Billy

Bob and Sandy’s dog, Billy…In the span of a week, our dear dog Billy lost an eye.  In the span of a week, Bob and I had our lives drastically changed.  And in the span of a week, we discovered a vein of gold stuck inside a cramped, outdated building.

On a Friday night in December of 2007, Billy yelped in pain and red serum leaked from his right eye. We went to the emergency vet, who kept him overnight and then transferred us to UGA to be seen by the ophthalmology department there. GVS has an ophthalmologist, but the procedure Billy needed was beyond her training, so to Athens we went. Drs. Weinstien and Accola came in on their day off and worked on Billy into the wee hours of Sunday morning. A condition our veterinarian had mistakenly treated as rather routine and benign had cost Billy his right eye and severely damaged his left one. Grafting the ulcer in his left eye was no guarantee he would be able to keep it but it was his only shot, so it was one we had to take. The doctors and hospital staff treated Billy as if he was their own. They did the surgery, kept him in ICU for a week, and then sent him home with us.

Sure, there were instructions for his care…4 pages of them.

Sure, there were eye medications to be administered…nine different meds on 6 different dosing schedules meant that we were sticking something into poor Billy’s eye 42 times a day.

Sure, there have been better Decembers in our lives, but we made it through all the work it took to keep Billy’s remaining eye healthy by reminding ourselves of the team we had on our side at the University of Georgia’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

Each time we went back for a follow-up visit, someone who had cared for him during surgery or in ICU afterwards popped their head in the door to visit with Billy and see how he was doing. They ruffled his fur like he was an old friend, and he gave out kisses in a never-ending supply. And when, late one night, we looked at his eye and saw trouble, we went straight to Athens to the only place where we knew that eye would have a chance, and again, Drs. Weinstien and Accola were there to meet us and evaluate the problem. At midnight on a Monday night, they both came in and put their heads together to try to save one dog’s eye.

Billy’s nine years old. I hope we have at least another 5 or 6 years with him, and hope he gets to keep his eye that whole time. There are no guarantees, but he’s got a lot going for him…two people who love him and two doctors who are determined to give that eye and our dog the best chance possible for a sighted life.

Were it not for the doctors and staff at UGA’s vet school, Billy would have no eyes. Please donate to the UGA Teaching Hospital Building fund…there’s a link on this page that will take you to the secure UGA giving site, and your donation is tax-deductible.

On behalf of Billy and the rest of the animals that have been helped and will be helped at the University of Georgia, thank you.