5 years ago my wife and I decided we wanted dogs. We were not in the market for a pet but for a companion to become part of our family. That is exactly what we got with our Dalmatian Balon. We got Balon as puppy and we knew we’d be great for him partly because we knew no one else would want him. As a puppy, Balon was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. We knew his diabetes would be a challenge but could image the alternative for him. Aside from the financial burden (not eligible for insurance due to it being a pre-existing condition) it is also time consuming. Being insulin dependent, he needs two shots a day. In order to keep his numbers as level as possible, we keep his feeding and shots as consistent as possible. 7am & 7pm every day; like clockwork.
All of the work and expense has been completely worth it. Especially given that his is the first face I see greeting me at the door every day when I come home from work, when I get back from running errands or simply when I go outside to get the paper.
Until now, his condition was nothing we didn’t expect and nothing we were not willing to endure. However, early this year, we learned that Balon’s diabetes has led to him having cataracts and that he was slowly losing his vision. Our vet predicted we would lose the majority of his eyesight in as little as a few years. His cataracts progressed a lot faster than predicted and he now has less than 10% vision in his right eye and about 30% vision in his left. For this reason, we want to get his surgery as soon as possible. In addition, my wife and I just expended our family. We had triplets!. Babies can for difficult for some dogs to adjust to but especially difficult if the dog has lost his vision. When he hears the babies cry or fuss, I can only assume in his head, he sees a new squeak toy. Also, with his lack of vision, he has become less tolerant of noises and quick movements. Not the type of temperament you want for new babies.
Our only problem/hold up is that the eye surgery he needs to fix his cataracts, although permanent, is pricey; roughly $5,000. The surgery is obviously a no brainer. His vision would be restored immediately and cataracts would never be an issue again. But after just bringing home triplets (3 days ago), it is a price tag that is not currently feasible.
We would hate to wait because there can be negative ramifications for our family with little babies roaming around. We cannot take the chance of anything bad happening. Not to mention the impact on Balon. He trips over the curb on walks and will likely hurt himself, he walks into walls and we bits at shadows and inanimate objects. In addition, cataracts can develop into Glaucoma or retinal separation, which cannot be corrected and would leave him permanently blind. For the safety of our family, if we cannot get Balon the surgery he needs, we will have look at the tough decision of giving him up. He is such an important part of our family; we would hate to lose him.
