BLOG DISCLAIMER

**DISCLAIMER** Please note: I am not a veterinarian, and the purpose of this blog is solely to educate, provide resources, and share Reo's story. In this blog, I will present research and information on the theories of SARDS to which I subscribe, along with my own narrative. If you think your dog may have SARDS, or adrenal exhaustion/Plechner Syndrome, please seek veterinary care right away!

If you are just beginning your SARDS education, I suggest you start with the blog post from August 22, 2011 entitled "SARDS Resources". If you'd like to know our trials, tribulations, and joys from the beginning, start with "But first...Reo!" and click chronologically on from there.

If you would like to read my suggestions as to how I would approach treatment for a newly-diagnosed dog, check the November 16, 2011 post "If I had another SARDS dog" (and then read my blog more fully for appropriate context).

Though we have decided to suspend Reo's retinal protection supplements in September 2012 (see September 16, 2012 post "Decision for Reo") due to the fact that she had very little remaining vision, I am still strongly supportive of our treatment approach, and know that it changed Reo's health and longevity in a positive way. Feel free to comment and ask me any questions - I am happy to help if I can!

Update: Reo became an angel on October 21, 2014. She had a profound kidney infection, causing acute kidney failure, and she was unable to recover. The contributing factors to her decline are covered in my February 16, 2015 blog post "Farewell to Reo".

Though I do not regularly update this blog any longer, much of the information is still relevant (though some of the links may be out of date). Feel free to join the conversation at "SARDS Dogs United" on Facebook.




Thursday, September 1, 2011

VISION? The first inklings...

06/14/11 - The past few days have been weird.  We have noticed a few instances of Reo acting like she can see:

1)  We had a power outage recently.  I was holding Reo in one arm.  In the pitch blackness, I woke my phone from "sleep" mode (phone is always on silent, so it didn't make a noise).  When the screen lit up, Reo looked over at it.
2)  On our back deck (which Reo can navigate well now, including stairs), I washed the dog water bowl and placed it in a different location.  Reo came up the steps from the yard and was walking directly toward it at a fast pace (as if she would crash into it), and then she simply walked around it.  Sean and I were quite surprised.  I wondered if she could smell it, but I thought if she smelled it and were interested, she'd stop to take a sniff?
3)  At my desk, I took a break to stretch and had my hands up in the air, and she looked directly at my hands.
4)  Leigh was stretching on our deck and right in Reo's path as she was walking up the stairs.  Reo jumped over her without skipping a step!

In general, Reo is very confident on walks - she is fine to be out in front of me on the leash, which is a major change for her (after she lost her sight, she walked behind or very close to us).  She also has tried to go up our inside staircase herself (which is also new to her since she lost her sight - she never tried because they are quite tall).  She occasionally reacts to squirrels, but I truly can't tell if she can smell/hear them, or if she sees them or flashes of light/shadow when they dart across.  Because I'm more unsure about these, I'm sticking to the above 4 examples of potentially transient vision.  :)

Even so, I'm still extremely cautious, as it seems like this would just be too good to be true!

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