AR-News: (Australia) Stray dog gets laser eye surery

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Source:  Sun-Herald (Australia)

Stray dog gets laser eye surgery
By Kelly Ryan
June 8, 2004


A MELBOURNE family has paid $5000 to restore the sight of a blind stray dog.

Kaye Stevenson said the success of her own eye laser surgery a few years ago helped convince her to pay the hefty veterinary bill. 

"I know how much better I was after I had my laser surgery - it was like the grit and fog had been removed from my eyes," she said. 

"We have always said we would mortgage our house to ensure the good health of our own pets." 

Delighted by the look of love the mutt gave them after her expensive cataract surgery last week, Donvale's Greg and Kaye Stevenson have since adopted the kelpie cross as their own. 

When they found her last month, Tess was blinded by diabetes and years of neglect. 

"She was on the streets on her own, obviously abandoned and totally blind," Ms Stevenson said. 

A vet check revealed the dog was in diabetic shock and close to death. A second opinion by vet specialists at the Melbourne Veterinary Referral Centre indicated surgery could remove Tess' cataracts and restore her vision. 

"Credit cards are for shoes for some, clothes for others, and vet bills for us," Ms Stevenson joked. 

Kaye and husband Greg agreed to pay the $5000, expecting to later find a new family to adopt the dog. Mum to one-year-old twins Adlai and Evangeline, and pregnant with her third child, Ms Stevenson said it was an easy decision.  They named the dog Tess. 

"Tess is only five and we believe has got a few good years left in her yet. 

"She gets on fabulously with the twins and our other pets. 

"We knew if we hadn't found her, she wouldn't have had a chance with anyone else." 

The dog had been "crying out for a home". 

"She was walking into walls and yet she was out on her own on the streets." 

Since her surgery, Tess has made herself at home in her own basket in the kitchen, next to the heating duct and within sight of her new family. 

Veterinary eye specialist Dr Andrew Turner performs about 100 canine cataract operations a year. 

Ultrasound equipment breaks down the cataract, which is then sucked out. 

"The eye opens like a flower and an acrylic lens is then injected inside the lens capsule," he said. 

"She was very depressed when she came in but after the surgery, she was wagging her tail and looking around." 

Herald Sun