This dear little chap was abandoned, in October 2014. Thrown out like some worthless piece of trash. The reason? We think the reason was that he had Cherry Eye. The medical term for ‘cherry eye’ is nictitans gland prolapse or prolapse of the gland of the third eyelid. Unlike people, dogs have a ‘third eyelid’ that contains a tear gland and is located in the corner of each eye. Under normal circumstances, this gland is not visible and aids in the production of tears. For some reason, which is not completely understood, the gland of the third eyelid prolapses or comes out of its normal position and swells creating the condition known as cherry eye. Dogs can acquire this condition at any age and it affects males and females equally. Treatment of cherry eye is very straightforward and consists of surgically repositioning the gland. Because the exposed gland is at greater risk for further trauma or infection, prompt surgical replacement is the best choice.
Mino took this young boy to the vets the same morning, after an examination he can find nothing seriously wrong with him, apart from being very underweight. He wouldn’t operate until he had gained weight as he would be at risk due to this. People make me sick to my stomach. Why discard him, treat him, put him right.
Rocco was a delightful pup. He loved playing with Skinny and the others. Such a sweet boy with a sweet nature. After a month Rocco was beginning to put on loads of weight, there might be a chance he could have his Cherry Eyes operated on very soon. We were so excited that this little boy was going to be like brand new, he was also being neutered at the same time. Mino took him off to the vets and picked him up again later. We carried him in and wrapped him up warm as he was shaking, he slept on. We kept checking on him to see if he had woken. Eventually, we tried to wake him and pulled back the covers to find he was covered in blood and faeces. We just looked at each other and knew it was hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, as we had an experience of this before, having lost one pup, Tinker, and almost lost another to it, Rags. Mino immediately called the vet, who said to bring him straight in. Unfortunately, Rocco died in the car before he reached the vets. But, in any case, he would not have been able to save him, as he had confirmed our diagnosis was correct.
What is amazing is that Rocco showed no signs of this dreadful disease, he had had blood tests taken that showed no abnormalities whatsoever. He was playing with Skinny and Lala right up to leaving home for his op. He seemed so full of life with boundless energy. We can only think that the general anaesthetic brought this awful disease to the fore.
Our main worry was that it was highly contagious. I burnt bedding, bleached and washed everything that I could, it was just a waiting game. The incubation period was 8 days, so we were keeping everything crossed that none of our others contracted this deadly disease. But I’m pleased to say that none of the others caught it, it was nothing short of a miracle.
Although he was only with us for a relatively short time, he became a part of our family. He was such a loving boy, he became so different from the poor timid pup that first entered our gates. He was so full of fun, always playing with Skinny or Lala, and if they didn’t want to play, then he played on his own. He was a gentle dog with a lovely temperament and a big heart.
Life is so unfair sometimes. Such a short life. We were so pleased we could give him love for his last few weeks, and at least he died knowing what it was to have a full belly and lots and lots of love. Bless you, little boy, you are probably in a far better place now.🐾🐾
