Truffle

Dear Truffle

This wonderful chocolate cocker showed up as a stray buried under hair, but shelter vets immediately discovered his hideously painful eyes that needed immediate treatment.    We took him immediately. He was completely blind but confident and smart with that constantly wagging
tail that makes me love cockers.    Our vet found serious glaucoma AND dry eye, with the “cherry eye” gland so dried out that it had a little wound.

Being a cocker, his ears were very damaged from longtime allergies/infections and his skin was also.   He visited the groomer next and we found a really handsome dog underneath who just loved any attention.   He learned the dogdoor in two days (amazing for a blind dog!) and got around really well.

Just before planned surgery to remove those horrible eyes that had to be causing severe constant pain, Truffle started to cough.  We treated him for presumed kennel cough but that didn’t help.  He kept itching despite efforts to treat his ears and skin, but cooperated for the many eye drops we did daily.    Then the cough worsened, chest xrays showed problems, and it became a crisis.   After a night of coughing and wheezing we decided that he shouldn’t have to struggle so hard any
longer.    What had happened in his heart and lungs is still a mystery but he’d already suffered through SO much pain from those eyes and ears and skin infection.

We loved him and so wish we could have helped more  – but he knew he was loved and that little tail wagged to the end.

Please remember Truffle and keep watch over your neighbor’s or friend’s or relative’s dogs, particularly those breeds that can become so painful from neglect.