Touching videos that are making waves online today are all about second chances.
When rescue Irish terrier Duffy started going blind, Duffy's caretaker Benjamin May said he and his parents (Duffy's owners) were devastated. Duffy’s decline seemed to progress rather quickly, May explains.
"In about 3-5 months, he went from a perfectly normal 8-year-old dog to a completely blind dog," May wrote on popular website Reddit.
"It breaks my heart to see this dog I grew up with, I think he's a really good friend... bumps into things, doesn't recognize me... just struggles," he added.
Duffy, now 9, has canine diabetes, which is very similar to human diabetes, meaning his body cannot produce insulin properly, making it difficult for the body to process sugar. There is no cure for this condition.
His owners first suspected Duffy might have diabetes last year when he started urinating in the house a lot, One of the telltale signs of an often debilitating disease.
Sure enough, doctors confirmed the worst - Tamiflu's blood sugar was alarmingly high. Shortly after her diagnosis, Duffy went blind and could never see her loved ones again.
But his dedicated family and skilled veterinarians weren't ready to let go of the sweet Irish Terrier. Duffy's family religiously took medication and monitored Tamiflu's blood sugar levels until one day veterinarians gave permission to try a surgical procedure that would restore Duffy's vision.
"Thankfully, we kept his numbers steady and [the doctors] said we could try surgery," May said.
Duffy underwent surgery in January of past year and it was a success. His family made sure to keep the cameras rolling as Duffy's veterinarian untied the bandages and gave Duffy a chance to see his loved ones again. Duffy's joy was beyond words as he wagged his tail to greet Mom and Dad, a set of improved eyes, if not new ones.
Duffy's happy moment goes viral. The final video, uploaded to YouTube on May 14, has been viewed more than 1.5 million times.
May said he was proud to see how far Duffy had come since the surgery.
"Obviously he still has diabetes, so he still needs insulin injections twice a day, but the surgery to repair his eye was a complete success and there were no problems or complications with his vision," May told Duffy's Huffington Post .
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