Our Trip To Eye Specialist in Carey

Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Today was our appointment in Carey. I had a great deal of anxiety. Not only did I fear that Beetle would lose her eye, but the trip itself. Neither Bug nor I are fans of car travel. It has been years since Beetle has been on a ride farther than a couple miles. This trip was going to take 2 ½ to 3 hours. The plan was for me to sit in the back seat while Poppie drove. I attached her leash to her harness and wrapped the leash around my lap seatbelt several times and added a couple loose knots. This was my idea of a makeshift doggie seat belt.

Beetle started the trip with her usual “singing” in the car. In reality it is whining until mom chimes in and the volume gets louder and more musical. Mummmmm-mummm-oooo. My lap was pretty much her preferred place to sit for most of the drive. The drive itself was mostly uneventful. We stopped a couple times for potty breaks and made real good time. The only problem was some confusion on what exit to take off I-40. Our GPS was insisting on one exit, my notes said another and a pamphlet provided by our local vet said yet another exit. My husband shook his head and said what one do we take? Being the woman I am I took the matter into my own hands. A cell phone was my weapon of choice. I called the clinic and advised the very friendly voice at the end of the line our dilemma. She gave very clear and easy directions that took us straight to their parking lot. Gotta love someone like that.

We entered the building a lot earlier than our scheduled appointment. I was armed with copies of recent vet bills and a bag full of Beetles medications. I knew they would ask me what kind of treatment she had received and there was no way I would remember any of it. My first impression of the facility was how inviting, clean, comfortable and how friendly everyone was. To my amazement there was a refreshment area prominently placed in the waiting area. To our delight there were freshly brewed individual coffees, juice, and soda. What a wonderful thing to have for weary pet owners coming from all over North Carolina. All for no charge, and we were encouraged to help ourselves.

The paperwork was even more surprising. A one page questionnaire with the pets name and referral already filled out. They only wanted our name, phone, problem Beetle was experiencing and her medications. Ha! I knew they would ask for medications. Nowhere did they ask me to sign my life away. How wonderful!

The staff was super friendly to both humans and pets alike. The short wait was easy with large comfortable benches and our refreshments in hand. They even provided free Wi-Fi for those so inclined to bring their laptops with them.

We didn’t even finish our coffee when we were escorted into an exam room. The tech confirmed our reasons for being there and promptly the Dr. entered the room. She was very kind and exuded confidence as she examined Beetle. She was sure of her diagnosis, rattled off several medical options. In the end, we decided to first try more antibiotics for her severe infection. Beetle has a condition of dry eye which was brought on by some sort of injury in the neck. The Dr. explained even a mild hit or turn could have caused the nerve damage, a permanent condition. This in turn made it so she does not produce tears. Even if we do manage to save her eye, she will require lifetime treatment of the eyes. If Beetle can live with that, so can I.

We left with new medications, a comprehensive print out of our consultation, medical options, medicine warnings and a new prescription to have filled back in Jacksonville, NC.
A scheduled follow up in 10 days will determine our next step.