Our little Mia

[curlymopmom]

Waiting on a call from the vet today. We had our miniature schnauzer, Mia, in to an eye specialist yesterday. We had to pay $175 to have her seen and get a few different drops.

Diagnosis: KCS OU, uveitis with multiple posterior synechia, secclusio pupil, iris bombe and cataract formation OD.

They want to watch her for increased pressure, as it IS increasing already.

I have to give her 3 different topical meds now and have to eliminate all but her dog food (she wasn't given much for treats/ table scraps - all whole foods like plain hamburger or dehydrated chicken or plain green beans anyway). Her lipids were at 300 (apparently not supposed to be higher than 100) and they wonder if that caused all these problems.

We are supposed to have a follow-up on Monday (for $100 + cost of tests etc) and if her pupil hasn't detached from whatever it's stuck to (I don't do well with anatomy), then surgery is the next step.

Well, we can't afford surgery. We technically can't afford the follow-up appointment.

So I'm hoping to talk to our regular vet about this today and see what our options are. I don't know if we can just keep her comfortable (if we can even afford those meds for the rest of her life). And what will happen next?

She's got ear & skin allergies & low tear production, which is apparently autoimmune. So we already have to pay for the ear drops and the eye ointment.

DH and I are really upset. He called me from work crying. It takes A LOT for him to cry. It only happens once or twice a year.

I guess I needed a place to vent. If anyone knows anything about any of this, I would love to hear it. Otherwise, hugs are always nice. ;)

[Johns_Gal]

I know nothing, but I am so sorry. :hug

[amstermarie]

((huggs)).......
how old is she?
my thoghts are will surgury give her months or years?? (( sorry))

so if you do not get the surgury what will happen, will she be in pain?? i am thinking w/ pressure yes.. but not sure.. will the surgury save her sight?? it sounds like there is allot going on how much sight will be saved..
can you care for a dog w/ loss of sight??
just trying to throw out some questions for you to ask yourself, not nessaraly me... and there is not right answer..

i know in fl care credit is accepted by most vets.. some even make payment plans.. but speialist usally don't is payments an option?
i want to send more huggs it is a tough decision..:hugheart

[SouthPaw]

can they just remove the eye? IIRC that is not as expensive and barely impacts their quality of life.

[mom2chrisnluke]

I just wanted to give you ((Hugs))! We lost our Miniature Schnauzer the day after christmas, we have to put him down due to advanced cancer! I had him for 14 years! He was my very first baby and very very missed!

I know how heart wrenching these desicions are, I will say our vet let us pay in payments because we wanted to try all we could before we thought about putting him down. You could always ask??

[curlymopmom]

She's only 5 years old. That is what is so heartbreaking. The specialist WILL accept payment plans for the surgery. But I really don't think even that will help. I can't imagine they'll take $20 a month on a $1,000+ bill. Plus, that would need a good credit history, which we don't have.

I am hoping our vet can check her eye pressure regularly. He should only charge around $25. We certainly can't afford that even every week, or really even every month, but I want to see what he says before we make any decisions. She will be very uncomfortable if they don't do surgery and she ends up getting glaucoma.

DixieKitten - I was wondering about that too. I will ask our vet. Maybe it's something he can do. :shrug3 He's very down to earth and a bit more natural-minded. I feel I can trust him. Thanks everyone!!!

The pupil is dilating today, so from what they told me, that is a GREAT sign! :heart

[Amber]

:hugheart If money is an issue talk to your regular vet about the possibility of removing the eye. It's not ideal, but if you don't have the money to fix it then it is better than just letting the issue get worse because some of that (like the KCS) is a painful.

Also, they probably told you this at your vet...but make sure you are giving any drops before ointments otherwise the ointment will keep most of the drops from reaching the eye.

[curlymopmom]

Well I feel MUCH more optimistic after talking to our vet. She will have a check-up by him on Tuesday, rather than the specialist. That will save $. He understands we want to make her comfortable and can't so much worry about her being able to see - although as of now she still has vision in that eye.

And :praise Mia is her perky old self as of late this afternoon. :happytears I hadn't realized how out of it she has been the last several weeks. It's so fun to have her back! And dh thought her pupil looked more dilated too. It's so hard to see anything with all the cloudiness, plus we're no eye experts. :giggle So now I pray for good news on Tuesday and that we can afford to manage everything and keep her pain limited.

Thanks everyone for your hugs and prayers and advice. :heart

---------- Post added at 11:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:56 PM ----------

Oooh Amber - I forgot to say thanks. I had just read in the vet's written instructions that I was supposed to do the ointment last right before I read your post. Thanks for the reminder! And I AM going to talk to the vet about removing the eye, even if it doesn't seem necessary right now, at least I can know if it's a possibility (for her and $-wise) so if we have more problems in the future.