Stevie, a 5-year-old one-eyed Jack Russell, was brought to Battersea’s London centre after being found roaming the streets of Guilford. It didn’t take long for the intake team to notice that – even with one eye remaining – his vision was extremely limited. After being whisked off for a routine initial check up with the veterinary team, it was confirmed that Stevie was suffering with glaucoma – a condition caused by fluid building up behind the eye and causing pressure.
Seeing that this was causing Stevie considerable discomfort, the team made the difficult but necessary decision to remove his second eye – knowing that this was the best way of ensuring he could go on to live a full, happy life in future.
After undergoing the operation on site at Battersea’s London clinic, Stevie awoke to a new way of living. Losing his eyesight was a significant adjustment, and following a few days of continually bumping into objects around him, Stevie began to develop a new, worried nature.
But thankfully, two of Battersea’s valued foster carers Amy and Jack were there to spring into action and help Stevie adapt to his new lifestyle in a home environment. Taking steps like removing obstacles, hiding away sharp-edged furniture and focusing on using scent and voice signals during play and training all had a transformational effect in boosting his confidence.
It took next to no time for him to settle in with them, loving nothing more than wriggling himself onto their laps for plenty of cuddles and fuss.
After spending almost two months growing in confidence in the safety and security of their foster home, Stevie was finally ready to start his next chapter and was swept up by a loving new owner.
