Lazar Wolf is a 12-year-old mid-content wolfdog that came to Wild Spirit with something called Pannus, which is an immune-mediated condition that impacts the cornea of the eye. While Pannus is treatable, it cannot be cured, and if left untreated, conditions will worsen over time and may lead to corneal scarring and blindness.

Sadly, when Lazar came to us in the fall of 2022, he was determined to be almost entirely blind after years without adequate treatment, and the pain and discomfort he was experiencing were evident.

As a result, we attempted to treat him with oral pain management and eye drops provided three times a day, every single day. And while treatment absolutely improved Lazar’s condition for the duration of a year, we realized that as summer began to approach, it wouldn’t be enough to keep him pain-free (as exposure to UV makes the whole thing worse).

As such, and with advice from our vet, we made the decision to remove both eyes. Since he was already blind, it would make no difference to his sight and allow us to alleviate further pain following recovery.

When our vet removed the eyes, he saw that both were SEVERELY diseased from his condition, but he was able to complete the surgery with no further complications.

At the end of the day, we’re extremely grateful that this big change will improve Lazar’s quality of life for years to come, and allow him to continue to live a long and happy existence in our care!

Lazar has since completely recovered from the surgery and has loved no longer having to receive daily eye drops! Since he was already blind beforehand, he is still our same loving and food-obsessed Lazar Wolf.