A top gun dog looked cool as Iceman following an emergency mission to save her eye. Kona needed to wear the Maverick-style protective eyewear following surgery to remove a thorn.
Her owner Andrea Bishop noticed Kona became withdrawn and appeared in pain after her morning walk. She took the four-year-old pointer to a vet who carried out an ultrasound scan on her right eye which revealed the thorn embedded in her cornea.
Kona was then driven 80 miles to Veterinary Vision in Penrith, Cumbria, where veterinary surgeons carried out a risky procedure to remove the thorn and save her sight. Kona’s damaged eye was also grafted.
To ensure she made a full recovery, Kona needed to wear the doggy glasses for several weeks following the procedure. And just weeks after the accident, Kona has made a full recovery and is back home with her relieved owner.
Andrea, 43, from Houghton-Le-Spring in Tyne and Wear, said: “I know everyone who has dogs loves them as part of the family, but Kona and I have a very special bond. I got Kona four years ago, after I lost my partner at the age of 39 to suicide.
“She instantly became my whole world, my shadow and my best friend. She is a very special dog and I love her more than I could ever put into words, so I will be forever grateful for the care and attention she received from Chris and the Vet Vision team."
Andrea said it was a "very worrying" time as it was a very delicate and complicated operation. She had prepared herself that Kona might lose her eye.
“Not only did Kona keep her eye but her vision doesn't appear to be impaired at all," she said. "Which is nothing short of a miracle.
"To watch her run around again like a big puppy, you would never have known what she'd been through just a few days beforehand. I will be forever grateful for the care and attention she received from Chris and the Vet Vision team."
Eye expert Chris Dixon carried out the complicated surgery on Kona last month. He said they were unable to see the foreign body due to a thick build-up of fluid and it was only when they carried out the scan that the thorn was spotted.
“The removal of a large foreign body embedded in the deep tissues of the eye for four days posed a significant surgical challenge due to the lack of visibility," he said. "The fragment of stick was carefully removed with instruments that are more commonly used in retinal reattachment surgery, and the cornea was repaired with a transposition graft.
"Kona is extremely fortunate to have avoided infection of the intraocular tissues and the whole Veterinary Vision team is thrilled that she has made a complete recovery.”
