When Odin was adopted from Pitpals in 2017, his owners could not have anticipated what was in store for them.
Unfortunately, Odin developed an acute degenerative eye condition that necessitated the surgical removal of both eyes in order to relieve his pain and discomfort that had reached intolerable levels.
His owners had tried every non-invasive cure available without lasting success and couldn’t bear to see him suffering, but they were not ready to say goodbye to this otherwise happy and much-loved family pet.
To add to their worries, the cost of the operation was prohibitive so they approached us (the Animal Welfare Society of South Africa) to see if we could help Odin.
Our veterinary team is highly skilled in a wide variety of specialist operations and after carefully studying the referring veterinarians report, assessing Odin and confirming that they knew of their increased obligations towards Odin following the operation we went ahead with the delicate procedure.
The operation was a success and Odin quickly adapted to being blind. He no longer had to painfully squint to try and see and being pain-free for the first time in a very long time accelerated his recovery.
Whilst some may consider this operation to be radical for us it was the “lesser of two evils” and gauging from his positive reaction to his owners when they came to collect him there is absolutely no doubt that everyone had his best interests at heart and made the right decision.
Being pain-free has greatly improved Odin’s quality of life. His owners understand his disability and that they will need to be his guide for the rest of his life but they don’t see that as a burden, they see it as a blessing.
Picture/s: Supplied