Truman is a 10 year old Greyhound in Geneva, OH, who needs $1,185 for Life Saving Eye Removal Surgery.

Truman came into our Sanctuary in early August of 2017 at 22 months of age. Already showing signs of advanced Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), we knew that this boy needed to be in special care and took him into the Sanctuary as quickly as we could.

​There isn’t much we can do to reverse the effects of PRA, as it’s a genetic disorder. It hits most dog breeds in mid-age, but for greyhounds, it appears sometime around the age of one. PRA destroys the retina and night vision is the first to be lost, with total blindness coming within a year or two.

As Truman aged, he developed cataracts in both eyes. While removing the cataracts won't restore his vision, we needed to perform eye pressure tests regularly to make sure that the cataracts are not leading to glaucoma or uveitis. Truman’s eye pressures were normal for over 2 years but suddenly, the cataracts started to shift (luxation) and cause deep spikes in pressure, first very low, then very high. Medications proved to be ineffective and his pain levels were rising. We needed to provide Truman with life saving enucleation and remove both eyes before his pain became intolerable. Truman is healing from his surgery and getting a bit stronger every day.

Truman is truly a special guy, as sweet as can be, a true Velcro dog and wonderful companion. He’s found his courage to explore, to love and to be loved. Every day brings smiles as Truman adjusts to his medical condition and thrives. He even helps the new hounds adjust to life at the Sanctuary.

The MRLT vision sciences lab at the University of California – Davis conducted a genetic study of Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) in Greyhounds. Truman developed PRA but neither of his littermates, Tootie and Taffy, has the disease. Truman and his sisters, along with other greyhounds, provided valuable data for this study and led to the discovery of the gene responsible for PRA!

Can you help this sweet boy that helps so many? As a registered, nonprofit animal rescue, we rely on donations to pay for the medical bills of the special needs animals in our care. Your donation will go allow us to continue in our mission to provide lifetime care to animals like Truman.