by Wendy Hunter
Wendy Hunter is a volunteer with the Animal Rescue of Fresno. ARF shares with KRL their animal rescue adventures every month. You can learn more about them on their website.
Ed McDunnough: “I’m not gonna live this way, Hi. It just ain’t family life.”
H.I. McDunnough: “Well, it ain’t Ozzie and Harriet.” —Raising Arizona
Hello from a sunny kitchen table, where the fans whirl overhead, and the freezer pumps out ice cubes with a gentle hum. We’re all still self-isolating, downloading Tik Tok videos, and trying to remember what life was like on the outside. In these frenzied and frantic times, just going to the grocery store can feel like some sort of reconnaissance mission. Slap on your mask soldier, and move out, obeying all rules and regulations. Just try not to look in your neighbor’s eyes at the six-foot mark. Wait, is that someone I know? That looks like Jim’s hair, or maybe Tony’s glasses....hmmm, better just open this People magazine and pretend I’m interested. Wow, Brittany sure has packed on the pounds. It’s like Butch Cassidy’s “Hole in the Wall Gang” has stampeded into town, and we’ve all been caught up in their evil cloud of dust. All right girlfriend, let’s mosey on in and stick to the list. I’m wandering on down to the salad section, and you meander over to the canned goods. If we should happen to get separated, I’ll meet you across the street at the KFC Saloon. Snag me a box of Buffalo Wings while you’re there...
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| Ozzy |
Ozzy came in from a local shelter, and he was pulled just in the nick of time. He arrived at ARF with a double dose of a condition called “cherry eye.” You may not know the term, but you’ve probably seen a dog suffering from it before. It literally looks like a bulging pink/red blob on the inner corner of the dog’s eye. It looks ugly. It looks painful. It just looks yucky. In addition, Ozzy has very small eyes, which may or may not have exacerbated the condition. His eyes remind me of Rudolph, the infamous reindeer, because of their shape: a sort of inverted teardrop. All dogs have a third eyelid, which is called a “nictitating membrane.” It’s located in the lower eyelid, along with a tear gland that provides 35% of moisture to the dog’s eye. Sometimes that gland slips out of place and protrudes out of the corner of the dog’s eye, where it appears red and inflamed- thus the name, cherry eye. Because there’s an urgency to correct the swelling, ARF made sure to get Ozzy to the vet ASAP. The longer the condition is left untreated, it can lead to more serious eye problems down the road. And nobody wants that train trip...
Treatment for cherry eye is done under local anesthesia. A small part of the gland is removed, and what’s left is carefully tucked in the inside of the third eyelid, and tucked back into place; stitches are used to hold it in place. Dogs receiving this type of surgery have an excellent chance for recovery. Poor Ozzy has had two surgeries on his eyes, in addition to getting neutered. He is currently on eye drops for a couple more weeks, to see if one of the eyes improves. They may have to do another surgery to close it a bit because it’s a little more open than the vet would like. We have our fingers crossed for the eye drops to help Ozzy heal soon.
In the meantime, our little Chihuahua mix is running around and playing with the other dogs. I know he’s thrilled to have his dreaded cone off! I remember he would jump into my lap, and his tiny head would sort of roll about awkwardly with the weight of that uncomfortable thing. Bleah! But he’s a happy creature now, being very brave about his drops and all the poking and prodding he’s had to endure. We hope he’ll be ready for his forever family soon. Because of his size and health issues, he would do best in a home without young children; kids 10 and up should be fine. Just make sure the meatloaf’s ready...
Animal Rescue of Fresno is located at 4545 E Dakota in Fresno, CA.
Check out more animal rescue stories in our Pet Perspective section on Kings River Life, and the Pets section here on KRL News & Reviews. Check back every month for another animal rescue adventure from ARF. Advertise in KRL and 10% of your advertising fees can go to a local animal rescue. Learn more about ARF on their website.
We also have a brand new pets newsletter that will be going out once a month letting our readers know about all of the pet and animal rescue related articles that went up that month so you never miss a thing. We hope to send the first one out in May. We also hope to provide some additional content and maybe even some pet related giveaways. You can use this box to subscribe!
Wendy Hunter has been volunteering with ARF for four years. She grew up in Fresno and recently became an Office Assistant with Fresno County. She has been writing all of her life, though never professionally, and currently writes personalized poetry for birthdays, weddings, pet remembrances, etc.
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