Tao, a ten-year-old golden retriever, has not had the easiest life. A few years ago, Tao suddenly went blind due to glaucoma. That means the nerve connecting his eye to the brain was damaged because of poor eye fluid drainage.
Tao Eyes
Melanie, Tao’s mom, first discovered the issue when she noticed that, one day, her dog was acting strange. Tao kept whining and scratching his eye. That concerned Melanie, so she brought the pup to the vet that night.
The vet quickly diagnosed Tao’s illness and told Melanie that they had to remove his eye to stop the pain. Unfortunately, they also learned that they also need to get rid of Tao’s second eye in a matter of time. Melanie taught her dog everything she could in preparation for the inevitable. Eleven months later, the vet removed Tao’s second eye.
Tao gets a friend
Melanie commends Tao because of his amazing strength and adaptability after the surgery. After that, however, life naturally became more difficult for him. Thankfully, things started to change when Oko came into Tao’s life.
Oko is Tao’s seeing-eye dog. He helps the blind pup get around and makes his day-to-day life more comfortable. Oko was only 11 weeks old when the two of them met. But, a few months since then, they had already developed the sweetest bond.
Oko has not yet finished training but has made a difference in Tao’s world. They have such a fantastic relationship that warms the hearts of their Instagram followers. Oko held Tao’s lead in one of their photos while taking him for a walk.
Tao and Oko’s fan base on Instagram is growing so fast, and Melani hopes they could use the platform to raise awareness about canine glaucoma. She also worked with The Kennel Club for them to take Tao’s DNA and use it as a “marker” to help identify dogs that are prone to the disease.
Credit: Tao
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