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Rena Has A Bluey
Rena, our 2 ½ year old labrador
retriever, was in California training for retiever competitions and our hopes
were high for a rewarding year in the field. A phone call at 6:30 AM
from our trainer changed everything and we began a rollercoaster ride that
lasted four months. A “bluey” is the physical manifestation
of severe glaucoma in a dog’s eye. Our immediate goal was to reduce
the pressure so Rena saw an ophthalmologist in California while I began the
drive down to get her and bring her home.
The next four weeks were spent attempting to determine why she had glaucoma. High internal pressure in the eye will cause blindness and so we did everything possible to keep it under control. Our family veterinarian, Dr. Dan Kennedy, referred us to a local specialiast in ophthalmology, Victoria Jones, DVM, MS, DACVO. Dr. Vicki consulted with specialists here and across the nation to try to determine what was causing the glaucoma. Her retina was abnormal but the cause was a mystery. Finally, unable to both keep the pressure within acceptable limits and to determine its cause, we made the difficult decision to have Rena’s eye removed.
Dr. Vicki did a fantastic job with the surgery and with a good friend’s observation that “If you treat her like a cripple, she will be a cripple”, we continued on with training. Rena’s eye was sent to a special pathologist in Wisconsin who delivered the devastating news that she had amelanotic melanoma. This is an extremely rare and aggressive form of melanoma (cancer) - it is amelanotic because the cells are dividing so rapidly that they do not have time to develop the characteristic dark pigment.
However, we were still hopeful. Consulting with an onchology specialist in Oregon cautioned us, but perhaps we had removed her eye before the cancer had spread. Rena went on as if nothing had changed in her life. She was playful, bold and lived to retrieve. She filled our lives with joy. We ran her in her first AKS Master hunting test at Sauvie Island, OR on Memorial Day. While she didn’t complete the test—breaking on the last bird down in the third series saying, “I can definitely get that bird, Mom!” she was full of fire and desire and sure made us proud.
However, in July the melanoma reappeared with a vengance. It had spread to several sites in Rena’s body and we lovingly helped her cross the rainbow bridge at the end of the month. It was and is still very difficult to have lost such a young dog who was so full of life and promise. We miss Rena. I am eternally grateful to the doctors who helped Rena, my husband, Chuck and me during her illness. Their compassion, expertise and willingness to go the “extra mile” made all the difference in the world. They were and are the caregivers and healers who support us as we travel the road of life with our companions.
