Christmas comes one week early for dog owner

December 17, 2010|By Colleen Ferreira (cferreira@wsbt.com)

A dog owner is stranded by snow in South Bend while her 14-year-old pup undergoes eye surgery in West Lafayette.

WSBT was there to capture their reunion Friday afternoon.

It was an unforgettable reunion.

“I'm elated to the max,” said dog owner Judi Rayburn-Duitman. “A travesty turned into a triumph as far as her being able to see."

Bambi, the dog, was blind in both eyes until nine days ago.

“Bambi was a good candidate for cataract surgery," said veterinary ophthalmologist Wendy Townsend of Purdue University.

So Rayburn-Duitman decided to fix Bambi's big brown beautiful eyes.

She drove her dog to Purdue University for the surgery and came back to South Bend hoping for positive results.

But then mother nature struck.

“I couldn’t get to her because of the weather," said Rayburn-Duitman.

Judi didn't want to risk the snowy roads, but at the same time, she had no way of getting Bambi back home.

Townsend operated on Bambi and brought her back to South Bend after the surgery.

The operation was successful.

Bambi gained sight back in both eyes.

In the state of Indiana, cataract eye surgery for dogs is only performed at Purdue University or in Indianapolis.

But Townsend said the technology is on its way to Magrane Pet Medical Center in Mishawaka.

“The demand is much higher,” Townsend said. “With the enhancements in human medicine, people expect to do the same things with their animals."

By 2012 Magrane will have the instruments needed to perform cataract surgery on pets.

Townsend said they need a new operating microscope so that they can visualize well during the surgery and another instrument, a fancy ultrasonic jackhammer to do cataract surgery.

The convenience will be comforting for pet owners and they won't have to travel more than a few minutes across town for the surgery.

“It will be such a convenience cause so many dogs go blind and now it will be right here at Magrane hospital," Rayburn-Duitman said.

Rayburn-Duitman said Christmas morning for her came exactly one week early and she's definitely OK with it.

“This is my Christmas present," she said. "This is my Christmas present, that she can see."

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