On Friday, we took Ziva to a specialist in Greenville who confirmed our sweet little dog has a genetic disorder causing her to lose her eyesight over time. We'd noticed she had problems seeing in the dark or dim light an it seemed to have gotten worse in the last week or so. The canine ophthalmologist (I didn't know these existed) said she can still see but her vision is probably much worse than we can tell by her behavior. She's had time to adjust to her changing eyesight and will probably do well once it is totally gone. We understand she is a dog and not a person but our hearts are sad. Little dogs only five years old shouldn't have to face living without sight. After her sight is gone, her pretty brown eyes will cloud with thick cataracts over time changing her appearance. I am sad about this too.
We love this little dog and will make the changes in our home and behavior she needs to enjoy her little life. She's a member of our family and sometimes when everyone else is wailing, our favorite child. We are grateful too that this loss for her is full of grace. God's given us a chance to take care of her in a greater way and for our boys to learn from her in her weaknesses. It is a good thing that this is one more way that our family can't pretend to be perfect or have everything "just so". God knew when he brought her to us that she would be blind and He is good and faithful (even to the sparrows and the lilies in the field).
We love you sweet, little dog. You are precious to us.
