Kobi the Labradoodle from Castleford is now back to full health after nearly losing his sight
Paragon Marks World Sight Day With Heart-warming Success Story
1 week ago 
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An award-winning West Yorkshire animal hospital which has saved the sight of more than 1,000 pets over the last three years is marking World Sight Day by sharing its latest success story.
Staff at Linnaeus-owned Paragon Veterinary Referrals in Wakefield are no strangers to helping blind and visually-impaired animals see, with some 350 pets undergoing cataract surgery over that period.
To mark World Sight Day on October 10, vets have shared the story of 10-year-old Labradoodle called Kobi, whose vision deteriorated so quickly he was forced to have an eye removed.
The dog from Castleford has diabetes, which led to him developing cataracts and a referral to Paragon to save the sight in his other eye.
Owner Nic Griffiths said: “Kobi’s sight deteriorated rapidly to the point he was bumping into things, struggling to find his dinner when placed in front of him and not able to play with his toys.
“His left eye also looked very red, so I called Paragon on a Sunday evening in a state of shock and they told us to bring him in the next morning.”
He was seen by head of ophthalmology James Rushton, who said the pressures in both of Kobi’s eyes were very high. To try and reduce the pressure Kobi was given drops, with surgery planned three days later.
But due to the damage already caused by the pressure, ones of Kobi’s eyes had to be removed. At the same time vet James carried out cataract surgery on the other eye.
Nic added: “I was devastated at the thought of him losing an eye. As I handed him over I was so scared and the rest of that day was a blur.
“James was fantastic. He took time to talk to me and explained and reassured me Kobi would be OK. The way he spoke to Kobi was lovely I could tell he would look after him.”
After a successful surgery Kobi is now fully recovered and back home, embracing life with his sight back.
Nic said: “It’s been a long road to recovery but Kobi is back to his normal, cheeky self and it’s so nice to have him back.
“We would absolutely recommend Paragon, the clinical staff are absolute experts in what they do and the office staff are so friendly and reassuring. We are so grateful we live in an area that has such a fabulous facility for pets and their owners.”
James says he and his team intend to keep working to save the sight of animals in need.
He added: “We’re so delighted Kobi is feeling better and we managed to restore his sight, despite having to remove one of his eyes.
“World Sight Day raises awareness of those with blindness or visual impairments. It really is a day of celebration for us, reflecting on the incredible impact we've made over the past three years at Paragon.
“We’re proud to have performed vision-restoring cataract surgeries on more than 350 eyes out of 1,000-plus eye-related surgeries.
“Our mission is clear - we believe vision is vital for all creatures, big and small. As we look to the future, we’re excited to continue helping more blind eyes see and enhancing the lives of our beloved patients.”
Paragon provides expert care in anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiology, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, internal medicine, neurology, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics and soft tissue surgery.
For more information on Paragon Veterinary Referrals, visit www.paragonreferrals.co.uk or search for Paragon Veterinary Referrals on social media.
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