Just over two years ago we got a call from our veterinarian who was upset that she was asked to put down a blind, diabetic dog in a nearby town just because his guardian got tired of him. He was only NINE years old. When he first arrived, he was calm but kind of a mess. His blood sugar was all over the place so we had to do some testing to determine what he would need and get the supplies. We literally had to put a diaper on him because he had uncontrolled urination from his unchecked diabetes and of course, he wasn’t familiar with the layout of our house.

We got him on a steady regiment of long-acting insulin and he rarely flinches when we administer it to him when he eats. He has grown into an integral part of our family and is PERFECTLY house-trained. He has a great appetite and obediently sits for his treats, knows his NEW name Snowball, and has amazing hearing, detecting our cars and gates before anyone else. Not only does he know the layout of our entire house and yard, but he is always clean and extremely patient when I groom him. He slimmed down long ago because of his improved diet and exercise. His fur is never stained with urine and of course, we never keep him in a crate, which had only set him up to fail at his previous home. I’m so happy that he’s thriving at 12 today, even though he did recently get diagnosed with glaucoma on top of his pre-existing blindness, so we also have to give him eye drops to decrease the eye pressure and make sure he’s not in any pain. He regularly shares his bed with other dogs and he’s a handsome devil. When we were asked last year to take in another blind dog from the same veterinarian, we didn’t hesitate, so now we have Snowball and Matty, and they are both amazing.

Happy birthday Snowball!