Ophthalmologist saves ‘remarkable’ Tollie’s sight twice

A Labrador retriever that heads a canine “dynasty” of care spanning at least three generations has had her sight saved twice by the same Cheshire vet.

Fourteen of Tollie’s puppies have been donated to Guide Dog charities in the UK and France, while six more have gone to other good causes.

But the 13-year-old needed the surgical expertise of the Eye Vet practice in Sutton Weaver, near Runcorn, on two occasions when her own sight was under threat.

Cataract

The latest operation, needed because focal damage to a lens had developed into a cataract’, came nine years after a thorn punctured her right eye and became embedded after an accident while playing in woods in 2013.

Iona Mathieson, an advanced practitioner in veterinary ophthalmology, carried out both operations.

She said: “The thorn had punctured the right cornea, with Tollie suffering from a prolapsed iris. We performed surgery the same day and repaired the iris, reinflated her eye and reformed the anterior chamber.

“Tollie was in a very serious condition, but her vision came back in the eye.”

‘Real contribution’

Tollie’s owner Helen Forbes, from Birkenhead Park, said: “We couldn’t be happier. Tollie’s a much-loved family pet who’s made a real contribution to great causes.

“She’s had 3 litters of pups – 12 of which have been donated to Guide Dogs, 3 to UK charity Canine Partners, 3 to Dogs for Good and 2 to the Guide Dogs organisation in France.

“One of Tollie’s pups, Bailey, has had 11 pups of her own, with several of them having also been donated to Canine Partners and Dogs for Good. In fact, so many of her puppies have been donated that she now has some in the Guide Dogs’ breeding programme, which means she has grandchildren, and maybe even great grandchildren, making their own contributions in the future.

“The dynasty that Tollie has now created is truly remarkable and gives the whole family a real sense of satisfaction.”