Border Collie with a rare eye condition gets doggles so he can go outside again
A dog who went nearly blind when he was one year old has been given the chance to enjoy life to the fullest with a special pair of glasses.
Gus the border collie was diagnosed with a rare eye condition called Pannus, which affects the cornea of the eye and worsens when exposed to sunlight.
Owner Chloe Godliman saw a cloudy pink patch in the corner of Gus’s left eye in the summer of 2021 and took him to the vet with her husband Joe.
The couple, who live in Oban, Scotland, were told Gus’s condition was incurable and could cause blindness in the young cub if left untreated.
Gus, a three-year-old border collie, has been given a new lease on life, complete with his new dog goggles, after he was diagnosed with the rare eye condition pannus.
Chloe (pictured) explained how she and her husband were devastated by Gus’s diagnosis and went home to investigate.
Chloe, 28, was devastated and told the Daily entry that she and Joe “couldn’t believe what was happening.”
She said the news “didn’t settle down” and, following Gus’s diagnosis by the vets, she decided to investigate Pannus herself.
The mother-of-one stumbled across a company called Rex Specs that sells safe eye protection for dogs that provides UV protection, blocking 99.9 percent of harmful rays.
The glasses are specifically designed for dogs with Pannus and without them Gus, now three, would have to stay indoors.
The pup was diagnosed with the condition when he was one year old and was told by his owners, Chloe and Joe, that he could go blind if left untreated and would worsen in sunlight.
After doing some research, Chloe came across Rex Specs, which specializes in UV-protective goggles for dogs with Pannus.
Chloe, from Scotland, is pictured here with Bored Collie Gus enjoying a paddleboarding session on a lake.
Chloe, who is a medical lab technician, said that without the ‘doggles’, Gus wouldn’t be able to go outside for the rest of his life.
She explained: “He’s a family member, so getting rid of him would never be an option, so we had to figure something out.”
The glasses are great. Thanks to them, his condition has not worsened and he can enjoy the fresh air.’
The three-year-old dog attracts a lot of attention while wearing his goggles, and Chloe and Joe often have to explain to people that it’s for medical reasons.
Chloe Godliman spotted a cloudy pink patch in the corner of Gus’s left eye in the summer of 2021 and took him to the vet with her husband Joe
Since Gus has been wearing his glasses, he has been able to move around and enjoy the outdoors again.
Here Gus is shown with Joe and the couple’s young son enjoying the sunshine outside. He is wearing his special ‘doggles’
The Border Collie doesn’t mind wearing his goggles and Chloe said ‘looking cool is an added bonus’.
To help with his condition, Gus was prescribed steroid drops that help reduce lesions in his eye.
Treatment does not cure Pannus but stops the progression and may reverse some changes.
Thanks to the glasses, the Border Collie now joins Chloe and Joe on hikes, wild swimming trips, and even mountain biking adventures.
