Rescued Blind Dog to Have Eyes Removed; Donations and New Home Sought

Editor's Note: The following was submitted to Palm Harbor Patch by the Suncoast Animal League

Blind Luck 

-by Rick Chaboudy, Suncoast Animal League Executive Director

It was a dark, cold night on Wednesday when she literally, stood blindly in the middle of S. Mobley Avenue in Hillsborough County.

Her black coat left her vulnerable to the night and her damaged eyes provided no reflections. Scared and confused, she didn't know which way to turn.

Fortunately, a couple traveling that route spotted her before something tragic could happen. After picking her up, they took her to nearby Ehrlich Animal Hospital. The dog was so badly matted that the animal hospital couldn't even tell whether it was a male or female.

Thursday, the black cocker spaniel was given a close shave and determined to be a female, approximately 8-years old. As badly matted as she was and as thin as she is, it was her eyes that were most disturbing.

After picking her up from Ehrlich Animal Hospital, the Suncoast Animal League took her to the Animal Health Care Clinic, where veterinarians determined that she was totally blind in both eyes. She suffered from glaucoma in one eye and the other was "well beyond glaucoma."

We were given two options, one was to euthanize and the other was bilateral surgery, which is the removal of both eyes. Bilateral surgery would remove the possibility of inevitable future pain that accompanies this disease.

Mobley, as we named her for obvious reasons, is a kind, loving, happy, good natured dog. She has a very engaging personality and within minutes of meeting her, she snuggles in to your heart. Her enjoyment of life left us with no decision. We will do the surgery, save her life and make her as comfortable as possible for the rest of her life.

On Monday, March 11, the surgery will take place and at the same time she will be spayed.

Mobley is available for adoption or foster through the Suncoast Animal League. She loves laps, children, cats and other dogs. In fact, another dog would probably act as a "seeing eye dog" for her and make her transition much easier. 

The surgery will cost around $1,100 and if a number of our friends donated $1.00, we can cover the cost of Mobley's surgery and give her the life she deserves.  You can donate to Mobley’s care on the following link: Suncoast Animal League.org/donations 

For more information about adopting or fostering Mobley, please call the Suncoast Animal League office at 727-786-1330.

The Suncoast Animal League is located at 1030 Pennsylvania Ave., (727) 786-1330

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