My 6-½ year old best friend, Cherri is a Miniature Chinese Shar-Pei. I cannot begin to tell you what a wonderful girl she is and how much I love her.

I first began to notice that she was not herself at the end of November in 2005. Cherri seemed to be afraid of going for walks especially at night. She used to love walks at any time of the day or night and I was shocked by her starting out like she wanted to go for a walk and then pulling to go back home right away. I took her to the vet. after a few days of this behavior. I thought that it might have been triggered by an incident a few nights before when she accidentally walked in tar and we had to spend many hours cleaning her feet, which she really hates anyone to touch. I really thought she was mad at me for the thorough foot cleaning. The vet. checked her and even did blood work to make sure that she was okay. We never thought that it was her eyes. She seemed fine until January 19th. I woke up to let her out in the morning and she walked right into the wall. I knew that something was wrong. I waited for my vet. to open and when I called him he told me to make an appointment with the Dog Ophthalmologist. It was that day that I found out that my little girl had Glaucoma.

Over the next 5 months we went to the dog Ophthalmologist many times and tried surgery, laser surgery, eye drops and many other things but nothing was helping – we could not control the spikes in pressure. At times her pressure would be as high as 70.  She had so much optic nerve damage that the Ophthalmologist said that in early May that we should give her an injection in her eye to make her left eye blind.  I agreed with Dr. Marrion and in a very simple procedure, Cherri was made blind in her left eye.  Her other eye began to have a lot of huge spikes in pressure and eventually in June, it was decided to not put her through all of the pain as she would be going blind soon.  In June, we gave her an injection into her other eye.  She was totally blind as of June 13th. 

Knowing that she was probably going to go blind, I put my bed on the floor so, that she has been able since day one to get on and off of the bed by herself.  She was able to go in and out of the house right away by herself when I left the door to the yard open.  For a few weeks, our walks basically consisted of going down to the end of the driveway or to the next house and turning around.  Today, on her walks, she knows exactly what cats she wants to visit and where she wants to go. When I am walking her, most people do not even realize that she is blind.  Cherri is still the happy and loveable girl that she always was and has adjusted very well to her blindness. It took me a lot longer:) 

Story by: Stephanie Conway

Cherri Conway February 26, 2000 - November 3, 2007 My little angel Cherri was the kindest soul that I have ever known. I will always cherish all of the memories of my best friend in the whole world. She was a once in a lifetime dog and I am so glad to have shared my life with her.

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