Gremlin the pit bull hasn't lived a very easy life. She was raised from birth to be a fighting dog, before she was rescued, but that wasn't the end of her troubles. Gremlin has had a string of medical problems, including cancer, a blood disease, and even irritable bowl syndrome. Throughout them all, her adoptive owners Chris and Mariesa Hughes have done everything they can to make Gremlin comfortable.
Chis and Mariesa are famous for going the extra mile to help their pets. They run a nonprofit that helps keep senior dogs out of shelters, and they ordered a giant custom bed to fit their 9 rescue dogs.
So when Gremlin started losing her eyesight, they wanted to do something to help her.
Gremlin started slowly losing her eyesight with age, then cataracts and a surgery made her vision much worse. The Hugheses say that Gremlin could spot a squirrel across the street, but she would bump into walls and other dogs.
This caused a change in Gremlin's behavior. Chris and Mariesa noticed she was withdrawing and anxious all the time.
"They are our family and we have made a promise to them to give them the best life we can," Mariesa said, so they had to help her somehow.
Click the next page to learn about "doggles" and contact lenses for pets!
It turns out that there are actually lots of solutions for pets who are losing there eyesight, including Doggles. Doggie contact lenses have existed for decades, and versions for other animals are pretty common - try and spot the shortsighted animals the next time you visit your local zoo.
There's even special equipment to make sure your dog gets the right prescription. After getting Gremlin tested the Hugheses started buying her special contact lenses.
But it turned out that the cheap human contacts they bought on the internet worked just fined.
Chris and Mariesa say the change in Gremlin's behavior has been like night and day, and it's like their dog has been "waking up from a daze."
The dog actually laid down in front of a mirror in their house to stare at herself, and gives her owners "kisses" after they change her contacts once a week.
To learn more about Gremlin and the Hugheses other dogs, you can follow Gremlin on Facebook.
[H/T: Today]
