Wakefield vets mark World Sight Day with heart-warming tale of saving elderly dog’s vision

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An award-winning Wakefield animal hospital, which has saved the sight of more than 1,000 pets over the last three years, is marking World Sight Day (today) by sharing its latest success story.

Staff at Linnaeus-owned Paragon Veterinary Referrals, in Wakefield, are no strangers to helping blind and visually-impaired animals see, with 350 pets undergoing cataract surgery over the past three years.

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In honour of World Sight Day today (October 10), the vets have shared the story of 10-year-old Labradoodle, Kobi, whose vision deteriorated so quickly he was forced to have an eye removed.

The dog, from Castleford, has diabetes, which led to him developing cataracts and a referral to Paragon to save the sight in his other eye.

10-year-old Labradoodle, Kobi, had to have his eye removed due to cataracts.10-year-old Labradoodle, Kobi, had to have his eye removed due to cataracts.
10-year-old Labradoodle, Kobi, had to have his eye removed due to cataracts.

Kobi’s owner, Nic Griffiths, said: “Kobi’s sight deteriorated rapidly to the point he was bumping into things, struggling to find his dinner when placed in front of him and not able to play with his toys.

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“His left eye also looked very red, so I called Paragon on a Sunday evening in a state of shock and they told us to bring him in the next morning.”

Kobi was seen by head of ophthalmology James Rushton, who said the pressures in both of the dog’s eyes were very high.

To try and reduce the pressure Kobi was given drops, with surgery planned three days later.

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Kobi was reffered to Paragon Veterinary Referrals, in Wakefield, who have saved the sight of more than 1,000 pets over the last three years.Kobi was reffered to Paragon Veterinary Referrals, in Wakefield, who have saved the sight of more than 1,000 pets over the last three years.
Kobi was reffered to Paragon Veterinary Referrals, in Wakefield, who have saved the sight of more than 1,000 pets over the last three years.

But due to the damage already caused by the pressure, ones of Kobi’s eyes sadly had to be removed.

At the same time vet James carried out cataract surgery on the other eye.

Nic added: “I was devastated at the thought of him losing an eye. As I handed him over I was so scared and the rest of that day was a blur.

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“James was fantastic. He took time to talk to me and explained and reassured me Kobi would be OK. The way he spoke to Kobi was lovely I could tell he would look after him.”

Kobi has diabetes, which led to him developing cataracts and a referral to Paragon to save the sight in his other eye.Kobi has diabetes, which led to him developing cataracts and a referral to Paragon to save the sight in his other eye.
Kobi has diabetes, which led to him developing cataracts and a referral to Paragon to save the sight in his other eye.

After a successful surgery Kobi is now fully recovered and back home, embracing life with his sight back.

Nic said: “It’s been a long road to recovery but Kobi is back to his normal, cheeky self and it’s so nice to have him back.

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“We are so grateful we live in an area that has such a fabulous facility for pets and their owners.”

Head of ophthalmology at Paragon, James Rushton, said: ““We’re so delighted Kobi is feeling better and we managed to restore his sight, despite having to remove one of his eyes.

After a successful surgery Kobi is now fully recovered and back home with owner Nic, in Castleford.After a successful surgery Kobi is now fully recovered and back home with owner Nic, in Castleford.
After a successful surgery Kobi is now fully recovered and back home with owner Nic, in Castleford.

“World Sight Day raises awareness of those with blindness or visual impairments. It really is a day of celebration for us, reflecting on the incredible impact we’ve made over the past three years at Paragon.

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“We’re proud to have performed vision-restoring cataract surgeries on more than 350 eyes out of 1,000-plus eye-related surgeries.

“Our mission is clear - we believe vision is vital for all creatures, big and small. As we look to the future, we’re excited to continue helping more blind eyes see and enhancing the lives of our beloved patients.”

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