded in size. The size of the cataract means that Henry has no chance of regaining the vision in his left eye once we get the glaucoma under control.
Our main question was how did this come on so suddenly? The eye specialist explained that there are a few possibilities and we are currently waiting on blood work to help us determine what is the cause for the sudden glaucoma. The first scenario, is it is the result of an infection (most likely from a tick bite). We are waiting on the results of a blood test to confirm if this is the case. A second scenario is that this is the result of an auto immune disorder. A third possibility is that the glaucoma is caused by cancer that has spread to Henry's eye.
Of all these scenarios, the simple infection would be the easiest to treat and would offer the best long term outlook. The worst case scenario would be cancer of course. And while I immediately worry that it is the worst case scenario, I think if it was cancer that has already spread to his eye, Henry would be showing some other signs of sickness.
For now we wait and see how the blood results come back. From there we will figure out the next steps. In the meantime, Henry goes back to the eye specialist for a follow-up visit later this week to check on the status of his eye. Hopefully, the pressure in his eye will be much better.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Well, look who I found sitting in the shade! The sun loving pug!
The weather has been so gorgeous that we have had a hard time getting Henry to come in the house. The sun is getting a bit stronger so Henry lays in the sun for a bit, then moves to the shade, then moves back to the sun. Benjamin and Luna are such polar opposites of Henry that we have taken to calling them the house dwellers. They go outside, go potty and then want to go right back in. If the weather is nice enough Benjamin can be persuaded to spend a little time outside, but not Luna. She wants no parts of the great outdoors.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
We have been noticing that Henry's hearing has not been as sharp lately. Even with duller hearing, Henry shines in the hearing department compared to Benjamin and Luna who are practically completely deaf. But, one day last week we noticed that Henry was not being his normal self and we noticed that he couldn't hear anything at all. Later that day he started scratching his ears like crazy and we had a sneaking suspicion that he had an ear infection. So, off to the vet we went and the vet confirmed that Henry did indeed have an ear infection. Henry was prescribed ear drops to tackle the infection and we vowed to be more diligent about cleaning his ears.
The hope is that after Henry's ear infection is cleared up, his hearing will return to normal. Although, I must admit, I'm kinda concerned that it won't since there hasn't been any improvement so far.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
I was doing some work from home last week and Henry stepped down from his guard on the sofa to lay in the sunbeams in my office. Just like old times. When I worked from home full time this was the coveted spot that the boys used to vie over.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
"Hey, bro! Move along, you're casting shadows!"
Poor Henry has been sun deprived and the other night when we were out in the yard catching the last few rays of the sun before it set, Benny kept standing next to Henry and blocking his sun. Benny just wanted to sit next to his brother, but Henry kept moving to get more sun. Henry would move, then Benny would move again to be next to Henry. Henry would move again and then Benny would move again. Somehow Benny wasn't taking the hint.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Happy Gotcha Day, Cupid! 14 years ago we sprung this mischievous kitty from the pound.
It might be Valentine's Day, hence the name Cupid, but don't let the sweet look of this picture fool you. Poor Henry has to share his favorite spot with Benjamin and Luna and now Cupid wants in on the action.
Cupid, has been laying on the sofa recently, but unlike Benjamin and Luna she isn't quite as willing to share. When she gets on the sofa, she lets Henry know which cushion he is allowed to use and if he so much as looks at her there will be consequences to pay. Poor Hank!
Thursday, February 6, 2014
While the rest of the country was braving the Polar Vortex 2.0, us Floridians had some gloomy, rainy days. We probably had close to a week with little or no sun and Henry was starting to get a bit depressed. He was so happy one night when the clouds broke and he was able to catch some sunbeams from the setting sun. Henry parked himself in the driveway and soaked up every ounce of sunshine until the sun finally set. Then, and only then, would he consider coming back into the house.
